musing

Since most of you read this blog through a feed reader or perhaps only the most recent post I direct you to the comments that followed the one last week about Molson “microcarbonated” lager.

Most particularly because a representative of Molson M stopped by with more information (then even more).

By chance — and this is another sign I might not be normal — I was just reading notes from a presentation Tom Nielsen of Sierra Nevada made at the 2008 Craft Brewers Conference about how carbon dioxide can scrub out hop aroma. This isn’t Miller talking about “triple hopped” beer. I’m not guaranteeing you’ll love Molson M, just saying it’s a real issue.

Molson Coors has announced the launch of Molson M, the world’s only “microcarbonated” lager beer.

Microcarbonization is a revolutionary process implemened by Molson Coors at the company’s brewery on Notre-Dame Street in Montreal, a process during which the beer is injected with CO2 through smaller, finer bubbles with a high level of precision and consistency.

“The injection of smaller CO2 bubbles makes it possible to preserve not only the taste of the hops but also the delicate flavours generated by the yeast during fermentation,” explained Karine Brunelle, brewer with Molson Coors.

A patent is pending.

Roger Protz has the exclusive: “The (Bass) brewing museum and visitor centre in Burton-on-Trent has been saved and will reopen in 2010, possibly as early as Easter. This major victory is the result of a sustained campaign by beer lovers, brewery workers, the local MP and the Burton daily newspaper.”

Molson Coors had announced it would close the museum and historic brewery.

The key attraction will be a working 30-barrel brewery run by Steve Wellington, who currently runs the on-site White Shield Brewery. Visitors will see beer being made and the brews — all cask-conditioned beers — will go on sale commercially.

Yes, beer makes a beer museum a whole lot cooler.

– The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that Tom Pastorius, founder and former CEO of the Pennsylvania Brewing Co., has been assured a $300,000 loan that will allow him to buy back Penn Brewing.

“I’m very optimistic” the deal to buy the business will be complete in December,” Pastorius said. “We need to brew some beer. Christmas is coming.”

Pastorius sold the business to Birchmere Capital in 2003. Birchmere since closed the brewery — although the equipment is said to be intact inside — and has the brands brewed under contract at the Lion Brewery in Wilkes-Barre.

– This factoid from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Budweiser sells for about eight times more than that of local Chinese beers, according to Anheuser-Busch InBev global advertising director Andrew Sneyd. He said one reason may be that the American brand seems to represent the American dream, which resonates with many hard-working and ambitious Chinese consumers.

Provide your own punch line.

This time from the Business of Big Beer.

Jeremiah McWilliams of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes about the possibility AB InBev could damage the Budweiser and Bud Light brands with line extensions, in the latter case Bud Light Lime and now Bud Light Wheat.

. . . critics argue that Anheuser-Busch’s line extensions may encourage once-loyal drinkers to wander away from the company. Line extensions, they say, remind drinkers of the endless variety on the beer menu, and may lead them to try offerings from other brewers.

Consultant David “Bump” Williams, who called the strategy of adding line extensions “a big mistake.”

“You’re now encouraging a loyal Bud Light shopper to try something new,” said Williams. If that drinker likes Bud Light Lime, Anheuser-Busch runs the risk of losing that once-loyal Bud Light shopper to other lime beers from other brewers.

And the next thing you know they are drinking IPAs?

(A bit of disclosure: Brewing with Wheat is due to reach bookshelves at the end of February, so perhaps I would benefit from the millions AB InBev is spending on advertising Bud Light Wheat. So I promise not to start drinking or endorsing it. I do, however, like the 2009 vintage of Michelob Bavarian Style Wheat.)

Ron Pattinson started it: “Innovation. I’m starting to truly loathe that word. Especially its inappropriate use in relation to brewing. And the subtext that, by definition, “innovation” is a good thing. I’ll be honest with you. I don’t want innovative beer. I want tasty, refreshing beer.”

So Alan McLeod asked: “When is enough enough? When is too much too much?”

And Stephen Beaumont answered: In Defence of Innovation.

What the heck are these two Canadians and a guy blogging from Amsterdam talking about? As Pattinson has written many times there’s really little new in beer. Certainly not highly hopped beers, not strong beers, not beers flavored with herbs or flowers, nor beers laced with wild critters.

Can beers still be innovative?