Miller Brewing plans to test market three “craft-style” beers lower in calories and carbohydrates than beers described as “craft.”
The Miller Lite Brewers Collection, — a blonde ale, an amber and a wheat — will begin testing in February in Baltimore, Charlotte, Minneapolis and San Diego.
Jack Curtin doesn’t think much of the idea.
If you been slowly accepting the delusion that the Biggies had gotten the point, Miller comes through with the evidence to the contrary.
“Craft-style” beer. I love it.
I understand Jack’s point, but I was already wondering why so many beer drinkers assume that “light” and “full flavored” are exclusive. I started thinking about this last weekend when a former Pabst brewer explained to me how, when light beer was pretty new, they came up with a time-consuming process in order to lower calories but maintain the alcohol level (and thus flavor).
Full-calorie beers (Budweiser, Miller High Life, Pabst) have been squeezed what seems to be forever by specialty beers (imports and “craft”) on one side and low-calorie beers on the other. Perhaps strategists at Miller looked at this and thought, “ahha.” Brew Blog explains:
Miller Lite Brewers Collection is aimed at mainstream light beer drinkers and capitalizes on three beer industry trends: the growth of light beer; the growing popularity of craft beer; and consumers’ growing willingness to pay more for products that deliver a unique or better experience.
I understand that you are skeptical about Miller delivering a better experience. I’m reserving judgment myself, but it surely is possible.
Amber? Think of British bitters, less than 4% abv and full of flavor. Of course, they’re best on cask, something more easily done in a brewpub than an airport bar. And better bottle conditioned (unfiltered and unpasteurized), which probably isn’t part of Miller’s plan.
Blonde? Since Miller is spelling it with an “e” consider Chimay Doree from the French speaking part of Belgian. I figure the 4.6% beer brewed for the monks themselves has about 130 calories (just a little more than Samuel Adams light).
Wheat? How about a Berliner Weiss?
Nope, light beer doesn’t have to suck.
Not just light beer as a whole but adjunct beer need not suck either. Hello? Pre-pro Pils anyone?
Yum.
Actually, I was commenting more on the marketing concept than suggesting a beer has to suck ’cause it’s light. When I was down at the Dixie 100th anniversary shindig in New Orleans recently, for example, I was really taken with the Jazz Light, a very drinkable, flavorful beer.
Having given the concept more thought and talked to a few people, read a few things, I’m becoming convinced this is an attempt to upscale current light beer drinkers rather than an attempt to appeal to craft beer drinkers. Get their current customers paying a bit more & feeling cooler, and hold onto market share overall. In the big picture, if the calorie watchers can be convinced to enjoy beer with a bit more flavor, that’s a Real Good Thing.
Where it may be a Real Bad Thing is at the retail level, with supermarkets and corner groceries taking the easy route and giving more shelf space to a familiar name while thinking they’re expanding to meet the demand for craft beers.
Thanks, Jack. I didn’t mean to be picking on you, because I know you know better.
Light need not suck at all. We need a commerically available 3.2% ordinary bitter badly. That is one of the most refreshing styles out there but no one makes it in NAm as far as I can tell. When I homebrewed, I also made a clone of a Carribean brew which was all malt 1.2% ginger beer. That was dandy stuff. Why do all the spiced beers have to be in the high dubbels range of strength?
SABMiller already makes a “light” beer that’s actually very, very good: Pilsner Urquell, at a modest 4.4% alcohol by volume.
I feel I’m reserving judgment, too… but with a cautious eye in this particular instance. “Light” beer need not suck to be considered light, but the interpretation of what exactly “Light” or “Lite” is has been debated (even referring to color). Lower abv is fine by me, and I agree with Alan that North America could use more widely-available bitters (or milds, anything with a lower abv and plenty of taste). I’m just not sure Miller Lite is the answer.*
*Note: a dubious expression of uncertainty that retains a slight chance of being completely disproven in the near future.
And Alan, Perry Mason at Scotch Irish Brewing used to make a highly quaffable, 3.5% standard bitter called Dogsbody. Unfortunately, it never took off as a brand.
In fact, Ontario has seen more than its share of lower (ie: sub-4%) alcohol beers, from Molson Select to a pair of 2% alcohol, microbrewed beers from the early 1990’s, the brand names of which I have long forgotten. Not one of them lasted because people in this country think they’re being cheated if their regular or, heaven forbid!, premium-priced beer has less than 4% alcohol in it.
All this is true, folks, but…would I be completely wrong if I guessed that every one of us had our doubts about what Miller — the creator of Chill and Clear — will actually execute on these ideas? I know I do. Miller had a half-decent line of beers in Miller Reserve, and they just couldn’t wait to do Miller Reserve Light: which was Lite with costume jewelry on. These were the guys who bent Löwenbräu over and made it squeal like a pig. A-B’s trying, and Coors gets credit for Sandlot and for sticking with Blue Moon for years. Miller has to prove itself.
Coastal Light Pale Ale and Coastal Light Lager were light craft beers made for Trader Joes. Full in flavor, light in body. Won medals at GABF. Trader Joes dumped them because they didn’t sell.
Dave – Those are the two that medaled in “Other Low Strength Ale or Lager” in October?
I talked to one of the judges from the final round and he said the only reservation he had is that the beers tasted stronger. Hardly a knock.
No, they were the ones metaled in 2003 and 2004.
2004 World Beer Cup
European-Style Low-Alcohol Lager/German-Style Leicht(bier),
Gold: Coastal Light Lager, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
2004 GABF
American-Style “Light” Amber Lager
Bronze: Coastal Light Pale, Firestone Walker Brewing Company, Paso Robles, CA
2003 GABF
American-Style “Light” Amber Lager
Silver: Walker’s Mild, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA