Hurray! AB has a new beer coming out.

[Beer-lord]

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2016/03/ ... ntcmp=hpff
The makers of Budweiser are capitalizing on the growing popularity of imported beer with the latest addition to their portfolio.

Later this month, Anheuser-Bush will introduce Estrella Jalisco, a 106-year old Mexican Pilsner, to a U.S. audience, reports Fortune.

The beer giant will first roll out the new cerveza across 10 states with advertising in Spanish on TV, print and online. In addition to attracting new consumers who favor beers like Corona, AB InBev is hoping Hispanic consumers will be excited the classic beer is now available in the states.

"We know they know this brand, and in many instances, they grew up seeing this beer or they used to drink it and then they moved to the U.S, or their parents moved to the U.S., Jorge Inda Meza, marketing director, West region for Anheuser-Busch announced in a statement. "It's a special memory and finally they can drink it again."

In the U.S., two of the fastest growing beer brands are Mexican imports—Dos Equis and Modelo.

According to Fortune, the introduction of Estrella Jalisco is unlikely to hinder the explosive growth of other imports – but may lure some drinkers away from “American light lagers that are similarly low in alcohol content.”

Estrella Jalisco, which at 4.5 percent ABV is on par with Corona, will be available in California, New Mexico, New York, Texas and several other states by the end of this month.

[Kealia]

Could I be less excited? No.

[BigPapaG]

Well, those three beers are among the few safe ways to drink Mexican water...

So, there's that...

[FedoraDave]

wheee

[mashani]

Might be good for washing down BBQ'd Iguana?

[Pudge]

It really is amazing how they continue to bark up the wrong tree.

[FedoraDave]

It really is amazing how they continue to bark up the wrong tree.

I think their approach is more like shooting buckshot into a barn. You don't really know where your target is, but you gotta figure you're bound to hit something.

[Kealia]

It really is amazing how they continue to bark up the wrong tree.

I think their approach is more like shooting buckshot into a barn. You don't really know where your target is, but you gotta figure you're bound to hit something.

I dunno. As far as business is concerned, if this is true then I think it's a smart move for them: "In the U.S., two of the fastest growing beer brands are Mexican imports—Dos Equis and Modelo."

Not saying I'll drink it as I don't care for the light lagers or Mexican imports myself but if that is where the growth is they'd be stupid to not try to grab a piece of that, right?

[FedoraDave]

Sure, pandering to the lowest common denominator usually works out pretty well. Or, as H. L. Menken observed, no one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public.

[Pudge]

Their problem is image as i see it. They'd be better spending $$$ to change that.

Craft beer is on the upswing, Duh. If AB bought Stone, a significant portion of Stone drinkers would stop buying Stone. That is a serious problem AB has yet to address.

They would be better off completely changing their image and developing beers of their own. It isn't hard. We do it. They can easily do it. As it is, nobody would buy the stuff.

[Kealia]

Their problem is image as i see it. They'd be better spending $$$ to change that.

Craft beer is on the upswing, Duh. If AB bought Stone, a significant portion of Stone drinkers would stop buying Stone. That is a serious problem AB has yet to address.

They would be better off completely changing their image and developing beers of their own. It isn't hard. We do it. They can easily do it. As it is, nobody would buy the stuff.

I'll play Devil's Advocate here for the sake of debate.
I agree that most Stone drinkers would likely stop drinking it if AB bought them, no debate there. BUT, it could also bring in a whole new bunch of drinkers if people knew it was a "Bud Beer" now. Their reach is incredible.

Yes, craft beer continues to grow, but we're still less than 10% of the beer sales annually IIRC (my numbers may be off). I'm not sure that they need to change their image - as a broad statement. I would agree that they need to change their image if they want to attract the craft beer crowd. Would it be wise? I think so, because we ARE growing and it would be dumb to ignore any growing market sector whether it's craft beers, imported Mexican lagers, etc.

Finally, clearly there are plenty of people buying it already as evidenced by the sheer size of their market share.

Listen, I'm not an AB fan. I don't like their beers, the strong-arm practices that they employ, nor the fact that they still portray themselves as a great American company when the majority (if not all?) share is Brazilian-owned. I'm as 'against' them as the next guy, but if we're talking strictly business - there are things that they are doing right.

I'm also not trying to poke anybody with a stick here. Just a friendly debate over a beer or two the same way we would if we were sitting together at a local brewery.

[FedoraDave]

From what I understand, AB's main concern is that Budweiser sales are dropping; not AB-InBev's total revenues. They recognize an expanding market, or else they wouldn't be buying out all those other craft breweries.

Two sides to the same coin. Their coffers are still filling up quite nicely for them as a corporation, but as a name brand, their mainstay, i.e. Budweiser Beer, is slipping.

[Pudge]

Fair enough, they are far away the biggest kid on the block. I'm under the impression (no numbers to support this) that their share is slowly shrinking even with the acquisitions. I know Bud, Bud Light, etc is dropping off, but I'm thinking AB's total profits are off. The craft beer side of the numbers continues to increase and eat into the industrial brewers share.

Why not attempt to join the growth rather than fight it? Fighting it doesn't seem to be working.

I don't want to give the wrong impression either. I am a fan of the BMC boys succeeding to a degree. I just want to see them play fair, join the party, and get along with everybody else the way the craft brewers seem to get along with each others. The BMC breweries carry a ton of influence when it comes to grain production, hop growth, distribution, etc. It'd be real nice if they were friendlier. The Boston Beer Co. is a great example. They are big enough to stomp on some itty-bitty startup breweries, but they don't.

I guess somebody has to be the evil empire though, right?

[FedoraDave]

Why not attempt to join the growth rather than fight it? Fighting it doesn't seem to be working.

Because that would force them to admit they were wrong all this time.

I don't want to give the wrong impression either. I am a fan of the BMC boys succeeding to a degree. I just want to see them play fair, join the party, and get along with everybody else the way the craft brewers seem to get along with each others. The BMC breweries carry a ton of influence when it comes to grain production, hop growth, distribution, etc. It'd be real nice if they were friendlier. The Boston Beer Co. is a great example. They are big enough to stomp on some itty-bitty startup breweries, but they don't.

I guess somebody has to be the evil empire though, right?

Boston Beer hasn't done this that we know of. But this brings to mind an incident in the documentary "Beer Wars." A woman who was quite high up in the Sam Adams hierarchy left to start a micro of her own. And at one point she went to Jim Koch and asked him for advice. He wouldn't help her out, and his reasoning was something along the lines of, "I wish her success, but I'm not going to help her achieve it. She's the competition now." And while it might sound callous of him, I have to agree. Business is business, and you don't hand your competition anything that will give them a leg up.

[Pudge]

Well they Used to have a program over there to help start ups. I honestly don't know if they still do or not.

http://www.foxbusiness.com/features/201 ... rtups.html