YumSugar

Beer Prices on the Rise; Budweiser Goes Global

YumSugar — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 03:30:45 -0700

In the mood for a brew? Be forewarned, a cold one could cost you. Anheuser-Busch InBev and MillerCoors have both announced plans to hike beer prices. Falling sales and higher costs of commodities like barley and hops have forced them to compensate by raising prices. In a statement Tuesday, US-Belgian company Anheuser-Busch InBev said it will raise stickers "across different price tiers" in "a majority of markets this Fall" to cover "input costs." Likewise, InBev's biggest competitor, MillerCoors, intends to increase prices this season. Higher prices from the two conglomerates - which together comprise more than 80 percent of the market - will impact the beer industry during a time when beer drinkers are reaching for the cheapest selections.

In a New York Times commentary, "Rising Beer Prices Hint at Oligopoly," the op-ed's writers lament that the two companies' abilities to raise prices while customers are hurting "highlights the pricing power that has accompanied industry consolidation" and "begs for an antitrust review."

Anheuser-Busch isn't stopping there. The beer overlord has aggressive plans to transform Budweiser into a global player, using Coca-Cola as a marketing model. The corporation hopes to introduce the "King of Beers" into dozens of new markets, including parts of Africa. Have you noticed rising beer prices? Could Budweiser eventually become an international symbol like Coke? Should Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors face antitrust allegations?

Will You be Upset If Belgian Company Buys Budweiser?

partysugar — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 07:45:36 -0700

There is no other beer as quintessentially American as Budweiser. With its red, white, and blue label, the beer is known around the world as the American brew. But, how would you feel if the "great American lager" was no longer owned by an American company?

Big time Belgian brewer InBev, which makes Stella, Becks, and many other brews, has offered to buy Anheuser-Busch's beer. Both Americans and Belgians are outraged by the possible takeover. Americans - who are putting up a fight at savebudweiser.com - don't want to lose the national symbol, and the Belgians don't want to be associated with it.

Considering that I prefer Stella to Bud, I'm not affected by the possible merger. How about you? Will you be upset if a Belgian company buys America's favorite beer?

Source

Budweiser

harry — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 16:23:42 -0700

The King of Beers.

Yummy Links: From Crownheart Cupcakes to Turkey Bacon

YumSugar — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 06:01:33 -0800

If you're still not over the cupcake trend, then be sure to check out this crown heart cupcake pan. - Baking Bites
Ready or not, 2008 is the year of the cheese cave. - Serious Eats
Be sure to check out this story about Thunder Parley, the famous Google foodie. - Los Angeles Times
Budweiser is offering a new canned version of Chelada, which is Budweiser and Clamato Juice. - Slashfood
Will these Nature Matching System Placemats make you eat more vegetables? - The Kitchn
Looking for a new grocery bag? Why don't you try making your own? - CasaSugar
The Girl Scouts have released Cinna-Spins 100-Calorie Packs. - Yummr
Jamie Oliver is causing controversy and is planning on cutting up a corpse on his UK show. - Chow
Like bacon? Why not try turkey bacon? - FitSugar

Tough Times Boosting Budget Beers

YumSugar — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:22:34 -0800

Americans may love kicking back with beer, but times are tough. That's why an increasing number of beer drinkers are swapping their microbrews for what are called "subpremium" beers in the beverage industry.

Anheuser-Busch has reported that its brands Busch and Natural Light have seen upticks in sales. Other beers - from Miller High Life to Milwaukee's Best to Hamm's to Keystone - have also been attracting a larger percentage of consumers.

To the beer industry's dismay, the increase in subpremium beer sales is happening at the expense of its higher-end beers, such as Budweiser and Miller Genuine Draft. Said one MillerCoors wholesaler: "I'm selling way more economy brands than I'm comfortable with . . . consumers are trading down."

Is this the case for you? Have you also been purchasing less costly beer options?

Source

Three Beer Myths Debunked

YumSugar — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:00:44 -0700

I know a lot of you are beer drinkers, and I am also a proud partaker in the occasional brew. So I was tickled to come across Beer 4 Chicks, which takes offense at beer advertisers' seeming assumption that only dudes drink beer. The site, written by beer expert Christina Perozzi, aims to educate drinkers by shattering some of the commonly held myths about ambers, ales, pilsners, and the like. I have to admit that as much as I enjoy beer, I clearly don't know much about it because some of her points really surprised me. Here are three misconceptions about beer:

Myth #1: Dark beers are heavy, strong, and/or high in calories. The shade of the suds has nothing to do with how "heavy" a beer is. Darkly-colored beers can taste sweet or bitter depending on the type, and they aren't necessarily stronger or heavier. The color is simply determined by the method used to roast the grains that go into the beer.

To see two more beer myths, read more.

Myth #2: Wheat beers should always be served with lemon. Often, when you order a Hefeweizen or other wheat beer, it will come served with a slice of lemon or other citrus fruit. This is by no means necessary and in fact can interfere with the intended flavor balance of the beer.
Myth #3: Light beer is the best option for women who aren't huge beer drinkers. This is purely a marketing ploy. If you don't like beer, don't drink it, but if you are going to drink beer, opting for light results in a negligible difference in calories but a big loss of taste. As Beer 4 Chicks points out, "Budweiser is only 33 calories more than Bud Light. And, get this, you burn that amount of calories by sleeping for a half-hour."

Surprised? Got any beer misconceptions that drive you batty? Share them in the comments below.

Source

Super Bowl Fun Facts

partysugar — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 01:07:01 -0800

I knew putting a picture with shirtless boys playing football would catch your attention. Wouldn't it be so much more entertaining if the Super Bowl was played topless? Ok, enough digression already back to Super Bowl fun facts. At parties, whenever there is a lull in the conversation, I love busting out with worthless knowledge. Today, Super Bowl Sunday, will be no different. There is bound to be a few lame commercials so that's when I'll pull the old fun facts out of my magical hostess hat. For example, did you know that 6% of Americans call in sick the Monday after Super Bowl? Also on that same Monday, antacid sales increase by 20%? I know you're dying to know how many pounds of guacamole get consumed today, so for the rest of my useless yet amusing tid bits, read more

8 million pounds of guacamole is consumed on Super Bowl Sunday.
14,500 tons of chips are eaten along with that guacamole.
The average number of people at a Super Bowl party is 17.
5% of Americans will watch the game alone.
Of the top 10 most watched television programs of all time, 9 of them are Super Bowls.

Budweiser has been the exclusive Super Bowl beer advertiser for the past 13 years.
The Super Bowl is measured in Roman numerals because a football season runs the span over two calendar years. The year the season began in 2006 and ends in 2007.
Since the 1980s the Super Bowls have always started around 6pm Eastern Standard Time.
More drivers are involved in alcohol-related accidents on Super Bowl Sunday than any other day of the year (except St. Patrick's Day), according to the Insurance Information Institute.
35% of people who attend the game write it off as a corporate expense.
Over 700,000 footballs are produced annually for official NFL use and 72 of them are used for the Super Bowl.

The Dolphin Stadium in Miami has vomitoriums, which is actually an architectural feature, not an official place were people can puke. It's a passage below a tier of seats in an amphitheater through which a crowd can spew out after the game.
The Super Bowl has been played in south Florida 8 times, today's game will be the ninth.
Super Bowl fans spend more than $50 million on food during the 4 days prior to the super bowl.
Super Bowl Sunday is the biggest winter grilling day of the year.