S breweries putting more cheer in beer
By Catherine Elsworth in Los Angeles
(Filed: 17/08/2005)
American breweries are marketing a new range of "extreme beers" containing up to 25 per cent alcohol in an attempt to appeal to the palates of cocktail drinkers.
Seductively packaged, one brew is sold in a copper decanter costing $100 (£55), they compete with the concoctions served at fashionable bars. The move is a reaction to beer's slipping market share and the increasing popularity of spirits and wine.
While beer is still the most widely consumed beverage in America, its market domination is slipping - down from 56 per cent to 53.2 per cent over the past six years - as more people opt for stronger alcoholic alternatives at home and when out.
Brewing companies hope to reach a new audience, ideally trend setters and followers, by redefining beer's image.
A limited edition beer from Sam Adams called Utopias is 25 per cent alcohol (most beers are between four and five per cent).
Designed for after-dinner sipping like a liqueur, it tastes "like cognac smells", Jim Koch, founder of Sam Adams's maker, Boston Beer, told the New York Times. It is brewed with standard methods but aims to "push the boundaries of beer", he said.
BE and Tilt, new malt-based drinks from Anheuser-Busch, which sells roughly half of all the beer in the United States, are a cross between a beer and an energy drink.
Brewers acknowledge that over the past decade their efforts have been outshone by the astute marketing of spirits and wines.
