(Rochester, NY) – North American Breweries appears to be taking another page from craft’s playbook.
The company is introducing a craft-centric line to its Labatt USA portfolio according to recent label approvals. NAB will offer four styles in the new Brewers Collection series: Porter, Brown Ale, Marzen and Red Amber Lager. The beers will be packaged in 340ml bottles, a format popular with some import brands like Heineken.
No release dates are available.
Entry level only. No reason to even try it.
Needs to be lime flavored. With a polar bear that turns white when it’s cold enough to drink.
Snobs.
@Jamie: +1
But to be fair to Andrew, we can’t get annoyed at ABI and company for making bad beer and then also get annoyed when a macro tries to make better beer.
Like everything else on these lines, it’ll come down to value. NAB does well with JW Dundee, producing fine if unexceptional quasi-craft beer at a great price point. If the porter is mediocre-solid and costs $20 per case, I’ll definitely drink it. If it’s mediocre-solid and costs $35… we all have better options.
Maybe the polar bear’s balls should turn blue when it’s cold enough to kill the flavor.
We complain about BMC not listening. then complain when they do. This is more evidence of the ‘Craft’ segment winning.
Loled pretty hard at Jamie’s comment.
There’s definitely evidence that craft beer is winning. Overall beer sales were down 3% in the US last year, while craft beer sales were up 11%.
Unless these faux craft brews are merely attempts to reshape a corporate brewery’s image enough to get people to buy their stuff without making any honest attempt at improving the quality of the product, I support them. I won’t support them with my money, though, because I’m deeply cynical about whether the MBAs, accountants, and lawyers who run these big breweries will turn over enough power to the beer geeks to allow them to produce a good product.
Also, Jamie, I think an extensive marketing campaign featuring European models, ice sculptures, and Adrien Brody’s fake French accent is called for. Those Stella ads are some quality entertainment.
What a very nice kickoff to fall I love the malt and full body flow of these crisp brews The taste is clean and present with carmel roasts were needed The red larger is my standout and all others are worth the step up from yellow fluff enjoy
I bought these on a whim at my local beer distributor here in Pennsylvania. The price was definitely right and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the four different kinds of beer. I would gladly purchase another case!
The red lager is mighty fine – creamy. The CASE goes for under $15 locally – it – is – a steal!
The Red is excellent!!!!
I just scored three variety cases for $14/case. 6 bottles per each. Good value at that price. Looks to be brewed in Rochester, NY along the Dundee craft line.
Truth is, I was really hoping for a true canadian craft brew from Labatt not from Rochester, NY.
But what’s a poor boy to do?
I’ll have to go elsewhere for hoppiness/bitterness but should abide me thru cold VT winter eves.
For the price? 10.96 FOR THE CASE. So the red is likely Genny Red, and the Marzen a variation on Bock, the ale, 12 horse. I like BEER. Can’t beat the price
what is the alcohol % in this beer? I am in St Paul,MN 55116 & bought 3 cases of your brewer’s collection, featuring all 4 six packs per case. Delicious.
Brian
Drinking the SHANDY…… came in the limited edition variety case….nice summer beer
All four of these beers are worthless, tasteless, filth. It tastes like they took normal Labatts slapped four different color labels on it and called it done. The only thing limited about it is its flavor. If you want craft beer? Buy it from a craft brewer… You want shitty beer? Drink this garbage.