Tom Long, MillerCoors CEO, asks consumers to judge brewers by the quality of their beers

Discussion in 'Beer News' started by Todd, Dec 22, 2012.

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  1. Danielbt

    Danielbt Initiate (0) May 4, 2012 Texas

    I would venture to say that you are completely and totally wrong. You greatly underestimate deeply ingrained human traits like confirmation bias. People love to pick flaws that may or may not exist in things they have already decided they don't like.

    Also, people seem to be conflating Miller Coors and AB InBev freely. They shouldn't. Different companies, different practices.
     
  2. acevenom

    acevenom Initiate (0) Oct 7, 2011 Louisiana

    I like the regular Coors and Miller High Life. Some of the Blue Moon line isn't bad either. I also enjoyed the Project 12 pack from AB and I don't think Shock Top is as bad as some other people. I would absolutely have no problem buying Batch 19 if it was available nationwide.

    Quality is a subjective term with quite a few people. It doesn't mean one's opinion is necessarily wrong regarding one beer or the other. I know quite a few people who are perfectly fine only drinking BMC and we live in a market where they can generally find a lot of what they want without difficulty. It becomes more of an issue if you're looking for different Pabst products.
     
  3. cavedave

    cavedave Grand Pooh-Bah (4,145) Mar 12, 2009 New York
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    You may be right, but a look at the review section shows about the same as every beer. Some like it, some don't, here is why. So I dispute your point, except in the general sense that every beer has the biases of being
    1. A local beer
    2. A non-local beer
    3. A style you have never tried
    4. A style you don't like
    5. A brand that other of their beers you haven't liked.
    6. A company that is too big
    7. A company that is too small
    8. A company that is a publicly traded company
    9. A company that contract brews

    So you may be right, but each of these biases above could be argued with your argument, so every beer is judged unfairly, if unfairly means with bias.

    Than that being the case, they are all being judged equally, and fairly, if fairly means equally.
     
  4. cavedave

    cavedave Grand Pooh-Bah (4,145) Mar 12, 2009 New York
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Well, I have been accused of being an apologist for big beer because I don't think having a stock offering, and success that enables a company to legally manipulate the market to advantage, is immoral. So I guess I don't fit your cookie cutter. That said the part of your post I didn't quote was pretty much the same kind of uninformed bs you accuse this community of.

    Crap beer is judged as crap beer because it is crap beer, it tastes like crap, it is made to conform to speed, volume, and cost rather than taste and traditional quality, and it is tolerated by a public that enjoys it largely through having few options for 70 years. But that same public enjoys Big Macs, and Hot Dogs made with the parts of meat most fine butchers discard. No one accuses someone of elitism because they turn down big macs in favor of prime rib, no one accuses someone of elitism because they make a joke about Boones Farm drinkers while they sip a vintage Rivendell, yet here you are with finger pointed. Heal thyself, physician.

    As for your point about not attracting new beer advocates, well, I don't worry about that for two reasons. First we have plenty to support the breweries I love, and too many at releases. Second, it is the taste and quality of the beer that will determine how large the community becomes, not the personalities of the folks already enjoying fine beers.
     
    CWinchell, jacksback, frazbri and 3 others like this.
  5. Lare453

    Lare453 Pooh-Bah (2,822) Feb 1, 2012 Florida
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    If miller cooks made a beer that got a 100 on here, I'm sure we would be drinking it. I'm in it for good beer, as most people are. There are a few that wont drink a 100 if it was mabe by bmc based on principle. But I am not one.

    Tom, make a beer that gets rated a 100 or wins a gold at the gabf, I'll try it.
     
  6. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,071) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Set yourself up on that one:

    2011 GABF WINNERS

    And that's only go back one year. Probably a dozen more examples in the past 30 years or so of the GABF.
     
  7. BladeRunner

    BladeRunner Crusader (497) Apr 4, 2007 Illinois

    All I want to know is why won't Miller/Bud at least try to make an actual Pilsener? If Bud/Miller produced a beer as good, or better than Prima Pils/Noble Pils I'd buy it.

    I have no problem drinking beers produced by Macro breweries as long as it tastes good. I personally really enjoyed Coors Batch 19 and I encourage BMC's to continue to produce higher quality brews.
     
  8. dhannes

    dhannes Savant (1,103) Feb 14, 2010 Wisconsin

    Here in Wisconsin, MillerCoors' products are typically in the lower half of the pricing spectrum (typically $5.29/6-pack or $9.99/12-pack)...you can get some for a bit less, but for $1 per 6-pack more, you can get a much better beer.

    Note to Tom: The market IS judging you by the quality of your beers...that is why craft brewers are growing by leaps and bounds, while the large brewers are losing market share each year.
     
  9. Lare453

    Lare453 Pooh-Bah (2,822) Feb 1, 2012 Florida
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Eh... Way are you going to do... I did funnel a 12 pack of red dog in college and yanked for a day... It was awful.
     
  10. Derranged

    Derranged Initiate (0) Mar 7, 2010 New York

  11. hopfenunmaltz

    hopfenunmaltz Pooh-Bah (2,611) Jun 8, 2005 Michigan
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Barmen Pilsner would fit the bill, but it is only made at Sandlot. I really liked that one when I had it.
    http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/987/19256
     
  12. BladeRunner

    BladeRunner Crusader (497) Apr 4, 2007 Illinois

    Sounds great, but no way am I making a huge trip just for a beer.
     
  13. Chaz

    Chaz Grand Pooh-Bah (3,544) Feb 3, 2002 Minnesota
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Did you miss the part where Prince Rogers Nelson said that BMC had ruined the entire GABF by being sponsors to the event, to the point where there was Payola involved?

    Get with the program, Just Kidding. The GABF is as corrupt the palate of the American Public; collectively-speaking.
     
  14. UCLABrewN84

    UCLABrewN84 Initiate (0) Mar 18, 2010 California

    I need to tick Red Dog.
     
  15. srk47

    srk47 Initiate (0) Dec 24, 2012

    "Crap beer is judged as crap beer because it is crap beer, it tastes like crap, it is made to conform to speed, volume, and cost rather than taste and traditional quality, and it is tolerated by a public that enjoys it largely through having few options for 70 years. But that same public enjoys Big Macs, and Hot Dogs made with the parts of meat most fine butchers discard. No one accuses someone of elitism because they turn down big macs in favor of prime rib, no one accuses someone of elitism because they make a joke about Boones Farm drinkers while they sip a vintage Rivendell, yet here you are with finger pointed. Heal thyself, physician."

    Cavedave, I see and understand your point. However, is it realistic to assume that people who drink beer regularly are unaware of the wide selection of craft beer readily available today? Do you think it's realistic to assume that when these people walk in the store to pick up their Coors Light that they have blinders on and don't see the other few hundred beers available? I believe it's irrelevant to blame satisfaction of what you'd consider mediocre beer on "70 years" of limited selection. What about the price factor? For most people, choosing a case of beer is low priority relative to the other choices people make on a daily basis.

    Furthermore, while it's true that people who choose Prime Rib over Hot Dogs aren't accused of being elistist, it's also true that those who choose Prime Rib aren't likely to log into a forum afterwards and complain about why Oscar Meyer has ruined consumer choice of fine meats by flooding markets with Hot Dogs, and that those who would choose a Hot Dog are limiting themselves based on what better meats might be available.
     
  16. cavedave

    cavedave Grand Pooh-Bah (4,145) Mar 12, 2009 New York
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Craft beer is growing 13% annually. BMC beer is declining at an ever increasing pace in this country. No blinders are on for AAL lovers, but brand loyalty is a hard habit to break, and new tastes are hard to introduce. I am not saying one is better than the other, but I am saying that once someone gains an appreciation for beers made with more care for traditional quality, it is likely they won't go back to what they used to think was good. Stats seem to back up my points, and not yours on this. And it isn't irrelevant in the least to think that 12 years of great selection in beers can only slowly undo buying habits of the last 70.
    Perhaps if Prime Rib had been illegal in this country and only recently gained a foothold in the marketplace this would be different, and there would be a BetterMeatAdvocates.com. In any case your point, assuming there is one to this statement(I believe there is not) is completely irrelevant, as there is such a place for discussing better beer.
     
  17. kexp

    kexp Initiate (0) May 10, 2007 North Carolina

    Shareholders would not tolerate.
     
  18. Beerontwowheels

    Beerontwowheels Initiate (0) Nov 22, 2009 Maryland

    You're absolutely right. What a pity.
     
  19. rlcoffey

    rlcoffey Initiate (0) Apr 20, 2004 Kentucky

    That is only valid if you consider quality to be a quantitative measure. It isnt. It is, pretty much by root word orgin, qualitative.
     
  20. rlcoffey

    rlcoffey Initiate (0) Apr 20, 2004 Kentucky

    Of course quality is subjective, if it was a measurable quantitative value, the word would be "quantity". :slight_smile:
     
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