The most recent macrobrewery bombs

Can't give you too many examples. How about examples from craft breweries? There are a lot more of them. :-)

 

Budweiser American Ale
Miller Fortune
Any variant of Blue Moon beyond the standard
Any variant of Shock Top beyond the standard
Bud Light Platinum
Bud Black Crown
Becks Sapphire

I don't know if these have actually failed or bombed, but they all suck.

 

Miller fortune is one of the only one's I have tired. It will fail ultimately because craft beer is that much better and even though this one does deliver some "body" and a taste that is not horrible or rough like a malt liquor, it's still not as good as your average IPA or even as your average craft lager. As far as it's category goes it's a red ale and it reminds me of the imperial lagers that I dislike so much no matter who makes them. What this one has going for it is that at almost 7% it's not as bad as the Imperial lagers that show up at 9% and also taste terrible because of it.

 

Bud American Ale really wasn't that bad of a beer. Not on par with good craft ales, but there are worse beers produced by craft breweries.

 

Miller Red

 

Miller Chill

 

Bud Light Lime?

 

Well, either it didn't sell well or it was intended as a short run, because it's retired.

The trouble with those macro variants, as others have pointed out, is that they're "Mr. In Betweens."
They're not as good as craft offerings of the same style and they're too far off AALs to appeal to the macros customer base. Thus the demise of products like American Ale and the imminent demise of Michelob.

 

Well said. Now there was a brief period where they did *try*, when AB decided to use the Michelob label during the mid-2000s for macro attempts at various styles. Yes, they were eventually scuttled, but couple of them weren't bad. And their reason for failing had everything to do with the audience issue that you point out.

 

Some of the Blue Moon variants are honestly quite good. I bet if you tried some of them blind you'd be shocked. While Beck's Sapphire isn't exactly my cup of tea, I don't think it is a failure.
Agreed on Fortune and Black Crown, though.

 

While down from the previous year, both were still in the Top 20 of US beer brands last year according to IRI data by dollar sales. #9 and #10, respectively, on ABI's top sellers list.

 

Several years ago, Michelob had a porter, dunkelweiss, and Irish red. I haven't seen those in years. Just curious if they're still being produced or if they got cut.

 

Here is a slide show entitled “Nine beers America has quit drinking” : http://www.marketwatch.com/story/nine-beers-america-has-quit-drinking-2012-12-07

Cheers!

 

They were cut. Nothing to write home about, but I do recall trying the porter and dunkel for kicks. Not bad to tell the truth. Not great, but not bad. Shame that just about everything since that period has been a step backwards for AB. I'm not trying to defend them, mind you. I'm merely pointing out the apparently haphazard and seemingly random way they approach "innovation," which is more reactive than proactive.

 

“I'm merely pointing out the apparently haphazard and seemingly random way they approach "innovation," which is more reactive than proactive.”

I think there recent ‘innovation’ is to acquire vs. develop: Goose Island and Blue Point.

I wonder who will be next?

Cheers!

 

I was about to say Bud Platinum and Bud light lime do fairly well for themselves, I wouldn't call them failures because you aren't a fan of them.

 

Bud Light Golden Wheat

 

Miller Fortune and Bud Light Platinum!