Third Shift - Fool me once

Had it. Gross.

 

It started showing up here in WV so I automatically knew it was BMC. Our grocery stores don't get new beer, unless it's BMC.

 

The name of the beer just has that BMC vibe, I can't explain it. I'd drink it if someone handed me one but I'd never go out of my way for it

 

Happened to me too man, hated to say I didn't hate it too - in my post on the beer's page I go on a rant, but I still feel weird about the whole experience.

 

Well said! I might not leave the party but I too refuse to drink the swill. If I didn't bring my own then it will be mixed drinks or nothing.

 

^ i like this guy. If i go to a bar and all they have is macro, i'll be drinking whiskey sours and be stoked.

 

Ya, when I saw the ad on a national TV channel during primetime, I just assumed it was BMC

 

the only way i think i could be fooled by this is if i walked into the store already drunk

 

I thought 1st shift was pretty good, haven't tried 3d, probably won't I'm not that curious.

 

This was another clue for me. The ad on a Leinenkugels billboard was mysteriously replaced by a Third Shift ad recently, so that was a telltale sign. (No pun intended). When I was working at ABI, it was common for an A-B billboard to be converted from one brand to another. I assumed that this was a new M-C brand based on that.

Before I learned about the M-C association, though, I wondered. There's a small MO brewery called "Second Shift". The first time I saw Third Shift on the shelf, it was kind of confusing.

Oh well, we'll see how people vote w/ their wallets on this one. I doubt the beer is good enough to pull a significant number of macro or craft drinkers...

 

What gave it away for me was the 1-800 comment line listed on the bottle. No craft place has that (that I know of). Had better beer, but it wasn't bad.

 

A final thought: A Third Shift tap handle might be mistaken as one of the brands from the new-ish Craft-brewed family of beers called Third Street Brewhouse. While the Third Street brands all have custom-sculpted tap handles, the basic beer-brand logos are slightly-similar, and in a dimly-lit, noisy bar . . .



A friend recently related a story about a brewer (unaffiliated with either of the breweries mentioned here) who made this easy mistake.

 

I do feel that the marketing practice on this is deceptive, (thanks to those who posted pics of labels with clearly different information on them). Even being stone-cold sober, I can see brand confusion between, "third street" logo,shape, style, and "third shift." Both have hexagons, the fonts are both blocky sans-sarif, and the t's on both ends are smaller than the D, and S on the right. Third street better watch out because, you get these trademark branding poachers that go after the little guys in beer and that practice is disgusting, too. Plus, Third shift is going to be selling in Third Street's market. I hope somebody whose a friend of someone at Third Street tells them that customers are getting confused, because that's no good. :-(

OTOH, I'm glad to see Miller be more respectful of craft beer, in general. They are watching us, and they're learning from the movement, and they are getting more creative, and I think that's good, too.

I'm disappointed that Munsterfest lost out, though, Munsterfest to me is a world-class example of a non-export Oktoberfest! OTOH, maibock seems like an under-attended competition, so I think I'll brew more maibocks.

 

“They are watching us, and they're learning from the movement, and they are getting more creative, and I think that's good, too.”

Hmmm, an ‘interesting’ statement!?!

“They are watching us, and they're learning from the movement, …” So what exactly are they learning? Are they learning that they need to obfuscate who is brewing a given beer my ‘inventing’ a brewery called Band of Brewers? Are they learning to just list “Gold Medal Winner” on the Third Shift Lager with no statement of the contest (when and in what category)? For Batch 19 they have statements that it is a Silver Medal winner (in a category of American style Specialty Lager where Keystone Ice won Gold). So, Keystone Ice is ‘better’ that Batch 19?

“ …they are getting more creative …” By adding a bit more crystal malt and maybe some more hops to make an American Amber Adjunct Lager vs. their regular offerings of American Adjunct Lager?

The BMC type breweries (with all of their resources: highly trained brewers and Pilot breweries) could make the equal of any craft brewed beer being made by breweries like Firestone Walker, Green Flash, etc. but they are only making beers that are slight ‘tweaks’ of their regular lineup of beers. If they truly want to learn from the craft beer movement, why not make an excellent tasting craft beer?

Cheers!

 

He did say, "depending." Either way, it's not a ridiculous statement. Some of us, for whatever reason just simply do not like to drink BMC beer. If the company at the party is good, I would get some beer I like and come back. If not, then there's no reason to stick around.

 

..I just did that in my local Dist. w/ myself 2day! lol

 

Old native American style??

 

With just a hint of the old Gangnam.

 

For sure... The idea that some new brewery we've never heard of popped up and instantly has a floor display in every grocery store is one hell of a red flag.

 

Traditional, huh? Last time I checked, MillerCoors, 5,000-8,000 years is more traditional that 50-80 years...

 

I saw a "rustic" look on the label and thought....oh hell yeah at that price point. Then I went to BA. HELL NO!!! Sneaky MC.

 

I choked down a six..not horrible but that is comparing to Bud