Anheuser Busch Offers The Long Tail Of Beers

Over on his blog, Chris Anderson investigates the mega-brewer’s strategy of investing in microbrews, regional beers and “craft beer”. Pat McGauley, vice president of AB’s Long Tail Libations, explained to Chris:

Anheuser-Busch’s embrace of niche beers is not driven by a radical change in the economics of distribution, but rather reflects a broader trend toward niches across our culture. Anheuser-Busch happens to be unique among brewers in that it’s large enough to have its own distribution network (the others go through third-party distributors, who are hard to sell on micromarkets) and is thus able to experiment with far more products aimed at niche consumers. It can take local microbrews and distribute them nationally or find regional markets for drinks targeted at certain demographics.

Anheuser Busch has expanded the number of beers, coolers and other alcoholic drinks in its range from 26 brands in 1997 to 80 brands in 2007.

The Long Tail: Anheuser-Busch and the Long Tail of beer