Vb - Mid Strength

[Weizguy]

It's in their interest to do that.

My opinion is that it's not in their interest to do that, as the people they are ridiculing are their likely successors in the beer wars to come.

I assume that the big boys don't recruit from the homebrew sector, but the micros and other "Craft" beer sector certainly are in favour of recruiting people who know beer AND flavour.

Come the revolution, they'll be the first against the wall.
* edit - I'm ready to vote with my wallet.

Beerz
Les

 

[PostModern]

We collectively bag Lion Nathan as much as the Fosters group, yet the former brought us the MSB and the latter merely mocks us while further insulting the palates of the great unwashed. What do they care what we beer geeks think, so long as they keep the masses buying something, anything from them?

Going by the USA, the big guys will still be there, possibly with even bigger profits when 12% of us are buying craft beer exclusively.

 

[DJR]

Que? Fosters no craftbrew? What about Matilda Bay? Same sort of thing as MSB there.

The big brands of course will just bring out more "craft brew" to compete with any perceived competition as the market shifts to craft brew - and of course, the big brands can compete on price with the economies of scale involved.

I did talk to somebody from Fosters and all that they talk about with "catering to the homebrew market" is kits of course - and of course the implied viewpoint is that all homebrewers must be kit brewers.

 

[brettprevans]

We collectively bag Lion Nathan as much as the Fosters group, yet the former brought us the MSB and the latter merely mocks us while further insulting the palates of the great unwashed. What do they care what we beer geeks think, so long as they keep the masses buying something, anything from them?

Its an unfortunate fact of life that the great unwashed will continue to buy crap and pay through the nose either because of a name, image or they dont know any better. Look at sales of corona in the past few years. barely any advertising but somehow it has become trendy to drink corona so the great unwashed buy slabs of it for $60 without blinking an eye (which is terrible given that it was about 50c a bottle in Mexico 8 years ago). for $60 a slab you could get any infinately better brews. hell I'd pay the extra $10-$15 a slab and get Grand Ridge if I was paying that sort of money.

there will always be a large secgment of people that are easily influenced by cheap trends and advertising. then there are other who are too dman lazy to do anything about it. So the big boys will continue to make $$ out of the masses and keep the small segment of the market who like good beer happy by releasing small quantities of good quality beer brands. and we can revel in it and make our own.

 

[paul]

As a reformed Vb drinker I think this is a smart move to make mid strength vb. VB is the biggest selling beer in this country.

Of all of the people that drink VB im sure that heaps of them wont drink light beer when they have to drive somewhere cause its poofy, girly, tasteless or whatever. They've now got the option to drink mid strength VB. This should be a good money maker for CUB.

Im a daily drinker of mid strength beer. Each day after work I had a couple of Coopers Mild Ales at work with the boys before driving home. This is the beer that I buy most of the time.

 

[Kingy]

before doing home brew id drink 2 cartons of vb a week and nothing else.I LOVED IT!!! and would drink nothing else.

Since ive been brewing i find it hard to stomach that ****. But i must say i still have a soft spot for it when tooheys is the only other drink. And like someone else posted. Most vb drinkers are piss heads and they drink large quantitys of it. And i cant see any off the guys drinking a mid srength of it.

if i was a still a vb drinker instead of drinking a mid strength beer id prolly buy a carton of vb middys.

p.s whats a vb when it aint in a green bottle. its not a true vb

home brew ***** all over most beers available from the pubs and bottlos if its done right

 

[PostModern]

Que? Fosters no craftbrew? What about Matilda Bay? Same sort of thing as MSB there.

D'oh! I always forget that! *slaps forehead*. Not as widely available down here as MSB, so it hasn't got brand placement in my forgetful Illawarran head.

I agree it's good corporate strategy to brand mid-strength beer "VB". Doubtlessly they'll drag in some of the XXXX Gold market and some other brands too, but is perpetuating yet another bad brand a good thing for the beer drinking public?

 

[faryg]

Most of the VB Drinkers that I have asked in my store say that they will not even bother trying the new midstrength, so what is the point of bringing it out.

 

[PostModern]

Most vb drinkers are piss heads and they drink large quantitys of it.

Most but not all. I can think of several examples, but one that strikes me as the opposite is my father-in-law. He's a big wine buff, spends untold dollars on wine and Cognac and vodka (ie, in these things he buys mostly top shelf stuff), but the main beer he keeps, for lawnmowing and offering guests, is VB. I had a James Squire there once at NY about 4 or 5 years ago, and the Coopers I keep subtly leaving in his fridge every other time I visit, but mostly VB.

 

[Mr Bond]

Who cares what mega swill brewers do any way?

This is a forum for Home/craft brewers who love their beer and the history and culture that surrounds it.
I will drink most commercial beers if thats whats in front of me,or on tap.
my preference is to make and consume flavoursome ales with an English(bitters) or german(hefes) bent in the privacy of my own shed.
If pushed to consume commercial stuff(swill) I will drink Amsterdam mariners for lagers and Coopers sparkling for ales.

Mid strength lagers are a refreshing quaffer on a 30 plus day at the cricket but hardly a style worthy of replicating or discussing on a forum like this!

 

[PostModern]

This is a forum for Home/craft brewers who love their beer and the history and culture that surrounds it.
...
Mid strength lagers are a refreshing quaffer on a 30 plus day at the cricket but hardly a style worthy of replicating or discussing on a forum like this!

Please... after discussing recipes and methods and patting ourselves on the back for great beer, slapping down the megas is what this place is all about!

 

[Weizguy]

<cull>
Mid strength lagers are a refreshing quaffer on a 30 plus day at the cricket but hardly a style worthy of replicating or discussing on a forum like this!
</cull>

Is that 30+ beers? or 30 Celsius or greater?

Lookout for the VB headache and biliousness.

Seth (who once had 2 much VB).

P.S. PoMo, lets slap a helluvalot of megabrews. They know they deserve it. Are their brewers evil, or just stupid?

 

[boingk]

dcolvin: don't diss my childhood beers.

Nice, I like it! Yeah I'm at uni currently so I know what you mean. I've gone from mixers [Schmirnoff Double Black] to Strongbow Cider, then Tooheys New, as well as assorted cheap and nasty spirits when budget dictated.

2nd year of uni is seeing me brewing up my own beverages - so far a horrendous Tooheys Draght kit that came with my setup, and then Heineken, Becks, my own 'Aussie Lager' recipe, some rocket-fuel cider [11%], and some alcoholic ginger beer. All the beers save the Tooheys have come out well, and thinking of trying my hand at a Stella Artois in the near future.

All that talk aside, I don't think VB is too bad - New either for that matter. If theres something better on tap I'll take that instead, but if its a choice of VB/New/Coke'n'Rum, then beer wins over lolly-water. One of my favourites at the moment is Bravaria lager - but saying that, haven't had it since late last year because of a lack of summer drinking and my new-found source of beer!

Somone else mentioned their father going top-notch on wine, spirits, etc but having VB in the fridge? Same here - may be because he legitimatley does do some hard manual work around the place, may be that its just a cheap drinkable beer that goes well with BBQ's and spicy food.

As for the mid-strength, its a marketing response - simple as that. If you want to have a few beers with the boys after what-ever without losing your head or being unable to drive home, then it sounds like an option for fans of VB/XXXX Gold and the like. Otherwise, respect others choices [even if there are 'better' ones to be made], chill out, and have a beer.

:beer:

 

[Weizguy]

boingk,

If that's Newcastle Uni, give us a yell (pm). Happy to share my beer, generally.

Great brew community here, too.

Seth

 

[barfridge]

Are their brewers evil, or just stupid?

Smart, definitely smart. They are in business to make money, there is nothing altrusic about it, no craft to revere, no standards to uphold.

They offer up to the masses the absolute bare minimum they can get away with, and it works. So why should they change a thing? Except when they see a shift in buying habits, and respond to this.

It would be like Ford still selling 1972 XA falcons, citing a strong heritage and a long history of good sales. Then when people seem to want something smaller, they bring out the Cortina, making a song and dance about it. They do it because they can get away with it.

**** me! I've just described harley davidson as well, they're masters at doing the same thing.

 

[boingk]

barfridge - thats why I respect Chrysler...they kept on making 4+ litre, 1500kg+, road dominating, stylish monsters until they could no longer sell them because of backwards beurocratic bumbling. Great products, great heritage, just bad management. And now they bring out the 300C - the regeneration of the ancestral CM Valiant which was last of the line in 80/81. God I love my CM Val...might be older than I am, but its darn reliable, stylish, comfortable, and hard to park. Er...yeah.

weizguy - used to be from Newcastle, but am in Bathurst for uni. Ixst-nay on the Rewing-bay though, not sure if its allowed on campus. Actually, I'm darn sure it isn't, but its cool with my head residentials, so I'm semi-covered...I think. Had a room inspection the other term, just a random thing. Almost had a heart attack when I got the letter. Turned out some guy just poked his head in and looked for piles of garbage - which there weren't. Phew...

 

[jimmyjack]

I agree with most of what you all have to say. I just cant get my head around VB Midstrength's packaging. They are deliberately making their product look like 4X Gold. Do they think that consumers are that stupid? Its like saying you should of been drinking 4x Gold all along. I know for a fact that Lion Nathan care about craft brewing and increasing their share in this category. Its just too profitable not to keep buying or developing premium and craft beers. In fact LN have even hired Craft Beer Ambassadors in each state to market these beers to people who know nothing about craft beer. In my opinion the main reason behind VB Mid is that their is alot of in fighting between the brand teams in Fosters. VB the number 1 product is in decline. In fact 4x Gold is gaining momentum nationally and by 2012 it is expected to be the number 1 beer brand. In order for the VB brand team to look like heroes all they have to do is turn that decline around for a little while just until they get promoted anyway. It is a short term soloution that will cannibalise Carlton Mid stength as well as dissillusion VB drinkers. At the end of the day this strategy has nothing to do with beer. Its about market share, distribution and ambush marketing. At least their is one Lion Nathan employee that cares about home brewing. Me. I was an AG brewer before becomeing a megaswill peddler

Cheers, JJ

 

[InCider]

VB - best of a bad bunch of mega swill.

Actually this very morning I awoke at 4am with, to quote Withnail & I: "A bugger between the eyes". I had 1/2 bottle of wine and 3 VB heavies at an intimate little restaurant last night. Today I've got sore guts, head and a bit queasy. I should have asked what else they had, but often when I ask for Coopers in restaurants, I get that blank, uncomprehending look and feel like a snob. So last night I just said "stubbie of VB please, no glass." :blink:

VB is the Lorelei for me. Drawn to her and blind to the inevitable damage she causes.

InCider.
(who has just fulfilled a personal goal of referencing German Folklore on the forrum)

 

[Kingy]

i just think us who do home brew appreciate beer more and we are a small community as to the rest of us beings. And most of the other beings drink a beer that makes them have stature.(or what theyve been brought up on)

Ive just gotta look at most pubs and clubs in the mountains and western sydney. Standard drinks on tap are VB,Tooheys,carlton draught,and pure blonde ...... Just shows what most of us are drinking (those of us outside this community)

The market is definately there for beer un appreciaters.

untill they get onto the home brew experience they will never know any better.

and they can keep buying **** beer while i sit back and enjoy my own for a fraction of the price.


p.s My missus hates when i see a bloke drinking special beers or even coopers and i say to her "see what hes drinking? he must be a good bloke eh? )


cheers
kingy

 

[winkle]

Just had one while fixing a mates font. Its not as offensive as its big brother but still tastes like VB served with ice cubes once they've melted. :blink: At least I didn't have to buy one to try it.