A few months ago, Billy Busch rolled out Kräftig beer, and now, last week, John Beal introduced American Patriot, another mainstream beer. I thought all the growth was in craft beers? —Dennis K., Kirkwood
While the growth is in the craft market, the gross numbers still skew heavily toward mainstream beers: Crafts constitute only 5 percent of the beer market. So for every 100 beer drinkers out there, 95 of them are still drinking main-line, American lager-type beers. So even if Billy Busch is able to convert only a small percentage of mainstreamers to his Kräftig Lager and Kräftig Light, the gross number of people is still huge.
Yet many see Kräftig as a beer with an identity crisis: The name sounds like it should be a craft beer, its pronunciation (KREFT-ig) confuses the issue, both varieties are priced like craft beers, yet they claim to be going after the Bud and Bud Light market. Don't get me wrong, I like Kräftig (as evidenced by an informal blind taste test conducted on the Dave Glover Show last Friday), but I will say that the mission of American Patriot beer and American Patriot Light seems more clear.
After Anheuser-Busch was sold in 2008, it occurred to St. Louisan John Beal (we know you're familiar with the roofer's nasally jingle) that all three of the mainstream US beer brewers are now foreign-owned and that he would be "Taking America Back...One Beer at a Time" by introducing a brand of beer that was in every way American, right down to the glue on the boxes.
Because American light lagers are more similar in taste than other lagers and ales, marketing is especially important in this segment and that's where Beal may have the advantage. Love or hate that jingle and those commercials, no one questions Beal's marketing success.
So are there enough beer drinkers loyal enough to the Busch name to keep a 12 pack of Kräftig in the fridge, or super-patriotic enough to jump on the American Patriot bandwagon and "Declare your Independence," as Beal says?
In this town, at least, and especially in a Republicans-are-on-the-move election year, it's definitely possible.
