Why do big breweries mainly create lagers?

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Right. I love "girly drinks", like IIPAs and hopped up American red. I'm sure that's what you meant?

I think that if you define "big breweries", you'll get different answers depending on what you mean. If you mean the mega-corporations (both of them) that own Stella Artois, Budweiser, Beck, Goose Island, Rolling Rock, Blue Moon, Miller, etc, they make those because that is what sells for them. They are trying to break into the craft beer market by making up "fake" new brands that seem to be craft beers.

But if you define it as "new big American breweries", like Sam Adams or Sierra Nevada, which are big by microbrew standards, then they make many more craft beers that are great.

Are IIPA's or American Red "light"? I'm simply referring to BMC's "light or "low calorie" beers. Someone mentioned Beer Wars on Netflix, I watched that documentary, there is a scene where the director aks various ppl to try to tell the difference between BMC's lights and no one was able to figure out which one was which. In other words, they taste the same? Maybe there is a slight difference in tastes but I cannot imagine it could be a big enough difference to choose one over the other. I have yet to test this on my friends but I am betting they won't be able to tell the difference either.

I love Sam Adams and Sierra Nevada among many many many different microbreweries, many of which are California based. Whether they are big microbrews like Sam Adams or really small like Bootleggers Brewery, I don't classify them as a "girly" beer as I really don't see them selling light crappy and tasteless beers, but rather they seem to spend time to produce amazing beers.
 
Hey, I tried to hide those farts, especially around your gorgeous wife.....but too much beer yeast and BBQ can only stay inside for so long. ;)

She's immune by now. She lives with me after all. :mug:
 
I think she was noting that your "girly drink" comment is sexist and stereotypical. I know lots of women who appreciate those types of beers, not just cosmos and appletinis...
 
I think she was noting that your "girly drink" comment is sexist and stereotypical. I know lots of women who appreciate those types of beers, not just cosmos and appletinis...

Yes. That was the second "girly" beer comment today. It's an insult to women.

.......Whether they are big microbrews like Sam Adams or really small like Bootleggers Brewery, I don't classify them as a "girly" beer as I really don't see them selling light crappy and tasteless beers, but rather they seem to spend time to produce amazing beers.

I've seen PLENTY of men gulping down BMC. I resent it being a "girly" beer as just as many women like quality as men do. I was being sarcastic, although IIPA tends to be a very light colored beer, it is not a "light beer". But it's my favorite beer style.

Saying "girly" beer is light, crappy and tasteless is an insult. And I take it that way.
 
I think she was noting that your "girly drink" comment is sexist and stereotypical. I know lots of women who appreciate those types of beers, not just cosmos and appletinis...

ahh ok. well my apologies :mug:

just finished reading Revvys great info. I do recall seeing lots of "light" beer ads from the 30's-50's (im a big WWII buff) and never really put much thought into it as to why they were light.

i suppose for me; when i started to first drink beer about 5 years ago i just couldn't get into BMC. that's why i opted for Jager. then my brother and dad got me into microbrews from Northern California and that's when i started to expand my pallet and realized how much better microbrews (big or small) were.

i understand it is a personal preference for ppl but i can't stand seeing ppl proclaim they are "drunk" from drinking 3-4 BMC's lol when i can get 1 Chimay and feel pretty damn good lol
 
I've seen PLENTY of men gulping down BMC. I resent it being a "girly" beer as just as many women like quality as men do. I was being sarcastic, although IIPA tends to be a very light colored beer, it is not a "light beer". But it's my favorite beer style.

Saying "girly" beer is light, crappy and tasteless is an insult. And I take it that way.

sorry about that, didn't mean for an insults and didn't realize you were a girl lol.

yea i know plenty of guys who prefer BMC but the main reason they decide to buy BMC over ANY other brew is b/c of price and i hardly ever see ppl drinking PBR which i can sorta tolerate over BMC. i am certain that no one i know buys BMC for the taste.

my favorite beer is Hefeweizens.... they are light in color as well but i wouldn't call them light, especially when i drink it out of Das Boot.
 
sorry about that, didn't mean for an insults and didn't realize you were a girl lol.

Well, I am! And there are actually more female brewers on this site than most people probably realize. Females don't put up a "female" avatar and otherwise announce themselves- after all, we're here for the brewing talk and not to get dates!

The funny thing to most people I think is that I'm pretty small, and I'm a grandmother. So when I meet people in person, sometimes they say, well, interesting things.

For example- Revvy. He knew I was a female, but that was about it. He picked me up when I visited his area, and he stood at the door, with his mouth open. He's like, I dunno, 20 feet tall? :cross: No, probably maybe 6'8" or so. Anyway, he stood there, and said something like "OMG, you're so TINY!" I just laughed and asked him what he was expecting!

That's the cool thing about this forum- appearances don't matter. We're here to talk about beer and brewing. And we're all equal. It just bugs me when people refer to "girly" beer, as most women drink the same beer as men. I know PLENTY of men who drink Coors Light. I have no idea why. But I also know women who drink the same beer. By the same token, I know many women who love a great craft IPA.

So it's not gender that counts for taste!
 
Well, I am! And there are actually more female brewers on this site than most people probably realize. Females don't put up a "female" avatar and otherwise announce themselves- after all, we're here for the brewing talk and not to get dates!

The funny thing to most people I think is that I'm pretty small, and I'm a grandmother. So when I meet people in person, sometimes they say, well, interesting things.

For example- Revvy. He knew I was a female, but that was about it. He picked me up when I visited his area, and he stood at the door, with his mouth open. He's like, I dunno, 20 feet tall? :cross: No, probably maybe 6'8" or so. Anyway, he stood there, and said something like "OMG, you're so TINY!" I just laughed and asked him what he was expecting!

That's the cool thing about this forum- appearances don't matter. We're here to talk about beer and brewing. And we're all equal. It just bugs me when people refer to "girly" beer, as most women drink the same beer as men. I know PLENTY of men who drink Coors Light. I have no idea why. But I also know women who drink the same beer. By the same token, I know many women who love a great craft IPA.

So it's not gender that counts for taste!

alright well i will refrain from referring to BMC's brews as "girly". again im quite sorry about that.

anyway; back to brewing!

do the advertising gimmicks really work for BMC? i mean like the vortex bottle neck or the rockies turn blue when ur beer is cold or there was a Canadian beer some Canadian friends of mine were saying was a "shotgun" can, looked like a redbull can but it had a special hole at the bottom to shotgun the beer. lol does any of that really work? i mean, if u can't tell when ur beer is cold u really have some issues if u need a "cold activator" to tell u.

yea im going on a rant now lol :tank:
 
Well, I am! And there are actually more female brewers on this site than most people probably realize. Females don't put up a "female" avatar and otherwise announce themselves

Oh come on! ! With that dominatrix leather and spike heel wearing, whip cracking avatar you had up until about a week ago, you were obviously either a woman or a very messed up dude.
 
I suppose, if you consider all those buying to be dolts.

Take yourself for example. I presume you consider yourself at least average intelligence and reasonably competent?

You may be taken in by slick advertising once, but do you keep coming back for more if you didn't like what you got?
 
Bud light is like the number one selling beer in the world so..... yes?

i think its more due to the fact that it is super cheap to buy and i know a crapload of BMC is consumed by high school/college students playing beer pong or getting "drunk"and well of course those who can't afford more expensive beer.

i really don't think seeing a bullet train in the snow to show that Coors is ice cold or a vortex bottle neck so the beer can "flow easier" is going to make ppl buy those brands.

ppl see the product and are told that it is refreshing, smooth and tasty. then they go to the store and see a huge selection of beer from import to domestic and recall that BMC is refreshing, smooth and tasty and also realize the price is much cheaper than these imports or microbrews and pick up the BMC.

i could be wrong though.
 
ppl see the product and are told that it is refreshing, smooth and tasty. then they go to the store and see a huge selection of beer from import to domestic and recall that BMC is refreshing, smooth and tasty and also realize the price is much cheaper than these imports or microbrews and pick up the BMC.

i could be wrong though.

You just described marketing/advertisement/gimmicks/etc. Bud Lights "gimmick" is the super bowl ads IMHO. People associate the Super Bowl with bud light due to their marketing.
 
You just described marketing/advertisement/gimmicks/etc. Bud Lights "gimmick" is the super bowl ads IMHO. People associate the Super Bowl with bud light due to their marketing.

is it based solely on watching a commercial? do you really think that someone is going to head to the store as soon as they see a BMC commercial? probably not. its definitely b/c of the pricing.

if dogfish or pyramid among many other micros advertised like BMC does, i don't think they'd benefit from it b/c prices on those are higher. take sam adams for example, they don't have some stupid flashy commercial or something funny to show to advertise their products, they just show jim talking about his beers and tasting them. are their sales up b/c of that? probably not b/c they are a bit more pricey than BMC still. but just seeing the colors of their brews makes me wanna buy it lol mmmm cherrywheat.
 
i mean there are other beers out there that are cheap and don't sell as well. So they clearly aren't selling on price point alone. If BMC all tastes the same, why does bud light sell so much more than miller coors?
 
i mean there are other beers out there that are cheap and don't sell as well. So they clearly aren't selling on price point alone. If BMC all tastes the same, why does bud light sell so much more than miller coors?

i don't see PBR advertising but i believe they are doing just fine, maybe not as big as BMC but its cheap.

probably preference among ppl. i know my friend swears by coors. no matter what. im sure he wasn't sucked into an advertising gimmick, it was probably based upon going to parties and such in college and tasting a variety of beers and coors was the one he could tolerate a lot of. i'll bring him a pint of Hefeweizen and he'll drink it, but won't enjoy it. buy him a 6 pack of coors and he is happy and alive.

and what are the selling numbers between the big 3 anyway?
 
not trying to be a ********* or anything, i just don't see how it is possible for ppl to buy into some of this crap BMC throws at us. but i guess it pays off.
 
http://www.saveonbrew.com/blog-article/the-top-10-selling-beers-in-america-2012 this link seems to have it listed for 2012. Full disclosure, I didn't read the article, I just skimmed it. He also seems to touch on the price idea t the bottom. Either way, why do you suppose Bud Light sells so much more than Coors, or keystone, or PBR? These are all in the same general price range. Obviously while price may play a factor, it's not the sole driver I don't think.
 
not trying to be a ********* or anything, i just don't see how it is possible for ppl to buy into some of this crap BMC throws at us. but i guess it pays off.

Well, don't be a ********* then, by implying other people are too stupid to know what they want/like or are too stupid to know about advertising.
 
Well, don't be a ********* then, by implying other people are too stupid to know about advertising or are too stupid to know what they want/like.

:ban: not saying that ppl are too stupid to read between the lines or too stupid to know what they want/like.

why is it that these ppl actually buy this kind of beer though? taste? price? advertising? i think its all 3 but the price being the most significant that drives the masses to buy this kind of beer.
 
What's the answer other than they like it?

Do you repetitively buy anything you don't like just because it's cheap or your saw it on TV?

There are cheap things I buy, but I buy that stuff because I like it, not just because it's cheap.

No doubt there are some people that buy the cheapest beer possible just because the want to get loaded for the lowest buck possible, but that's not the majority of buyers of BMC (at least not the top brands, anyway) IMO.
 
Theres some people who genuinely enjoy the flavor of that type of beer dude, I don't know why you don't think that could be true. My girlfriend is partial to PBR believe it or not, but wont hesitate to bring home some SN or Atwater, or any other number of craft brew. I've been known to pick up a 6 pack of Miller once in a blue moon (no pun intended here). I have 4 PBRs in my fridge right now. They'll probably be there for a while but who knows? I may suddenly decide a PBR sounds good and snag one. It's all about personal preference.
 
What's the answer other than they like it?

Do you repetitively buy anything you don't like just because it's cheap or your saw it on TV?

i personally don't do that b/c i'm neither in college nor am i struggling to make ends meet. but when i was first starting out in my career, not only did i just not buy beer b/c i couldn't afford IMO good beer, but i lived on $10 for 10 chimecangas. not b/c i liked them but b/c i can eat 2 per day for lunch and it will get me through a week of work and i only spent $10. also, i used to work in advertising for movie trailers and commercials, so i personally don't get sucked into commercials - which would explain why i am thinking the way i am.

as for college; ppl use cheap beer for beer pong or to buy a keg of beer. the may like the beer b/c of a variety of reasons, one being the price another b/c it is easy to drink and maybe b/c it tastes good to them. playing beer pong w/ a heavy beer or dark beer isn't easy that's why it is optimum to have light cheap beer to play with.

if someone doesn't have the finances to purchase the top of the line beer, even MHL, i think they'd buy whatever they can for as little amount of money as possible. not entirely for taste but for the price and for the ease of drinkability.

so yea; ppl do like BMC but i think they like it for the price and the easiness of drinking. and even if ppl don't like BMC but want beer or want to get drunk, price would probably be one of the first things on someone's mind.
 
is it based solely on watching a commercial? do you really think that someone is going to head to the store as soon as they see a BMC commercial? probably not. its definitely b/c of the pricing.

if dogfish or pyramid among many other micros advertised like BMC does, i don't think they'd benefit from it b/c prices on those are higher. take sam adams for example, they don't have some stupid flashy commercial or something funny to show to advertise their products, they just show jim talking about his beers and tasting them. are their sales up b/c of that? probably not b/c they are a bit more pricey than BMC still. but just seeing the colors of their brews makes me wanna buy it lol mmmm cherrywheat.
You're right. Those advertising executives don't have a clue what they're talking about, and Budweiser just throws millions of dollars a year away on commercials. It has absolutely no influence on purchasing whatsoever.

It's subliminal. A funny commercial, or catchy jingle gets stuck in your head. You don't run out the door right now and buy a 6er of Bud Light, but the next time you're in the store.... Hey... y'know, some Bud Light kinda sounds like a pretty good idea right now...

And the price idea is pure BS. If that were the true deciding factor, we'd see people buying plain white cans with "BEER" in big block letters on the side. Or, of the brands you see on *most* shelves, people would be buying Keystone and Natty Lite.
 
I believe the biggest selling beer in the world is a Chinese lager thats close to Bud. I don't think you can even get it in the US.
 
Theres some people who genuinely enjoy the flavor of that type of beer dude, I don't know why you don't think that could be true. My girlfriend is partial to PBR believe it or not, but wont hesitate to bring home some SN or Atwater, or any other number of craft brew. I've been known to pick up a 6 pack of Miller once in a blue moon (no pun intended here). I have 4 PBRs in my fridge right now. They'll probably be there for a while but who knows? I may suddenly decide a PBR sounds good and snag one. It's all about personal preference.

i completely understand ppl genuinely enjoy the flavor of BMC, but have those ppl who drink that on a regular basis, whether for flavor or pleasure or price, actually have ventured out and tried many craft brews? that's what i love about homebrewing and microbrews; ppl are doing their own thing and exploring new ideas and discovering amazing flavors which has made for a unique blend of beer drinkers. my goal as a new homebrewer is to really open the eyes of some of my friends who are hardcore about BMC and show them that there is so much more to beer.

f*** calories! :ban:
 
:ban: not saying that ppl are too stupid to read between the lines or too stupid to know what they want/like.

why is it that these ppl actually buy this kind of beer though? taste? price? advertising? i think its all 3 but the price being the most significant that drives the masses to buy this kind of beer.
As has been said, and you seem to really have a problem grasping,

PEOPLE LIKE IT. End of story. None (as in zero) of my friends are financially in a position where they have to buy the 'cheap' stuff. But you want to know how many craft brews they've bought in the past year (this is all of them combined)? Zero. Nada. Zip. Zilch. N.O.N.E. Why? Because they like the beer they drink. One drinks bud light, one drinks coors heavy, one drinks bud heavy.... you get the picture. It's not that they CAN'T afford a "better" (as you seem to insist) beer; it's that they don't see any reason to change from what they like.

To use a non-beer comparison (in the hopes of getting you off your "BMC sucks b/c it's cheaper than everything else" kick): Take two of my ex-girlfriends. I could drive them to the NICEST restaurant within 100 miles of home. Sit them down at a table with them knowing full well that I was picking up the check for the night. The place could have the best steaks this side of the Missouri, or lobster to die for -- and the waitress wouldn't need to give them a menu. I could just as well order for them. They were having the chicken strips. It didn't matter that so-called top-notch cuisine was available to them AT NO COST; they wanted chicken strips and that's what they ordered. Would it be right for me to chastise them for ordering something so 'simple'?
 
To use a non-beer comparison (in the hopes of getting you off your "BMC sucks b/c it's cheaper than everything else" kick): Take two of my ex-girlfriends. I could drive them to the NICEST restaurant within 100 miles of home. Sit them down at a table with them knowing full well that I was picking up the check for the night. The place could have the best steaks this side of the Missouri, or lobster to die for -- and the waitress wouldn't need to give them a menu. I could just as well order for them. They were having the chicken strips. It didn't matter that so-called top-notch cuisine was available to them AT NO COST; they wanted chicken strips and that's what they ordered. Would it be right for me to chastise them for ordering something so 'simple'?

Great analogy, thanks for sharing that.
 
good analogy but chicken strips all taste the same (w/ minor differences) and are priced probably the same right - just like BMC. i'd let this entirely thing go if there was a way to determine a difference in more expensive chicken strips vs going to a restaurant that is known for amazing steak or lobster.

how about taking your average steakhouse that is affordable and decent tasting and comparing it to say a Morton's steakhouse where the prices are astronomical but the steaks are f-ing amazing.

i guess i am blind to understanding BMC's dominance.
 
....My goal as a new homebrewer is to really open the eyes of some of my friends who are hardcore about BMC and show them that there is so much more to beer...

I'm not trying to be rude so please don't take it that way. If that is your goal as a homebrewer prepare to be disappointed. I say that because many people who are "hardcore about BMC" are that way, again, because they like it. I have a few friends who are BMC type fans, and they don't like homebrew, it's "too heavy". Hey, that's fine, to each their own. Your goal should be to have a good time making good beer and learning more about beer in general.

I'm a fairly new brewer myself (8 batches down on the newer rig, not counting Mr. beer and other experiments prior to that) and learned the number 1 rule is to brew for yourself. I JUST brewed a beer my GF likes (was batch 6, our xmas gift to friends/family) so if I was brewing for others I'd be discouraged quickly.

I hope your friends enjoy your brew, but if they don't, be not offended.
 
I'm not trying to be rude so please don't take it that way. If that is your goal as a homebrewer prepare to be disappointed. I saw that because many people who are "hardcore about BMC" are that way, again, because they like it. I have a few friends who are BMC type fans, and they don't like homebrew, it's "too heavy". Hey, that's fine, to each their own. Your goal should be to have a good time making good beer and learning more about beer in general.

I'm a fairly new brewer myself (8 batches down on the newer rig, not counting Mr. beer and other experiments prior to that) and learned the number 1 rule is to brew for yourself. I JUST brewed a beer my GF likes (was batch 6, our xmas gift to friends/family) so if I was brewing for others I'd be discouraged quickly.

I hope your friends enjoy your brew, but if they don't, be not offended.

no worries dude. i wouldn't be offended as this is a hobby for me. just like working on my car or making beef jerky is a hobby of mine, so is homebrewing now. its exciting and lots of fun. even if friends or family don't enjoy my brew, i will. i do want some of my friends to realize the potential of other beer out there but i highly doubt my 1 batch of homebrew would change their minds.
 
I thought about this on the drive home. I think you have a 1 dimensional understanding about what a lager is.....

I suggest that if you want to try a lager that is rich, hearty, with spice and punch that you try one of these beers;

Celebrator Doppelbock.

I picked up a 4-pack of this a couple of weeks ago to try it for the first time.

Wow.

I was blown away. This is the best beer I've ever had. There was something otherworldly about it - it just elevates the whole beer drinking experience to another level I never even knew existed. It doesn't hurt that I had just finished reading the chapter on Bocks in Daniels' "Designing Great Beers," so I was giddy while explaining the meaning of the goat trinket draped around the neck of the bottle, and the 2 goats on the label, to my wife. She wasn't as fascinated as I was. :)

I can't wait to try this beer again. Everything about it was perfect.
 
:ban: not saying that ppl are too stupid to read between the lines or too stupid to know what they want/like.

why is it that these ppl actually buy this kind of beer though? taste? price? advertising? i think its all 3 but the price being the most significant that drives the masses to buy this kind of beer.

It's not price though. In Nova Scotia I'd pay 24 and change for 12 Keith's/Blue/Bud. I'd pay 25 for 2 6's of the local craft/micro. In Nova Scotia Keith's is said to outsell all other brands 2-1. It's a fizzy yellow "ale".

Marketing has taught most people that a good beer is cold and wet, nothing more. The coldest and wettest wins. Things like flavours, aromas and visual presentation aren't factors.
 
What the hell is BMC?

It's the catch all phrase for mass market lagers/light lagers. it comes from how a waitress in a non craft beer bar, when ased what they have on tap, starts the litany "Bud/Miller/Coors/Bud light/Miller Light/Coors Light...." In just about every bar that is EXACTLY how it is somewhat mindlessly repeated.

I usually ask them to start from the bottom of the list, because that's normally going to be where I find the beer closest to what I'd like to drink, which in a bmc type bar would usually be Guinness, Killian's or if we're lucky Sam Adams, or at least Stella.

But usually that confuses the heck out of them, because they say it the other way a thousand times a day.
 
I picked up a 4-pack of this a couple of weeks ago to try it for the first time.

Wow.

I was blown away. This is the best beer I've ever had. There was something otherworldly about it - it just elevates the whole beer drinking experience to another level I never even knew existed. It doesn't hurt that I had just finished reading the chapter on Bocks in Daniels' "Designing Great Beers," so I was giddy while explaining the meaning of the goat trinket draped around the neck of the bottle, and the 2 goats on the label, to my wife. She wasn't as fascinated as I was. :)

I can't wait to try this beer again. Everything about it was perfect.

Yep....great beer. Ayinger is class.
 
Aha. I see. Thanks!! Reminds me of an old, old joke....

Arthur Guinness, Adolph Coors, Fred Miller, and Adolphus Busch all went into a bar.

Mr. Coors ordered a Coors, of course.
Mr. Miller ordered a High Life.
Mr. Busch ordered a Bud.
Mr. Guinness ordered a Sprite.

Astounded, all three men stared at Arthur and said "Surely YOU of all people would want a beer, sir?" to which Mr. Guinness shrugged and said "Well, you guys aren't drinking, so neither am I..."

heehee
 
Aha. I see. Thanks!! Reminds me of an old, old joke....

Arthur Guinness, Adolph Coors, Fred Miller, and Adolphus Busch all went into a bar.

Mr. Coors ordered a Coors, of course.
Mr. Miller ordered a High Life.
Mr. Busch ordered a Bud.
Mr. Guinness ordered a Sprite.

Astounded, all three men stared at Arthur and said "Surely YOU of all people would want a beer, sir?" to which Mr. Guinness shrugged and said "Well, you guys aren't drinking, so neither am I..."

heehee

Guinness should have ordered some charcoal and milk regurgitated by a
diseased hippo.;)
 
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