Miller Brewing Company
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| Industry | Alcoholic beverage |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1855 |
| Headquarters | Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA |
| Products | Beer |
| Owner(s) | SABMiller |
| Website | http://www.millercoors.com/ |
Miller Brewing Company merged with Coors Brewing Company on July 1, 2008, to become MillerCoors. Prior to the joint venture, Miller Brewing was the second largest brewing company in the United States behind Anheuser-Busch and was based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It was owned by SABMiller. Miller owns breweries in Albany, Georgia; Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin; Eden, North Carolina; Fort Worth, Texas; Irwindale, California; Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Trenton, Ohio, all of which have remained open since the MillerCoors joint venture.[1]
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[edit] History
Miller Brewing Company was founded in 1855 by Frederick Miller when he purchased the small Plank-Road Brewery. The brewery‘s location in the Menomonee Valley provided easy access to raw materials produced on nearby farms.
On September 19, 1966, the conglomerate W.R. Grace & Co. agreed to buy 53% of Miller from Mrs. Lorraine John Mulberger (Frederick Miller’s granddaughter, who objected to alcohol) and her family. On June 12, 1969, Philip Morris (now Altria) bought Miller from W.R. Grace for US$130 million, outbidding PepsiCo. On May 30, 2002, it was acquired by South African Breweries from Philip Morris for US$3.6 billion worth of stock and US$2 billion in debt, to form SABMiller; with Philip Morris retaining a 36% share at that time, with voting rights of 24.99%.
On August 14, 2006, Miller Brewing announced it had completed the purchase of Sparks and Steel Reserve brands from McKenzie River Corporation for US$215 million cash. [2] Miller had been producing both products prior to this purchase.[2]
On October 9, 2007, SABMiller and Molson Coors agreed to combine their U.S. operations in a joint venture called MillerCoors. SABMiller is to own 58% of the unit, which is to operate in the U.S. and Puerto Rico but not Canada, where Molson Coors is strongest. Molson Coors is to own 42%, but the parties are to have equal voting power.[3][4]
[edit] Current brands
[edit] Miller family
- Miller Lite—Miller’s brand of light beer.
- Miller Genuine Draft—Miller Genuine Draft (MGD) was introduced in 1985 as the original cold filtered packaged draft beer, which means that the beer is not heat pasteurized. Miller uses an exclusive cold-filtered process that prevents some of the beer’s flavor from being heated away. MGD received the gold medal in the American-style Premium Lager category at the 1999 World Beer Cup. It also received the silver medal at the 2003 American Beer Festival. The concept for cold-filtered Miller Genuine Draft was developed by new product consultant Calle & Company. Martin Calle evolved the concept from Miller’s New Ventures effort to launch a new dry beer at a time Miller Brewing was in danger of becoming a much-cloned Lite Beer manufacturer. Originally introduced as “Miller High Life Genuine Draft”, the “High Life” part of the name was soon dropped. MGD is actually made from the same recipe as Miller High Life, with a different treatment. It was developed to give High Life drinkers the same taste in a can or bottle as they found in non-pasteurized kegs. It has 4.7% abv.[5]
- Miller Genuine Draft 64—A lighter version of the regular Miller Genuine Draft Light with a 2.8% abv, also known as “MGD 64”. It contains 64 calories per twelve-ounce serving. Until recently, no other beer on the market had fewer calories, although Becks Premier Light also has 64 calories. In late summer of 2009 Budweiser launched Budweiser Select 55 in response to Miller’s popular MGD 64. Miller launched this beer in the summer of 2007 in Madison, Wisc. It was received favorably and testing expanded to Arizona, San Diego and Sacramento. [6]
- Miller High Life—This beer was put on the market in 1903 and is Miller Brewing’s oldest brand. High Life is grouped under the pilsner category of beers and is 4.7% ABV.[5] The prevailing slogan on current packaging is “The Champagne of Beers”, an adaptation of its long standing slogan “The Champagne of Bottle Beers”. Accordingly, this beer is noted for its high level of carbonation, making it a very bubble-filled beverage, like champagne. It was originally available in miniature champagne bottles and was one of the premier high-end beers in the country for many years. Except for a brief period in the 1990s, High Life bottles have always been quite distinctive, as they have a bright gold label and are made of a clear glass that has a tapered neck like a champagne bottle. High Life has brought back its “Girl in the Moon” logo, which features by today’s standards a modestly dressed young lady that, by legend, is company founder Frederick Miller’s granddaughter. The “Girl in the Moon” logo was originally painted in the early 1900’s by an unknown artist and has since been re-painted by Nebraskan artist Mike Hagel, who added his own unique touch to it.[7] High Life beat out 17 other contestants to take home the gold medal in “American-style Lagers” category at the 2002 World Beer Cup. High Life has enjoyed a resurgence recently, using its humorous “Take Back the High Life” campaign—which features a common sense-wielding deliveryman removing beer from non-High Life locations—to position the brand as “a good honest beer at a tasty price.”
- Miller High Life Light—A version of the Miller High Life but approximately the same nutritional content as the Miller Genuine Draft Light. It has 4.2% ABV.[5]
- Miller Chill—A chelada-style 4.2% abv[5] pale lager brewed with lime and salt. Introduced successfully in 2007, sales dropped in 2008 after the launch of the rival Bud Light Lime. [8]
- Miller Midnight—This beer uniquely combines dark roasted and light crystal malts with caramel flavour for a distinctive refreshing taste. Getting this balance right was an important part of the two year development process, led by Ronda Dannenberg and Jackie Lauman, specialists at Miller’s flagship brewery in Milwaukee. Color, aroma, taste, and finish were all carefully considered. The is a deep and distinguished dark colour contrasting with a surprisingly fresh, light taste. It is available in 330ml and 500ml bottles. Released in November of 2008 this beer is available only in Russia. It has 5.2% ABV.[citation needed]
- Sharp’s—Miller’s non-alcoholic beer.
- Frederick Miller Classic Chocolate Lager—A beer for the holiday season released October through December in Wisconsin, Chicago, Minneapolis, Cleveland, Indianapolis and northwest Indiana. It is brewed with six different malts, including chocolate and dark chocolate malts. [3]
- Mickey’s—Mickey’s is Miller’s “Fine Malt Liquor.” It is 5.6% abv.[5]
- Olde English 800-Malt liquor. It is 5.9% abv in the eastern United States, 7.5% abv in most western U.S. states and 8.0% abv in Canada.
- Milwaukee’s Best—Miller’s economy label. It is 4.3% ABV, and commonly referred to as “The Beast”[5]
- Milwaukee’s Best Light—Miller’s light economy label. Also, it was the main sponsor of the 2008 World Series of Poker. It is 4.2% abv. and commonly referred to as “Beast Light”[5]
- Milwaukee’s Best Ice— Miller’s economy “Ice” beer. It is 5.9% ABV. and commonly referred to as “Beast Ice” or “the Yeti”.[5]
- Magnum Malt Liquor
[edit] Retired Brands
- Miller Lite Ice—A limited distribution ice beer valued for low bitterness, as well as for the naturally higher abv content (5.5%) of an ice beer. In this form, it is now only found in select markets in Michigan.
- Miller Gold—A limited edition version of Miller Genuine Draft containing 5.7% abv.
- Miller 1855 Celebration Lager—The 1855 Celebration Lager was released in November 2005 to recognize the 150th anniversary of Miller Brewing. It was only available for a limited time.
- Miller—A short-lived recipe from 1996 to 1998, sold in a predominantly red can (hence, aka “Miller Red”).
[edit] Hamm’s Family
The Miller Brewery complex in Milwaukee, WI
Miller bought the rights to the Hamm’s Brewery brands.
- Hamm’s Beer winner of the 2007 Gold Medal for American-Style Lager and the 2010 Gold Medal for American-Style Specialty Lager or Cream Ale or Lager at the Great American Beer Festival
- Hamm’s Golden Draft
- Hamm’s Special Light
[edit] Plank Road Brewery Family
This division is named for the 19th-century name for Wisconsin Avenue in Milwaukee (formerly known for its full length outside of Milwaukee as the Watertown Plank Road), where the main Miller brewery has been located since its founding.
- Icehouse – Icehouse is an ice lager and was the winner of the 2003 and 2007 Gold Medals for American-Style Specialty Lager at the Great American Beer Festival, and also won the American-style Ice Lager Gold Cup of the 1996 and 1998 World Beer Cup competitions.[citation needed]
- Red Dog – Although popular during the mid- to late-1990s, Red Dog faded into near obscurity after the turn of the century. However, since 2005 it has been making a comeback of sorts, returning to stores.[citation needed]
- SouthPaw Light – SouthPaw beer has a set of characteristics that are unique among the mass-produced beers in the U.S. Southpaw is labeled as a light beer, but it has the alcohol content of a regular beer. It has a strong hops flavor compared with other light Pilsner style beers. It also has unique labeling and marketing.[citation needed]
[edit] Logos
 Miller Genuine Draft
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