This showed up in my inbox today. I had no idea these brands were considered ‘premium’.
What they mean by premium looks, from that, to be what makes them the most money. Maybe premium as defined by distributors or supermarket buyers rather than brewers? The SKUs those in control care about…
What’s wrong with the beer we got? 
As far as I understand, they are trying to rebrand those beers to be a premium beer choice. It’s a matter of perspective, I guess.
You know, something else just hit me. Exact same price as locally. I presume that’s an Alabama price. I would have expected at least some little variation from region to region, under different liquor control authorities who nominally ser minimum pricing, if only because of different tax rates, let alone other factors. Like with gasoline. But no. Talk about big beer controlling the market…
…it drinks pretty good!
You misunderstand… that means they charge a premium for slightly boozy carbonated water.
From the perspective of BJCP, all of those beers are commercial examples of their respective styles. Most commercial examples in other categories are premium, so, I guess they are premium too.
Classically, breweries would have maybe three main products at different price points, all variations of the same style, differentiated primarily by strength, and secondarily by the amount of adjunct and/or hops used and the quality of malts and hops used. The tiers were categorized in the industry as “price,” “premium,” and “super premium,” with Budweiser being AB’s premium, between Busch and Michelob. The “light” products weren’t even in the main line, they were niche, specialty products, just as were extra strong or seasonal offerings. Obviously, in this case “premium” means something different. These are the biggest sellers (IIRC these are the top four nationally, Budweiser being number four.)
I agree 100%. They’re trying to hold on to their once-strong dominance of the market. By calling these “beers” premium, the buyer thinks they’re buying the best.
Face it. These are the best beers that “big beer” can produce.
Who cares? A total non issue.
With their technical capabilities, they can make any beer you can imagine, probably better than anyone else can. They make these beers because they are still the most in demand with consumers, no matter what you may read about declining market share of these products – in real terms, that’s negligible. And Denny’s right, who cares? Buy what you like, everybody else will too.
From my standpoint…I’m with Denny.
From a independent brewery standpoint…it all about market share and consumer perception.
Great write up about it by a brewery owner here in Ga after the Wicked Weed news. Premium has a lot to do with market share.
This guy’s got it right. Also, you have to remember beers like Busch, rolling rock, and mountain Crest exist.
If you’ve just day-hiked Mt. Whitney in August–in other words, if you’ve just hiked a 22-mile round trip in a single day where you’ve gone from 8000 feet 14,495 feet and then back again, all the while in the blazing high-altitude sun–then trust me, these beers are indeed the best beers in the world. You’d pay anything–anything–for one of these beers. And it would be the best beer you’ve ever had in your life. Please trust me on this.
Point is, whether these beers are fizzy, beer-flavored water or absolutely amazing depends on context. This is a very important point that BMC-haters need to understand.
I tend to regularly have two beers at any given time in my house, (with the occasional craft interloper:) My homebrew in the keezer, PBR or High Life in the fridge. The connection is that both are (and here I flatter myself) very well made examples of their kind, which kind is a well conceived and balanced recipe in the first place (again I flatter myself,) neither of which (well made or well conceived) can be said of most of the craft beers I find. As long as blatantly unfair and illegal practices are held in check, the market ought to decide how much of what kind of beer the world really needs. I’m hardly unique in straddling the two realms, am I?
“Premium” is an industry term that differentiates this class of brands from “Subpremium”, which would include brands like Busch and Keystone.
Robert and Gary have it correct. Budweiser has been a premium brand since at least the 1970s. Doesn’t have anything to do with competition with craft beer.
Back when I was in HS, Busch and Keystone were premium, too.
Generic, no-name Beer in a white can with black stripes, now THAT was sub-premium.