Comments on: Co-opting Craft, Miller Style… http://www.beerscribe.com/2008/12/01/co-opting-craft-miller-style/ Dedicated to the art, complexity, and business of beer... Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:23:56 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: jesskidden http://www.beerscribe.com/2008/12/01/co-opting-craft-miller-style/comment-page-1/#comment-328 jesskidden Sat, 06 Dec 2008 11:51:59 +0000 http://www.beerscribe.com/2008/12/01/co-opting-craft-miller-style/#comment-328 I also notice on the new MillerCoors website (which I, too, have a hard time getting through the age verification page- tho' sometimes it'll let me in *without* even filling it out- just hit "enter") that the new section on reading their dates codes - "Nutrition and Codes" - omits the shelf life they give their beers- they only explain how to read the "pull date". The old Miller site explained that they gave their beers (as well as the Pabst's brands) 17 weeks of shelf life and gave their imports 9 months (somewhat unusual- most imports have 1 year shelf life- too long in my opinion for light lager styles). The conflicting codes on the packages on Pilsner Urquel was the reason I was at the site to begin with- apparently one of the codes (4 pack can wrapper) was "week of the year" and the other, on the can/bottle, was the Miller-style code. As for the craft/specialty confusion, note that Miller now brews Fosters in the US (in their Texas brewery, IIRC, under the dba of "Oil Can Brewing Co."). That deal (I guess a license with Fosters?) was the excuse MolsonCoors gave for closing a brewery in Canada not too long ago. Of course, that was before the Miller-Coors US jv. Killian's, too, technically is a license deal- at least it was in the beginning- between Coors and not only the Geo. Killian Lett heirs, but also with Pelforth (the French brewery that also brews a "Killian" branded ale- now owned by Heineken IIRC). So, apparently, domestically brewed, licensed foreign brands are "specialty" beers? I also notice on the new MillerCoors website (which I, too, have a hard time getting through the age verification page- tho’ sometimes it’ll let me in *without* even filling it out- just hit “enter”) that the new section on reading their dates codes – “Nutrition and Codes” – omits the shelf life they give their beers- they only explain how to read the “pull date”.

The old Miller site explained that they gave their beers (as well as the Pabst’s brands) 17 weeks of shelf life and gave their imports 9 months (somewhat unusual- most imports have 1 year shelf life- too long in my opinion for light lager styles). The conflicting codes on the packages on Pilsner Urquel was the reason I was at the site to begin with- apparently one of the codes (4 pack can wrapper) was “week of the year” and the other, on the can/bottle, was the Miller-style code.

As for the craft/specialty confusion, note that Miller now brews Fosters in the US (in their Texas brewery, IIRC, under the dba of “Oil Can Brewing Co.”). That deal (I guess a license with Fosters?) was the excuse MolsonCoors gave for closing a brewery in Canada not too long ago. Of course, that was before the Miller-Coors US jv.

Killian’s, too, technically is a license deal- at least it was in the beginning- between Coors and not only the Geo. Killian Lett heirs, but also with Pelforth (the French brewery that also brews a “Killian” branded ale- now owned by Heineken IIRC). So, apparently, domestically brewed, licensed foreign brands are “specialty” beers?

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