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In the spring of 1978, I was informed by the owner of Coors NE in San Antonio, Charles M. Duke, Jr., a retired Air Force General and the 10th man to walk on the moon, that he had decided to sell the operation to the Azar family of El Paso. When informed of the pending […]

The initial success of Corona is attributed to changing from a stubby brown bottle to the clear long neck bottle still in use today.  Consumers were attracted to the bottle even though Corona had only one package at the time, a 20 bottle loose case.  The almost 30 years of growth for Corona, which is truly remarkable, comes […]

For many years Heineken ruled the import sales in the US market despite using an independent importer and employing wine and spirit houses as major distributor networks.  Only when Corona caught fire and rocketed past Heineken in the 1980s did Heineken change.  They first took over importing rights, and later, moved distribution rights to the […]

The Brewers Association recently published the current numbers of breweries in the US.  There are 1,308 brewpubs, 1,721 micros, 124 regional breweries, and 25 large breweries in America.  These numbers are amazing, but what is really astonishing is that there are 1,968 breweries in the planning stages!  And the beer industry is flat? The challenge for these […]

Recently ABI announced they had purchased a small, but quickly growing craft brewery, 10 Barrel.  10 Barrel is located in Oregon and sells only in that state, and in Washington and Idaho.  10 Barrel products are highly popular in all three states. If one takes a step back and looks at today’s ABI, just what […]

I have frequently recalled the backgrounds of the beer guys who have taught me so much about this great business. As noted, almost all of them were either WWII or Korean War veterans.  I have learned so much from these patriots. Four of the very best beer guys I have had the pleasure of working […]

In 1977, a number of breweries, beginning with Falls City and Pearl Brewing Co., brewed a beer named after and supported by Billy Carter.  Billy was the younger brother of then President Jimmy Carter. Billy Carter was somewhat of an outgoing, fun loving, and partying guy who loved promoting his namesake beer.  The beer, however, […]

By the late 1970s, Coors had a market share of well over 50% in Kansas.  In fact, Coors had close to 70% share in some rural markets in western Kansas.  In Wichita, where I was, Coors had a share of 60%.  Remember, during this time in the beer industry, Coors’ houses were exclusive, and the […]

In 2006, Maureen Ogle’s outstanding book about the history of the beer business in the US, Ambitious Brew, opens with the arrival of Germans around 1844.  She writes that due to the oppression to the German speaking Europeans, many decided their future was not in Europe, but in the US, so they left their home continent. The […]

A recent post highlighted how the golf industry and the beer industry could, in some ways, be heading down similar paths.  There were several responses to that post.  What was not discussed, however, which currently is, and will be an issue in the future, is one of bifurcation. There is a small, but vocal movement within the golf […]