E-Malt.com News article: 1649

Adolph Coors Co., the US third largest brewer, may be preparing to hop on the low-carb beer wagon, riding the frothy success of competitor Anheuser-Busch's Michelob Ultra, Associated Press reported on October 3. Several analysts, including a Wall Street research firm, and a beer-industry publication say Coors plans to unveil the low-carbohydrate beer by early next year. Coors declined to confirm a pending launch of the product. "We are currently investigating the low-carb category. Any speculation of what opportunities this category would hold for Coors is premature," Coors said in a statement released October 1. "The marketplace definitely believes that Coors is going to come out with this stuff," said Harry Schuhmacher, editor and publisher of Beer Business Daily.

Schuhmacher said Michelob Ultra's success has spawned at least one other competitor, Labatt USA's Rock Green Light. Several other brewers, he added, are preparing to follow suit. "I'm expecting to see many more of these," he said. "The big question then becomes, is this a flash in the pan, or will it be a steadily growing part of the beer business?" Schuhmacher said Coors had planned to market the low-carb offering under the brand name Aspen but has since reconsidered because of trademark problems.

Analyst Caroline Levy of New York-based brokerage and research firm UBS said the new beer is expected to hit the shelves in February. She said retailers in the southeastern United States are saving shelf space for what may be a fourth-quarter test market for the beer.

Anheuser-Busch's Michelob Ultra, introduced a year ago, has been a strong seller amid the popularity of low-carb weight-loss regimens such as the Atkins and South Beach diets. The brand quickly has risen to No. 6 among premium beers in nationwide grocery and drug-store sales, according to Chicago-based Information Resources Inc.

Labatt USA President Steve Cahillane has said he expects low-carb beers to command as much as 8 % of the beer business within five years. Coors is the nation's No. 3 brewer behind Anheuser-Busch and Miller Brewing.


07 October, 2003