Comments on: Michelob releases new Fall Sampler Pack But Who Gives a Shit?

By: Tom

Tom — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 15:16:52 +0000

I’ll try it. I pretty much like any beer. Also regular Mich is a pretty damn good macro

By: Ryan

Ryan — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 15:00:29 +0000

Did you ever think that Michelob is the brewer down the block. They employ many new brew masters every year and give someone a new chance to actually make some quality brews with the finest ingredients. Unlike you who claim you’re some brew expert while you sit at home and brew your at home wannabe beer bullshit!

By: BeerISgood

BeerISgood — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:57:25 +0000

Beer is good, I’ve literally never had a bad beer in my life. Sure, obviously some beers are better than others.
But, much like sex, even a bad beer is still pretty good. Beer is the drink of the working man. I fully
understand wanting to support local small craft brewers. That is a a common refrain across all business fronts..
Save Mom-and-Pop Vs. Wal-mart, and their is nothing wrong with that feeling. However, don’t get snooty about beer.
Save snooty for the “wine” set. Big brewers, small brewers, enjoy it all!

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:32:04 +0000

It all depends on why you drink the beer you drink. I personally don’t care who brewed it, if it passes
muster than I’ll drink it. Why do craft-beer drinkers need to be such snobs about what they drink. They seem more concerned with who they drink, like it’s some sort of designer label issue relevant to teenage girls.
Has Michelob made a slew of great craft-style beers? Not really.
Has Michelob tried to cash in on craft beer scene? Sure.
Haven’t plenty of smaller companies come along to try their hand at craft beer only to turn out sub-par material? Of course.
It’s very hypocritical to say their beer is going to be bad because it’s made by a big brand. Sam Adams is they biggest microbrew out there and I’m sure everyone can agree they’ve made some crappy beers – beer snobs bash Summer Ale, Cranberry Lambic, and others, yet they don’t feel compelled to purchase the beer just to support a smaller company… Just my two cents.

By: blogaboutbeer

blogaboutbeer — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:00:55 +0000

I definitely agree with what you’re saying, Dave. But, to clear the air, A-B doesn’t own Redhook. They have a small stock in the company (like a couple of shares only) in exchange for Redhook’s partial use of their distribution network. But that’s really the extent of their relationship. Just a head’s up. But you’re right about the new Mic beers.

Thanks for the comments everyone! Keep ‘em coming!

By: Left Field

Left Field — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 22:20:10 +0000

I totally hear where you’re coming from on this one. When I see new attempts at cracking the microbrew market from larger brewers, I automatically assume they suck. I’m still a little curious to try them, but not enough to pay money for them. The A/B’s of the world could be getting better at “craft brewing,” but I’ve already tried enough Killian’s-like offerings to risk wasting my time and money on another.
On the other hand, maybe there is a small niche market for mainstream beer drinkers who want to try something new. I know that, just before I got into craft brews in the early/mid 90s, I was pleasantly surprised that I liked this new, darker and more flavorful lager called Sam Adams.

By: Dave

Dave — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 02:06:29 +0000

Doh, Redhook is already an A-B beer, I suppose they probably aren’t trying to steal customers from themselves… but you get my point.

By: Dave

Dave — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 02:04:17 +0000

These sampler packs are usually teasers and don’t last long. The goal is to get new people interested in the Michelob version and have them cross over. My best guess would be that they plan for this to hopefully draw folks who are already drinking “micro”(macro) brews like Leinenkugel, Redhook, Blue Moon, etc. while stemming the flow to Sierra Nevada, Rogue, Brooklyn Brewery, Boston Beer Co., and Bell’s (gotta give the shout out to the MI guys!), etc.

You’re absolutely right, these aren’t about getting Mic lite and ultra folks, but my guess would be it is about either giving them a place to “grow” into or giving folks from other brands another option. Plus at the price point that this will probably sit, it will likely draw some of the craft folks over to try them (as the comments above suggest) while also being more profitable than traditional michelob . Once they’ve done that, they hope that the new customers see the value and quality, and ultimately stick around.

So, that’s the target… Will it work? Probably some will to some degree.
Shock Top and AmberBock are already doing pretty well, and their Mic beers. Plus, let’s face it, no one is fooling anyone into thinking any of these “micro”(macro) brews are really craft beers anymore, anyway. So why would A-B expend the time and energy to hide it? So if they’re going to brew a “craft style” may as well put a name on it that people recognize (like michelob).

My opinion anyway for what its worth…

Dave!

By: Jim

Jim — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:05:38 +0000

Ha! That headline made me laugh out loud! It was exactly what I was thinking as I began to read it.

Well done.

By: DH

DH — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 04:39:20 +0000

Nice blog man! I like it! Come over on to http://www.jibeer.com as well, i’ll be linking you…