Beer for the Baskin-Robbins crowd

Chocolate beerChances are that neither you nor I will ever see Frederick Miller Classic Chocolate Lager because it’s only due to be distributed in the Midwest.

But it has attracted a lot of attention than any of the excellent chocolate beers brewers have been producing for years. The latest is this story from the Associated Press, which is looking for an underlying trend. That would be beer with more flavors. Not just beer with more flavor, but different flavors.

Thus the story consults Felicia McClain, an analyst with Mintel Research. “They’re trying to do something to bring some spice back into beer,” she says. And Mintel has a list of the top 10 selling beer flavors from 2005. Presented here without further comment:

1. plain (regular)
2. pumpkin
3. honey
4. vanilla
5. nut
6. pomegranate
7. brown sugar
8. spice and spicy
9. lime
10. orange