Vb - Mid Strength

[Doc]

From here
Just when you though VB couldn't get any worse.

After 113 years, the country's biggest selling beer, Victoria Bitter, or VB, is to be produced in a mid-strength version to keep pace with the country's fast-changing beer tastes.

VB, with its distinctive green label, has since 1894 been a staple of hard-drinking backyard barbecues, student revels and football games, not to mention healthy overseas exports.

Now brewer Foster's has decided for the first time to produce the beer in a weaker yellow-label version with 3,5 percent strength, down from 5 percent, as Australians abandon it for scores of more upscale "boutique" or craft beers.

And the joy of joys.

Watson said the new yellow VB would be backed by a A$35 million advertising campaign.

Doc

 

[Fents]

:unsure: :blink:

 

[PostModern]

"The change has been dramatic. The drinking habits of Australians have been changing over time and what we have found is that the markets in growth are the premium and mid-strength markets," Foster's Brand Manager Felicity Watson told Reuters.

So they have a choice: make it better or make it weaker.... ummm, lots of thought... weaker.

"There is just a lot more choice and consumers are no longer attached to just one or two brands," Watson said. "They will have a different brand for different occasions, if you're out with a group of friends and you want to impress."

Yep, that's right. Drink a different brand when you're out to impress your drinking mates, not to please your own tastes.

How have the guys at Fosters got it so wrong?

 

[dcolvin]

From here
Just when you though vb script:emoticon(':chug:', 'smid_10')
:chug:

Hey, lay off my childhood beer... Yep as a youngster I moved from New to Fosters to VB, then my tastes expanded to home made. But dont dis my childhood beers...

Dave

 

[brettprevans]

How have the guys at Fosters got it so wrong?

we know how they have got it wrong. they have decided to go with the current market trend of mid strength everything. idiots. As if VB drinkers want mid strength VB! If anything they probably want it stronger so they can get pissed faster. I'll admit to drinking VB if its being offered, im no snob. and 1 or 2 are good to knock back quickly on a stinking hot day. but mid strength. why bother. I'd rather drink decent tasting light beer (cascade). Why does someone not drink full strength beer? nrmally cause they are driving. well why drink mid strength if your driving? your only going to be able to have 1 extra beer. or here's an idea. have fewer full strength beers.

mid strength commercial beer blows. Good HB beer no matter what % can be fantastic. so as Postmodern said why the hell didnt they concentrate on making a great tasting light beer with its own name? It complete financial reasoning trying to use the 'good will' assoc with the VB brand to market their new beer.

oh well. at least we can make our own beer.

 

[razz]

If they want to "keep pace with the countries fast changing beer tastes" why don't they put some decent hops in it for flavour ?

 

[sinkas]

How long until VB Platinum?

 

[brettprevans]

How long until VB Platinum?

As someone said (I'm paraphrasing) in the TEDPlatinum thread... "its the metal taste of Platnum in every drop"

They would want to hope it does better than their Empire beer. I wouldnt wash my arse with that stuff. its was F*kn horrible. and it did abysmally.

 

[kabooby]

This was in the Sydney Telegraph yesterday.

"FOSTER'S has launched a new beer in its battle with arch rival Lion Nathan for supremacy in the growing mid-strength category.

The brewer today launch a mid-strength version of its popular VB brand.

Over 80,000 cartons of the gold-labelled VB mid-strength lager will be shipped out of the company's Queensland brewery and will hit shelves tomorrow.<p>

Foster's Queensland general manager Shane Richardson said the launch would be accompanied by a $35 million advertising campaign, the company's biggest in more than a decade.

The campaign will be fronted by TV celebrity builder Scott Cam."


From memory it also mentioned it was going to be pushed in the areas that have strong mid-strength sales like Queensland and WA.

Kabooby

 

[jimmyjack]

The change has been dramatic. The drinking habits of Australians have been changing over time and what we have found is that the markets in growth are the premium and mid-strength markets," Foster's Brand Manager Felicity Watson told Reuters.

Is that the real reason? Or is it that 4x Gold is slowly becoming the number one brand in the country. The packaging looks identical to Gold. Or could it be another reason. Linky

Changes to some of our communities include no consumption of heavy beer

Possession limited to 9 litres (24 cans) of light or mid-strength beer and two litres of wine (no fortified wine). Isabella Creek McIvor River Road, Barrett Creek Road and Cameron Creek Road are excluded from the restrictions.

Cheers, Jj

 

[brettprevans]

Is that the real reason? Or is it that 4x Gold is slowly becoming the number one brand in the country. The packaging looks identical to Gold. Or could it be another reason. Linky

Changes to some of our communities include no consumption of heavy beer

Cheers, Jj

note sure that aboriginal communities with legal liquor restrictions is the markets Fosters is after.. but interesting. I suppose they could be trying to hit up sporting venues also that enforce no heavy beer at night games etc. Maybe that's just in Melbourne they do that. Cause no one wants to drink Carlton mid-strength. although that entire idea to me was stupid. you cant get heavy beer but you can still get spirits.. go figure.

 

[Wortgames]

Well, to add my take on the mid-strength story, I have to confess to having drunk quite a lot of Toohey's Gold at one stage (about 10 years ago, in a dark period when I had no fermenters). Firstly, it was extremely cheap (and that was a big issue for me at the time), but secondly, I actually quite liked it. It had more flavour than the mainstream 'full-strength' offerings, I guess they did that to make up for it's lower alcohol. I haven't tried any mid strength recently, so I don't know if it's still the case.

I didn't really care about the alcohol content, I just wanted some beers to drink when I got home from work, and the 30 can 'block' satisfied that need pretty cheaply.

So the current trend towards 'mid strength' beer may be about the alcohol, but I suspect it is more about the cost or the flavour (and probably a combination of the two). I think a large part of the market is older couples too, you see plenty of mid strength being knocked back on the caravan trail. It will be interesting to see what CUB come up with, but if it doesn't taste better and cost less than the standard stuff then I'd say they won't have much success.

As for Fosters claiming that premium brands are about impressing mates, that is just their standard sideways dig at anything that isn't megaswill. You should hear how they talk about homebrewers.

BTW, I recently drank a VB for the first time in probably a couple of years, and I have to say I was shocked. I've always tried not to be a beer snob, but I think it was the most disgusting thing I've ever tasted. It didn't even taste like beer, it was awful. I'd honestly rather drink the worst imaginable homebrew.

 

[Paul H]

Does a mid strength VB mean only a mid "skull splitting headache" & mid projectile vommitting? <_<

Cheers
Paul

 

[Bobby]

the cost isnt a big improvement either - will be retailing for around $34 a ctn

 

[delboy]

will it mean trendy bogans in Melbourne and the rest of the Country ?

I herd MICHELLE AND FERRET off of Fast forward would be doing some adds .

dressed in there black jeans, donkey jumpers and moccy's disco dancing.

delboy

 

[Weizguy]

(With apologies to John Meillon ):
You can get it working a small plough, you can get it milking a miniature cow, matter of fact I've semi got it right now.
A mid-sized thirst needs a mid-strength beer and the most mediocre near-beer is Vic...Vic Mid!

Makes me wanna half-rush out and get one, maybe soon-ish...

I might buy one today and report. Gonna need a carton of Czech Pils (20 X 500ml bottles of Kozel) to get the taste out of my mouth.

BTW, what do Fosters say about home-brewers?
As if their opinion matters to me anyway. When was the last time they made a decent Berliner weisse?

Seth's day off

 

[deevee]

Oh excellent, VB + add a little Soda water + caramel colour = VB Midstrength.

just like Cascade Light: Crown Lager + add a little soda water + caramel colour = Cascade Light

hahaha

 

[Wortgames]

BTW, what do Fosters say about home-brewers?

Not sure if it's Foster's especially, but I've seen megaswill management interviewed before when the subject of homebrewing has come up, and their response is invariably some dismissive reference to bathtubs and ferals. They are pretty happy to perpetuate the old negative myths around home brewing.

 

[PostModern]

Not sure if it's Foster's especially, but I've seen megaswill management interviewed before when the subject of homebrewing has come up, and their response is invariably some dismissive reference to bathtubs and ferals. They are pretty happy to perpetuate the old negative myths around home brewing.

It's in their interest to do that. A lot of beer drinkers don't have the time or inclination to make their own beer. Fosters should be looking at introducing a range like James Squire to compete at the Premium end of the market, unless they want to be left behind and be seen as followers when the micro revolution hits these shores in earnest.

 

[Wortgames]

It's in their interest to do that. A lot of beer drinkers don't have the time or inclination to make their own beer. Fosters should be looking at introducing a range like James Squire to compete at the Premium end of the market, unless they want to be left behind and be seen as followers when the micro revolution hits these shores in earnest.

Don't underestimate the old-school arrogance though. It seems like a few of the 'big boys' still think they can crush the boutique beer market by ridiculing it.

Not that I care, I can make my own beer.

:beer: