boozenews.ca

By Paul Mitchell



In its essence, beer is a simple thing. Take good quality hops, barley and yeast and ferment with clean spring water. Sure, there are many complicated processes and tweaks in between, along with vastly differing basic ingredients (there are over 1,500 types of yeast alone), but beer is usually something that brings people together for good times and harmony. So then what is going on in the Canadian beer industry these days? Companies are calling up their lawyers and battling over copyright issues and other silly things that have little to do with beer. Why have things become this complicated?

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By Paul Mitchell



Merchandising plays big role in establishing a brand and building awareness for the products a company sells. In few other industries do “wearable billboards” play such a large role as in the beer business. Sure, the huge multi-national macrobrewers throw cross-marketed free sports t-shirts in with every case of 2-4, but that’s not what I want to discuss. I prefer to cite examples of microbreweries using wit and intelligence (as well as catchy designs) to allow customer’s enthusiasm to be expressed publicly. Be warned, if your best beer t-shirt says, “24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case: coincidence?” or “I have a drinking problem: two hands and only one mouth” then you need not read on. We are referring to much more heady material here.

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By Paul Mitchell

There’s a fun story going around the internet about how a group of Texas students have extracted the health benefiting compounds from red wine and used them instead to brew a beer. Like a lot of things, especially from a marketing perspective, it sounds like a great idea. Unfortunately the reality of the final product is considerably different than the intended ideal.

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By Paul Mitchell


What is it with all the robots?

There is a certain amount of irony when I use this title to discuss a topic I have belaboured before. Last holiday season, I wrote an article about how the LCBO in Ontario was prominently featuring oversized packages of alcohol and inferred that the senior buyers must have Freudian issues. After being inundated with a large number of television commercials for the Heineken Draught Keg over the last few weeks, I thought I would revisit the topic.

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By Paul Mitchell

Steelback Brewery is a small craft beer-making company located in an “off the beaten path” location, but with a large and well-traveled history. And not always for the right reasons. Companies, like people should have the inalienable right for redemption and to make up for past mistakes. Where would any of us be if we did not have the chance to recover for childhood lapses of judgment? Steelback is a clear demonstration of what can happen when a company is given a similar chance.

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By Paul Mitchell


It is not my intention to slag Coors Light as of late, but as long as they keep running inane promotions, I will continue to make comment. No beverage promotion should be above scrutiny, especially in light of the huge budgets spent on them.

The latest – and certainly not greatest – advertising campaign for Coors Light involves their colour-changing labels that represent when your beer is “Cold Certified.” The labels themselves are not a new story, as there have been many stories written about the printing technology over the last year now, but what is new is that the beer company marketing has finally gone public.

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Coors Light-Maxim Golf Experience at Greenhills Golf Club, June 19th, 2008
By Paul Mitchell


I received a last-minute VIP invitation to attend the Coors Light-Maxim Golf Experience in London, Ontario and thought it would be fun to check out this buzz garnering marketing ploy. Upfront, I have to admit two things: 1) there was be no way that any publicity event was going to change my opinion of this horrible beer; and, 2) my advance impression was that this promotion was tacky, sexist and intellectually devoid. After some consideration, however, the lure of free drinks and potential for models in bikinis was too tempting to pass up.

(Please note that the event photos were taken with my camera phone so I know they suck. I didn't want to look like a total perv by bringing my real camera.)

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By Paul Mitchell
Among the many Mexican styled lagers that have been pushed onto the domestic Canadian market over the past few years, Dos Equis – based on its taste – has proven to be one of the best, in my opinion. Formerly available at selective Latin restaurants and through the LCBO, it has silently built up a following over the years. Recently, however, it has begun a larger marketing push to build the brand and expand its availability. The latest thrust has been with its ubiquitous yet vague “The Most Interesting Man in the World” campaign.

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By Paul Mitchell
In June 2007, Canada signed a bi-lateral free trade agreement with a northern European economic unit that includes Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. Among other Canadian products that were specifically negotiated within this agreement were domestically brewed micro beers. The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) eliminated tariffs and other duties on a number of goods in order to level the playing field and help increase foreign demand and encourage exports.

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By Paul Mitchell

Recently Amsterdam Brewery from Toronto introduced limited edition 500 mL bottles of their Blonde and Brown beers in fully wrapped labeling (www.amsterdambeer.com). Amsterdam may not be the first brewery to use a polyethylene stretch-sleeve label –Steelback Brewing for instance has been using this type for several years – but it marks an interesting example of innovation in the world of beer.

Packaging is a large part of marketing. To help identify your product on ever more clustered shelves in beer and liquor stores, companies are relying on sharp design and creative names can to set their brand apart. But unlike other industries, tradition and custom is a large – some might say fundamental – part of brewing. New innovations can be perceived as contrary to the accepted norms. In this article, we will attempt to look at the pros and cons of this contemporary alternative to packaging in the beer business.

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