The Bottle Battle Book...ehrr.. Blog Post

First it was lager. Then it was light beer. Then beer in cans. Beer with no flavor. Beer back in the bottles. Beer with too much flavor. Beer from your bearded friend down the hall. Beer from your own kitchen.

Beer has certainty gone through the cycles throughout it's American history. Now it looks as if it is turning the pages back to a play usually reserved for construction workers, your family's 4th of July BBQ, and/or all of your uncles. Cans are coming back. But not without the cool. refined twist that will be necessary to pull in as many beer drinkers from as many walks of life as possible. Today, we highlight some ways that beer is being packaged and ask you to weigh in on the issue.

Can-Can sales?

Cans are coming back for many reasons. The biggest seems to be beer quality. Bottles expose beer to light, which interacts with compounds and can ultimately 'skunk' your beer and leave bad flavors. Cans do not let any light in. Cans are also lighter, easier to transport, and spend a lot less time jabbing you in the foot when broken. They are much safer for beaches, camping, daycare centers, etc. and (for those of us not cool enough to open a bottle with a lighter, spoon, or tooth) cans do not need that pesky opener that you knew you should've brought to the park last night.

Two large breweries have recently announced the soon-to-be release of their new can designs. Bud will be sporting a 'bow-tie' design that is ergonomic AND contains 11.3 ounces instead of 12. Bud is lauding the smaller quantity by reminding customers that they will now be drinking less calories.

Sam Adams has been working on their own ergonomic and 'as-close-to-the-glass-without-being-the-glass' can for years now and is set to start selling their Sam Can in early summer. Some Sierra Nevada was in the can last year and is planning more while many smaller craft brewers around the country are following suit.

 

Bottlestar Galactica

The current can comeback is riding on the heels of it's previous reputation, that of low-quality and low-class. Craft brewers are still using the bottle, and some are moving more towards the big boys to pull in new clientele.

A not-so-recent NY Times article reported on the balancing act of big bottles: brewers are looking to make beers with expensive ingredients more profitable while also attempting to class-up the beer drinking experience to those who normally pop open a bottle of wine with dinner. The result is a more expensive beer in a 22 ounce or 750ml bottle. Those already drinking beer seem to be resisting. Big bottles cost a lot more and can be hard to finish in one sitting.

Meanwhile, Lagunitas founder Tony Magee has derided the move to cans, attacking 'the popular trend of putting high-end craft beer in cans, saying the mining practices necessary to produce the aluminum are harmful to the environment.'

To even out our bottle news and our love of things completely ridiculous and unnecessary, Heineken has lit up it's bottles with 'Heineken Ignite'. The bottle lights up while you cheers, during your sip, and at certain decibels blinks with the horrible music you are listening to while drinking horrible beer (sorry Heinie and dubstep lovers...) Check out the commercial here for how it will probably <not> work at your nearest packed, overpriced club!

Your Call: Bottle or Can?

2 Brewths could go either way on this one. As one of us likes to say when asked if they need a glass for their beer; 'It's already in one.' We don't wanna say we'd drink out of anything, so we'll just end this sentence.

But what say you? Let us know what you prefer. Are there times that you like to drink out of one of these containers more than the other? We know, we know, we left out some options- the almighty beer glass, the ram's horn, the high school wrestling trophy. Whatever it is you prefer, let us know and thanks for staying with us after our hiatus!

Looks like the good doctor preferred the quick moving goblet.

 

Big Buds getting even closer: InBev/Modelo Merger

Original article from the Associated Press, Feb. 5th, 2013: Budweiser Corona Merger Challenged over Competition Concerns

As if Budweiser wasn’t satisfied with brewing the most ‘satisfying’ beer on Earth, it is now looking to add the most popular and ‘satisfying’ American import--Corona--to its massive ownership of the beer market. And we really feel ‘sorry’ that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has put the brakes on such a seemingly ‘legit’ deal between Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI) and Grupo Modelo.  Really, we’re just ‘broken up’ about ‘it’… ‘.’

Budweiser is looking to buy the one company that has kept the two Big Brewers--ABI and MillerCoors--from controlling beer prices in the US. As the two big boys control around 70% of the US market and attempt to work together for price manipulation, Modelo has always competed by maintaining lower prices. The DOJ has stated that the merger would monopolize the beer industry. ABI would creep towards 50% ownership of the market and drive beer prices up, because God forbid you pay $2.00 for a Bud Light Select tall boy rather $1.50.

Lest we forget that InBev is already half owner of Grupo Modelo to begin with, so you’ll find Coronas and Buds commuting together in every major city. Lest we forget that Budweiser already owns dozens of breweries across the US and the world, some of them quite good ones. Lest we forget that pesky but valiant 25% of the beer market that includes craft breweries; whose creativity, quality, and higher alcohol content have inspired ABI to launch Bud Black Crown… the dark corporate wizard of beers. Lest we forget that we still have a blog to write.

What could this merger possibly mean for those of us who define summer with a lime-wedged Corona, or those of us who avoid the long cooler filled with the King of Beers all together (or pick up some Buds because we didn’t lest-we-forget our wallet at home)? Does any of this merger noise even matter?

Us 2 Brewths don’t have vast amounts of economic knowledge, but let’s pretend that you think we do. If Bud and Modelo actually buddy up, then prices might increase. But if craft beers hold their prices, the market might just swing their way. Why bother spending X amount of dollars when the alternative is only X.75? As effective as InBev's behemoth of an advertising campaign is--with its talking animals, ethnically diverse raves, and football-to-the-groin humor--the dark sinister label of monopoly might scare away a few Americans from drinking such a threat to the marketplace. Americans might look for a more honest alternative. Remember, we’re still pretending we know what we’re talking about.

So what’s your take on it all? Do you have any scruples with Big Beer? Would such a merger change the way people buy beer and if so, how? Also, what is your go-to Big Brew and when do you drink it? Finally, since we are all in need of some happy weather thoughts- what is your preferred beverage for the summer, alcoholic or not?