Cheers is dedicated to delivering hospitality professionals the information, insights and data necessary to drive their beverage business by covering trends and innovations in operations, merchandising, service and training.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/30177
Th ough sales of Bud Lime have declined by 10 percent in the last year, the fl avored light beer category is still expanding, perhaps to compete with “skinny” cocktails and satiate customers’ desire for lower-calorie options. Molson Canadian Sublime is a new brand aimed at cocktail drinkers that mixes light Molson Canadian 67 with lime fl avor. Another newcomer to the growing cadre of light beers is Shiner Light Blonde, released this spring by the Gambrinus Company, and brewed at the Spoetzl Brewery of Shiner, TX. Kevin Jurica, manager of the Mellow Mushroom in Ft. Worth, TX, says, “We anticipate doing very well with it over time, it’s got just 95 calories but tastes a bit bolder than the typical light and brewed in Texas.” Th e Mellow Mushroom chain has more than 100 pizza restaurants in 16 states, and is famed for its craft beer selection with 20 to 25 taps and more bottles. Prices range from $3.50 to $5 for draft and pricing for bottled brands vary according to location. Most Mellow Mushroom units off er the “Th ursday Pint Night,” when patrons purchase pints of the featured draft beer and take home a free pint glass. For the Mellow Mushroom’s Jurica, a crossover brand is Full Sail Brewing Co.’s Session Lager, with 135 calories and 4.5 percent alcohol by volume. “It’s got fewer calories than the typical craft beer, but packs a lot of fl avor for $4 per bottle,” Jurica says. Among independents, light beer is a surprise star at independent bar Faith & Whiskey in Chicago, a rock’n’roll destination for brown spirits, but deriving 70 percent of beer sales from light brands. “Coors Light and Miller Lite make up the majority of beer sales,” says owner Hunter Cannon. Th ough Faith & Whiskey off ers more than 100 premium whiskies, a big draw is the “Skinny Wednesday” promotion featuring $2 draft light beer and 40-ounce bottles of Miller Lite for $6. Cannon adds that light beer drinkers are often the younger customers who seek value. Given its location near DePaul University, the crowd (capacity is 175 patrons) draws mostly ages 21 to 30, who enjoy dancing to the DJ or cover bands. SPORTS ARE STILL KING Sports promotions, both on- and off -premise, drive much of for the sales of light brands. Th at’s the heritage of the Miller Lite brand’s advertising campaigns in the 1970s. But as the offi cial light beer of the National Football League, Bud Light has invested $1 billion in the sponsorship. Th e NFL is the biggest, most watched sport in North America and Bud Light is a proud sponsor. Sports fans are also often big fans of light beer. At the independent bar the Gingerbread Man in State College, PA, owner Teague Willits-Kelley continues the bar’s tradition of drawing pre-game crowds to the tavern, now in its 26th year of operation. A former hockey player for Penn State, Willits- Kelley has owned the bar for two years. “It’s more than a bar, serving lunch and dinner and of the 12 taps, we always have Miller Lite, Coors Lite and Bud Light, and in bottles we have all of those brands as well as Amstel and Yuengling Light Lager.” With seating for about 150 people, including 20 seats at the www.cheersonline.com Tavern on the Mill (pictured above) draws almost 50 percent of its beer sales from light beer on draft and in bottles, bar, the Gingerbread Man draws mostly younger drinkers aged 21to 30. Th e “G-Man” does many promotions, including a snowboarding competition during the blizzard of 2011. “Generally, our beer sales are about 29 percent of beverage and of the beer sales probably, two to three of the beer sales are light beer, says Willits-Kelley. “A lot has to do with the marketing for light beer tied into the NHL, NFL, and we market to the sports fans.” Draft lights are priced at $2.50 for 23-ounce serving; $2.25 for a 16-ounce glass, and beer on special, $5 for 42-ounce pitchers. Willits-Kelly has run the Bet on Taste promotion “at least 75 times in the last year,” and describes it as a “really good go-to promotion that gives people the chance to interact with someone personally, and then do the taste-challenge: eight out of ten times, people pick Miller Lite out of the blind taste challenge and when they discover their true choice, people’s reactions can be very amusing.” Willits-Kelly thinks that the promotion keeps patrons in the bar, “because by really tasting and looking at their beers, they are thinking about what they are drinking, and it helps them enjoy the experience Th at’s the key to better sales of light beer on-premise: shine the ad light on the beers, enlighten customers about light beer’s taste and give them the low-down on light beers’ low caloric load. Lucy Saunders is a freelance food and beer writer based in Milwaukee, WI, and author of Th e Best of American Beer and Food (Brewers Publications). The Cheers’ handbooks are available at www.beveragehandbooks.com. MAY 2011 | 41