Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 27, 1993 TAG: 9306270033
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
"The typical male American is not going to buy Miller Clear beer," said Phil Cunningham, who has tasted and rejected Miller Brewing Co.'s colorless stuff. "It doesn't look like beer or taste like beer. . . . Yuppies: Now that's your market."
Cunningham, 44, a trucker, was drinking Budweiser draft while shooting pool at the Locker Room in Richmond, which is one of three cities nationwide chosen to test the industry's first clear beer.
The Locker Room, however, doesn't serve it, and the establishment's patrons haven't missed it, owner Jean Jones said.
"It tastes like soda water to me," said Kenny Hughes, 36, a construction worker. "But it might be good for someone who doesn't like beer. It could be a woman's beer."
Both men's guesses are close to the mark.
Younger drinkers appear to be more eager to try clear beer, bar and restaurant managers say. And the colorless brew probably will appeal more to women, analysts say.
"My gut feeling is more women will be attracted it to it than men," said Frank Walters, research director for New York-based M. Shanken Communications, which publishes for the alcoholic beverage trade.
Women account for 18 percent of beer sales and 22 percent of light beer sales, he said. If Miller Clear can attract more women into the market, the new product will be a large success, Walters said.
Walters and Miller officials believe the clear-beer critics will come around as they did after Miller Lite was introduced. But the process could take several years, they cautioned.
"In 1975, Miller Lite came out, and people said it was a fad. Some men said it wasn't a man's beer - it was a woman's beer," said Peter Roughton, vice president of operations for Loveland Distributing Co., Miller's Richmond-area distributor. "Well, hey, it worked."
Roughton would not release sales figures for Miller Clear, but he said they are encouraging.
More revealing are repeat orders of clear beer from sellers in the Richmond area, he said. Those numbers also have been increasing, he said.
One place where clear beer has been successful is Castle Thunder Cafe, whose patrons mostly are college students and young urban professionals.
"It tastes smoother. It has less after-taste and tastes healthier," said Duke Dolan, 22, who works at a security firm.
"It tastes like beer but without the beer taste. Does that make sense?" said Marie Hawley, 21, a Virginia Commonwealth University student.
"It's mostly the younger, trendy crowd that's buying clear beer," said general manager Will Kahn. "Those who are looking for a novelty will try it."
Kahn said sales of Miller Clear started slow but have increased over the past several weeks. "We were doing one case a week at first, and now we're doing six cases a week," he said.
Miller Brewing, which pioneered light beer and made it a potent part of the brewing business, in April made its clear beer available at restaurants and bars in the Richmond; Minneapolis; and Austin, Texas, areas.
In May, the product was expanded to grocery and liquor stores in those areas.
Eric Kraus, a spokesman for Milwaukee-based Miller, declined to disclose the timetable for expansion into other markets, saying it was too early to tell whether clear beer has been a resounding success.
"What we want to do is make sure it's competitive against other brands. That takes some time," Kraus said.
But Kraus said he was confident Miller Clear would appeal to the general public.
"We recognized a growing consumer preference for full flavor without the heaviness or the harshness that some people associated with other brands," he said. "This is a mainstream beer."
Miller Clear is made just like regular, amber-colored beers, except for a final filtration process that removes the color. At 122 calories per bottle, it's midway between regular and light beers.
by CNB