Thumbs Down – Seasonal Beer Creep

Last night I had a few friends over to have a few beers and one of my buddies brought over a twelve pack of Harpoon Winter Warmer.  While it’s a great beer, it’s not winter yet!  Halloween was last weekend – it’s definitely still autumn.  We should still be enjoying our  pumpkin ales and other fall seasonals until Thanksgiving.  The official start of winter is about two months away!

Gregg Easterbrook, the author of Tuesday Morning Quarterback at ESPN, often writes about “Christmas Creep,” where people start advertising holiday specials, or selling holiday products way too far in advance (For example: Harrod’s in London selling Christmas teddy bears in late August).  The Christmas celebration seems to creep earlier and earlier every year.  

The same thing happens with seasonal beers, and it drives me crazy.  Last winter, I was home in Milwaukee for winter break, and right after the new year, Leinenkugel’s put up a billboard advertising their spring seasonal 1888 Bock.  In January, I’m still looking to drink their winter seasonal, Fireside Nut Brown because it’s still winter!

I understand why the breweries do it.  They want to sell as much of the seasonal beer as possible, and people are much more likely to buy a seasonal beer before the season really hits, than afterwards. However, seasonal beer creep still gets a thumbs down from me, because it takes the fun out of seasonal beer.  I want to buy a fresh six pack of Winter Lager when it’s winter, not while it’s still fall.

Modernista! Using eBay – Thumbs Up

Modernista! is at it again.  The Boston-based award winning advertising agency implemented another quirky method in order to separate their name from all the others.  Popular and unique for its siteless website, Modernista! recently used the popular bidding website eBay in its next stunt.  Using eBay (offer seen here), Modernista! auctioned off what they called the “12-Pack of Suds Spots”, a package of 12 commercial scripts meant for a beer marketer.  Although Modernista! didn’t receive the offer they were hoping for – final bid was only $45 – you have to give them props for doing something different in order to make some buzz and set them apart from their competition.  Interesting idea on how to get your name out there.  It was never revealed who actually bought the 12 pack of scripts; however, knowing Modernista!’s success in the advertising world, the buyer will probably not be disappointed by their purchase.

Foster’s Coasters – Thumbs Up

SABMiller India, Fosters distributor in India, decided to teach a valuable lesson in a fun manner.  At over 40 bars and restaurants, they gave out coasters with pictures of sports cars when a customer ordered a glass of Foster’s beer.  The coaster and glass had magnets with opposite polarities so that it was impossible to place a beer on one of the coasters.  The message was, “Drinking & driving don’t mix,” which was also printed on the mug.

I think this is a really creative and memorable way to deliver a valuable message.  According to the video below, the message had a positive effect, at least on the bars, as some of them began offering a taxi service.  I wonder if the move sold less or more Foster’s beer.  Were people annoyed with their coasters or did people order a Foster’s to play with a magnetic coaster?  

Here is a video showing the coasters in action:

Leinenkugel’s Pink Lemonade – Thumbs Up

I went on the Miller Brewery tour on Monday, and was a little disappointed that I had already tried all the beers that I could sample at the end of the tour.  I was hoping to try the re-formulated Miller Chill since I wasn’t a fan of the original version, but I do enjoy a summertime Bud Light Lime.  I was hoping  However, in the end, I did get to try something new.  Upon hearing that our group was excited to have some Leinenkugel’s beers, one of the tour guides suggested that we try a mixture of two Leinenkugel’s beers, Berry Weiss and Summer Shandy.  The mixture is called a “pink lemonade” and it lives up to its name – it tastes just like one.  It’s sweet, delicious, and a perfect summertime drink.  Because of the sweet taste, it’s a perfect beer to start off an evening, but not something you want to be chugging all night playing drinking games.

Unfortunately, I don’t know of too many bars, even in Leine’s country here in Wisconsin, that have both Berry Weiss and Summer Shandy on tap, so if you want to try the drink for yourself, you might have to purchase a six-pack of each.

Thumbs down – Equivalent Beer Prices

This is actually sort of a mixed bag. A quick thumbs up portion of the post goes to the Six-Pack Equivalent Calculator, which allows you to calculate how much a six pack of a specific beer would cost based on the amount you bought. For example, buying a six pack worth of $6.50 beers at a baseball game is equal to a $27.68 six pack.

This brings me to the thumbs down portion of the program, beer prices at bars and restaurants. I enjoy a beer as much as the next guy, but I’m often hesitant to order one at a restaurant with dinner because I know that $4-5 for a glass of beer is a little absurd. Thanks to this handy calculator, I now know how ridiculous some of those prices are. At the same time, it makes me much more appreciative of how much (or little?) I chip in towards beer purchases for things like tailgates. Also, it reminds me that I live in a state that allows the purchase of six packs (I’m looking at you Pennsylvania). So the next time you’re at a bar, and think it’s ridiculous how much you’re paying for your pint, just wait til you punch the numbers into the calculator. And if you’ve ever considered homebrewing beer, take a look at the six-pack equivalent prices, it might surprise you.