Will you drink beer in a box?

"Despite what the microbrewers will tell you, all beer is pretty much the same. Consumers who pay a premium do so more for the experience than the taste."

My tastebuds and the microbrewers have been lying to me for years. Those bastards.

Hey Roger,
When can I stop by and pick up a box of Elector Ale?


http://blogs.moneycentral.msn.com/topst ... a-box.aspx

Will you drink beer in a box?
Posted Jul 29 2009, 01:31 PM by James Dlugosch Rating: Filed under: Molson Coors Brewing, James Dlugosch
Imagine kicking back in the shade on a hot day and popping open an ice-cold box of beer.

Yes, you read that right: box.

The Wall Street Journal reports to that MillerCoors is testing beer in a box in several cities.

Now, like many people during this economic crisis, my wife and I are doing some personal belt-tightening of our own in order to save money. But there are some things I just won't do, including buying wine in a box.

Now, with beer, the box might be less objectionable since, in my opinion, the quality issue is not really in play. Despite what the microbrewers will tell you, all beer is pretty much the same. Consumers who pay a premium do so more for the experience than the taste.
But for me, the issue is the bottle. I like drinking my suds from a cold bottle. Period.

Put it in a glass, and the experience just isn't the same. And no matter how cheap they make it, I just can't see myself drinking beer from a box. (The current boxes deliver draft beer; you don't drink from them. But box wines started this way, and you can now buy merlot by the six-box pack.)

Of course, I'm not the target market, and there are many who will see value in this product. The big brewers are under pressure from consumers trading down to cut-rate brands, and in this economy, getting more for less is going to be a selling point for the foreseeable future.

With sales volumes dropping, this "buy more at point of sale" model could be just the tonic for beer companies. Even though, the Journal says, an 18-pack is still cheaper.

Shares of Molson Coors (TAP) have recovered nicely since bottoming in March. But it still trades more like a defensive stock. Will the beer-in-a-box transition create growth?

If so, TAP could be a big winner with this marketing ploy. Perhaps I should have added the name to my list of "Red-Hot Summer Sizzlers." The stocks on this list have an aggregate return of 19% since publication on May 22.

Seems to me beer in a box may be a trigger for a bump in share price. Just don't expect me to drink the stuff.

[Robin Garr]

But there are some things I just won't do, including buying wine in a box.

I wouldn't be so quick to say that, Justin. The wine-in-a-box scene internationally is changing very fast, particularly Down Under, and it may be the next big trend after the screwcap. Not for very high-end, ageworthy wines, never. But watch for box wine in the decent $10/bottle niche to start showing up more and more because it's "green." Producing glass bottles is somewhat carbon-intensive, and shipping wine in box offers significant cost and environmental benefits over glass.

Wine-in-box sucked because corporate producers put crap wine in the box. But the problem (for wines to be drunk up short term) isn't the technology, it's the marketing decision. With "better" but inexpensive wine going into boxes, it's going to become a much bigger - and more acceptable - niche.

Here's a piece I wrote on that within the past couple of months:
Wine in box looks good in green

I wouldn't be so quick to say that, Justin.

That was actually a quote from the MSN blog, including the part about craft brewers lying to us. The only part that he actually typed was before the URL and after the quotation marks.

I would drink beer out of a shoe if it was cold enough.

I would not drink it with a mouse, I would not drink it in a house. I do not like it James Dlugosch, I do not like Coors-in-Box. (nly, unlike Dr. Seuss' protagonist, I've actually tried the stuff. (sans-box)

Personally, I'm not opposed to the idea of beer in a box though. Provided they can keep the beer from going flat, and the materials are recyclable. It could actually save energy. However, my subsequent argument would have to be that growlers (glass 1/2 gallon bottles filled with beer from your local brew-pubs) are even more energy efficient and much greener, because they are 100% reusable and cut out the carbon footprint from shipping.

"Despite what the microbrewers will tell you, all beer is pretty much the same. Consumers who pay a premium do so more for the experience than the taste."

My tastebuds and the microbrewers have been lying to me for years. Those bastards.

Hah, you're exactly right Justin. It makes me feel good that the comments on that blog in regards to the part about all beer being "pretty much the same" have been unilaterally scathing. I would throw in my two cents, but there are already more pages of comments than I care to read so I think the issue has been thoroughly addressed.

[Robin Garr]

Oops! Thanks for sorting that out for me, Paul. I still wouldn't be so quick to say that, whoever.

The Bota Box red mentioned in my article is actually quite tasty, by the way ...

I wouldn't be so quick to say that, Justin.

That was actually a quote from the MSN blog, including the part about craft brewers lying to us. The only part that he actually typed was before the URL and after the quotation marks.

I still wouldn't be so quick to say that, whoever.

This is also the guy who wrote an article titled "Three airlines that wont' survive the swine flu"

[Robin Garr]

here's a question. by any chance has vodka, whisky, rum, etc, come in a box yet? if not, maybe that will be next.

Possibly, Annemarie, but I suspect their much higher alcohol content could pose technical problems with the plastic bag that lines the box. Remember that wine-in-box only has a shelf life of a few months, but it does allow the wine to keep much longer after the box has been tapped than it will keep in an open bottle.

That's the big advantage of the box for wine drinkers - you can go to the fridge and take a glass and the rest of the wine will still keep for a month or two. You can't do that with a wine bottle ... but a bottle of liquor will keep just fine for a few weeks or even months after it's opened, so there's no need for the dispensing technology.

I'd drink beer out of a trough...and come to think of it might have done so back in the college/Navy days.

[Robin Garr]

thanks robin. ok, here's another question, why not milk in a box? when i lived in italy many years ago. milk came in these triangle wax boxes. no refrigeration needed.

You can get it here! Since we don't drink milk here but occasionally use it in cooking, I always keep a few mini-boxes around. It's not very popular in the US, but it is definitely available.

It's produced by a UHT (ultra high temperature) process that guarantees a very long shelf life. Here's a story about it from Scientific American online.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/artic ... sts-longer

I got a four-pack of small plastic boxes, 8 ounces each or 1 quart total, Organic Valley brand organic 1 percent fat milk. I got it from Rainbow Blossom and am sure it's also available at Whole Foods (although you know me and buying local. ) I wouldn't be at all surprised if Kroger and Meijer and other major groceries have it, but you might have to look around. Since it doesn't have to be refrigerated, it's probably not in the milk case.

I would not drink it with a mouse, I would not drink it in a house. I do not like it James Dlugosch, I do not like Coors-in-Box. (nly, unlike Dr. Seuss' protagonist, I've actually tried the stuff. (sans-box)

Personally, I'm not opposed to the idea of beer in a box though. Provided they can keep the beer from going flat, and the materials are recyclable. It could actually save energy. However, my subsequent argument would have to be that growlers (glass 1/2 gallon bottles filled with beer from your local brew-pubs) are even more energy efficient and much greener, because they are 100% reusable and cut out the carbon footprint from shipping.

"Despite what the microbrewers will tell you, all beer is pretty much the same. Consumers who pay a premium do so more for the experience than the taste."

My tastebuds and the microbrewers have been lying to me for years. Those bastards.

Hah, you're exactly right Justin. It makes me feel good that the comments on that blog in regards to the part about all beer being "pretty much the same" have been unilaterally scathing. I would throw in my two cents, but there are already more pages of comments than I care to read so I think the issue has been thoroughly addressed.

Justin quoted an amazing statement that needs to be refuted! " all beer is pretty much the same."

All beer is pretty much the same? What in the world do you know about beer? Apparently nothing!
Bzzzzt...Wrong ...go to jail, don't collect $200....

That statement is like saying all food is basically the same. But in reality some is excellent and awesome and some really sucks. No difference with beer. You can have bland adjunct filled lagers like bud light, or you can have tasty hand-crafted wonders like Stone IPA, or one of our local brews from New Albanian, or BBC, or cumberland or Brownings. The statement is like saying "all bread is basically the same."

Well, I dare you to eat a piece of wonder bread, and then try a piece of good whole grain bread from a German bakery )or Blue Dog locally. No comparison . Almost like apples and oranges...


rrrrrrrrr...

By the way, beer in Europe often comes in two liter bottles.

The only issue here is permability of the plastic, with regards to oxygen. So plastic lined boxes are fine, as long as the product isn't too old.

The key is: buy a growler and support your local brewer. AND/OR, drink out of a keg at your local establishment...

p.s. multiple local brews on tap at Ray's ...stainless steel kegs used over and over and over again!

Well, I dare you to eat a piece of wonder bread, and then try a piece of good whole grain bread from a German bakery )or Blue Dog locally. No comparison . Almost like apples and oranges...

Except Apples and Oranges are both good

Beer in a bag already exists. Which is what wine/beer in a box really is. The new disposable kegs have a big bag in them. They are basically giant, plastic keg shaped boxes.

Beer in a box - fine.
Beer in a can - fine.
Beer in a bottle - fine.

Im pouring all 3 in a glass first though.

And it wont be Coors.

Justin quoted an amazing statement that needs to be refuted! " all beer is pretty much the same."

All beer is pretty much the same? What in the world do you know about beer? Apparently nothing!
Bzzzzt...Wrong ...go to jail, don't collect $200....

He has nearly 550 comments on that story already, and more coming in by the minute. It is also his most poorly rated story on the site. I think this guy is going to learn his lesson!