Drink-a-Pint

Back in April, Miller Lite announced that they’d be rolling out their new “Brewers Collection” nationwide by September. While I do have some misgivings about the idea of buying a beer from a megabrewer that’s seemingly being marketed purely to ride the coattails of the growing popularity of actual craft beer, I was actually looking forward to seeing if they could pull it off. The Lite wheat, amber and blonde ale styles were set to be marketed as “Craft Beer. Done Lite.” with a mere 110 calories per 12-ounce serving. (That’s music to the ears of a guy who swears he’s getting a little pudgier around the tummy in his 30’s!)

Now, those plans appear to be in flux as the Brew Blog is reporting that Miller sent a message to distributors today detailing a “slower, more deliberate” approach to rolling out the new line.

“A slower, more deliberate test-market approach will give us the greatest opportunity to glean insights into the brand’s full potential and thus increase the likelihood of long-term success,” CEO Tom Long said Monday in a message to distributors.

Miller will continue testing the craft-style light beers in Baltimore, Charlotte, N.C., and Minneapolis while San Diego is being dropped as a test market and parts of Wisconsin have been added.

Will we be drinking lite craft beer from a megabrewer in time for kickoff this September? Stay tuned.