Drink-a-Pint

This almost feels like a tree falling in the woods if no one is around to hear it.

So, if craft beer is, by definition, meant to be brewed in small batches with limited distribution, what happens when the nation’s second largest brewer takes its best-selling beer and serves it up, craft-style? Can it still really be called a craft beer? 

Let the debate begin as Miller Lite is bringing its ”Brewers Collection,” featuring three craft-style light beers, nationwide in September. They’ve been available in Baltimore, Charlotte, N.C., Minneapolis, and San Diego since February with strong initial sales.

The Lite wheat, amber and blonde ale styles will be marketed as “Craft Beer. Done Lite.” and will all have 110 calories per 12-ounce serving. In comparison, New Belgium Fat Tire (amber ale) has 159 calories per serving, Blue Moon (wheat) has 169 while Bass Ale (blonde) checks in at 155 calories per serving.

Philly.com’s Joe Sixpack had a great review on his page a couple weeks ago after he took a ride down 1-95 and tried two of the brews in Baltimore:

“Beer either just jumped the shark, or the universe has a strange sense of humor.. There is so much wrong - and so much unsurprising - about a product whose slogan brazenly promises, ‘Craft Beer. Done Lite.’ The three styles are, as you’d expect, thin, fizzy and light-tasting. The wheat is reminiscent of Sprite, the blond is tinny and the amber is Miller Lite with a tan. Nothing terribly offensive or remarkable. But, honestly, you don’t have to taste it to get the point.”

Of course, while I don’t see myself getting excited about driving to the store for a six-pack of “craft” beer from Miller Lite, you can’t blame them for going in this direction. Craft beer sales are on the rise with no end in sight and they’re coming off an amazing year for Miller Chill, which made somewhere in the neighborhood of $40 million for them last year.