Brew Blog's picks of news from the beer business and beyond.August Busch IV, CEO of Anheuser-Busch, on Friday urged employees and distributors to stay focused amid reports that InBev is preparing to make a run at A-B. Beer Business Daily got ahold of the memo. Here are excerpts, as reported by BBD: We can't control rumors or speculation. But we DO control our growth strategies and how we operate our business. Its our job to conduct our business in ways that will keep the company strong, profitable and growing. All indications are that our launch of Bud Light Lime might be the most successful product launch since Mich Ultra..... " ... Some of our competitors would like nothing better than to see Anheuser-Busch get distracted by the rumors over the holiday. They underestimate us.  read more »

CFO-, CIO-designates named. SABMiller plc and Molson Coors Brewing Company named two executives for the proposed MillerCoors joint venture. Tim Wolf, the chief financial officer of Molson Coors, was named chief integration officer-designate of the JV, which is subject to..."Brew" Blog

Board members named. SABMiller plc and Molson Coors Brewing Company today announced the closing of the transaction to create MillerCoors.MillerCoors, which combines their U.S. and Puerto Rico operations, begins operating as a combined entity on July 1.As a unified company with a world-class board and leadership team in place, MillerCoors will be able to create tremendous opportunities for innovations in products and services that will allow us to drive profitable growth, Pete Coors, Chairman of MillerCoors, said in a release announcing the closing.  read more »

Substantial operations, investment in hometowns.MillerCoors announced today that it is placing its headquarters in Chicago even as it maintains substantial operations in Golden, Colo., and Milwaukee.MillerCoors picked Chicago for a variety of reasons. One of them: Picking a neutral site reflects the 50-50 governance structure agreed to by SABMiller plc and Molson Coors Brewing Company.  read more »

Pale ale in the pipeline. After successfully adding a full portfolio of Blue Moon seasonals, Coors Brewing Company is poised to add another line extension. Coors is getting ready to add a pale ale -- called Pale Moon -- to the family. From Beer Business Daily, which was covering Coors distributor conference: Lastly, Blue Moon is getting a baby brother, Pale Moon (a pale ale). Pale Moon will launch in several test cities next month and rollout nationally in 2009 if all goes well. According to a label approved by federal regulators, Pale Moon is billed as a "Belgian-style pale ale." "Pale Moon is a drinkable pale ale that has a distinctive hop aroma, without the lingering aftertaste," the label says. "This Belgian-Style Pale Ale is brewed with European malts, cascade hops and a touch of hibiscus and orange peel. Thse ingredients create a rich copper colored ale with a flavor complexity that one would expect from the Blue Moon Brewing Company." In other news from the conference, BBD reported that Chief Marketing Officer Andy England said Coors anticipates selling more than 1 million barrels of Blue Moon in 2008. It also will add 22-ounce bottles and 12-packs of seasonals. Also at the conference, Coors CEO Peter Swinburn laid out aggressive plans for Coors Light in 2008. New packaging innovation is on tap with vented cans. From the story: One of Coors biggest goals is to help Coors Light improve in the on-premise in 2008, and grow 5%. "Nothing is more important to us than on-premise success with Coors Light...we plan to do better on 2008," said Andy. BBDs home page is here . The Pale Moon label image can be seen here . The label application can be seen here . A press release discussing Coors new advertising is here .  read more »

Brew Blog's picks of news from the beer business and beyond. Beer volume in supermarkets slipped by 1.8 percent during the four weeks ended May 24, according to beer sales statistics from Nielsen. National weighted average prices increased by 2.7..."Brew" Blog

Brew Blog's picks of news from the beer business and beyond. A strong incremental volume gain drove total beer sales in supermarkets up 0.5 percent for the four weeks ended May 3, according to beer sales statistics from Nielsen. Pricing..."Brew" Blog

Executives highlight scale, brands, talent.The leadership team of MillerCoors highlighted the new companys scale, brands and talent as reasons it can win in the U.S. beer market.MillerCoors, which brings together the U.S.  read more »

Brewery Date and time reviewed: Sun, 23 Mar 2008 2:17:01 EDT Overall Score: 93.3 Selection: 4.5 | Service: 4.75 | Atmosphere: 4.75 | Food: N/A Reviewer: avalanche221 I highly recommend taking the free Coors tour. The guides are very well informed. Even when I managed to stump my guide, she promised to find out and then caught up with me in the tasting room to follow up. You will learn a lot of history on the tour as well as gain a better understanding for how Coors makes it's products. You'll get three samples at the end of the tour in large but comfortable tasting room. Repeat tourists can take the "shortcut" directly to the tasting room. Great for aprs ski!  read more »

We are a brand-driven industry, Long says.Brewers must remain committed to investing in brands even as they grapple with rising costs, MillerCoors President and Chief Commercial Officer Tom Long said Wednesday. Investing in brands is critical as the consumer market continues to fragment and wine and spirits present formidable competition, he said during a speech at the Beer Institutes annual meeting in White Plains, N.Y.Indeed, increased investment behind brands -- along with driving efficiency -- is a key presumption shaping the thinking of MillerCoors executives.There has never been a more critical time to invest, Long, the incoming chairman of the Beer Institute, said in his prepared remarks. We are a brand-driven industry.  read more »