Category: Uncategorized
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Just a kiss of the hops!
In 1949, Albert Jaenick started in the beer industry as an apprentice for a medium size brewery in Berlin. Three years later he became a trained brewer and maltster. This qualified him to work at multiple breweries in Berlin, Hamburg, Switzerland and Sweden. Albert continued his education at the VLB, a brewing facility of the […]
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‘O’ Tannenpalm’
A recent article in CMO Today, an online section of the WSJ, highlights Corona’s 25th anniversary of the iconic holiday ad “O’ Tannenpalm.” This iconic commercial, which was developed in 1990 by the agency Campbell Mithun Esty, is the longest-running beer ad and the second-longest running holiday ad of any kind, behind Hershey’s famous kiss-bells spot. […]
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The truest characters of ignorance are vanity and pride and arrogance.
The culture of Gambrinus began to shift dramatically in the mid-1990s when the company was awarded the importing rights to Moosehead. This occurrence coincided with the dramatic growth of Corona and the grown of Shiner, also held by Gambrinus, outside of the Texas market. Remember the importer had recently purchased Pete’s and would soon acquire […]
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We do not remember days, we remember moments.
Over the years while writing this blog the responses, for the most part, have dealt with the subject matter of that particular week. Having said that, by far, the number one comment from all readers has been how much they have enjoyed either hearing about the past or remembering the past. In an effort to […]
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Opportunity does not knock, it presents itself when you beat down the door.
In early 1987, I sold my interest in the Schlitz operation and soon left to work with Coors Brewing Co. in Golden. That year was the 5th anniversary of the Great American Beer Festival. I had intended to go, but instead, Coors sent me on a project during the event. Then in 1992, while in […]
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Management is all about managing in the short term, while developing the plans for the long term.
Over the years, much has been written about InBev’s 2008 takeover of AB and the ensuing acquisitions ABI has made since this time, including their current target, SABMiller. One wonders just how this came about. Was it just something InBev had targeted or perhaps they were aiming at these particular companies as the fulfillment of […]
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The status quo is simply unacceptable.
In a past post I referred to a time some decades ago, when my aunt lived in Chicago and worked at Sears. She stopped by the local tavern on her way home to buy a bucket, the fore runner of today’s growlers, of Pabst Blue Ribbon to take home. It’s a safe bet that the […]
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Remember, diamonds are only lumps of coal that stuck to their jobs….
It is certainly safe to say that today’s beer wholesaler is not your father’s beer wholesaler! Long removed from the wholesale model is the small mom and pop middle tier representing one brewery and one, maybe two brands. If mom and pop planned it correctly, and had a little luck, they are now living […]
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I have no idea what’s next. I simply don’t have a clue.
In 1970, when Philip Morris bought Miller Brewing Co. neither those within the beer industry or outside the industry, had any clue just what PM would do with the newly acquired company. Phillip Morris put their marketing muscle, which had been so successful in the cigarette industry, into the brewery and the rest is history. […]
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Face – Place – Story…
One day, during my first summer on a Coors beer route, we were finishing our work with a liquor store in downtown Dallas. I stood by a stack of Miller High Life, with the salesman writing the delivery bill, when the store owner looked my way and commented on the Miller. He said that that […]