Pabst team talks Blast, Will Ferrell, acquisitions
Harry, look, before the AGs took notice, there was a process of approval. Every state, and the fed government, approved the product from every angle and every step of the way… My only contribution to Blast was to put on the label that it was the ‘ultimate cocktail’, and they [TTB] took that off. But everyone had approved everything else throughout the process. So it somewhat surprised to me to get that reaction after six months of getting it approved." The brands are growing and will sell 2 million cases after a year in the market, he said. Fruit punch is the next flavor to launch.
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Breweries: Pabst Brewing
Maybe I’m crazy, but I think Pabst has a a gold mine with their portfolio of brands. If they continue their guerrilla marketing like the Will Ferrell Old Milwaukee ads, they could chip away at the big boys from one side while craft continues to chip away at the other. Maybe it’s just nostalgia on my part because my grandfather had all those beer signs in his basement bar, like Schlitz, PBR, Stroh’s, etc., but I also think there’s an element of America that’s turned off by BMC but isn’t really interested in craft, either. Brands like Blatz, Rainier, and Lone Star are ingrained in communities. I’d like to see a day where Pabst was able to buy back some breweries from Miller. If craft can really hit 30% in our wildest dreams across the country, and Pabst could somehow take back 30% on the otherside, AB InBev’s stranglehold on the industry could completely fall apart, Miller Lite would cease to exist (though Michelob could make a comeback), and ultimately, consumer choice would prevail. That wouldn’t be such a bad future, would it?