MillerCoors “is answering Bud Light Platinum with its own boozier line extension called Miller Fortune,” wrote Ad Age late last week, breaking story of launch. “And the brewer is kicking up the alcohol content” to almost 7%. There’s a “big time” mktg push coming, said memo to distribs. The brand is broadly aimed at millennial males “but it’s got a sweet spot with Hispanics and African Americans,” MC veep innovation David Kroll told Ad Age.

The higher alcohol and the mktg push already led to a follow up Ad Age piece this morn about the “risk” of “raising watchdog’s ire.” It cited the usual suspects, i.e. Alcohol Justice and David Jernigan. “It is beginning to look like we are going down the road of the old malt liquor wars of the 90s,” said Alcohol Justice’s Michael Scippa. Jernigan asserted that marketers use code words like “edge” since they can’t advertise strength. In other MC news, MillerCoors and union settled at 11th hour last week averting possible strike.

Join us for the 20th annual Beer Insights Seminar, Monday November 11 at the Waldorf=Astoria in NYC. You won't want to miss this year’s event. Just added: a unique panel that will include insights into industry data from several leading data co’s, including GuestMetrics ceo Bill Pecoriello, IRI principal bev alc insights, Dan Wandel and Nielsen senior veep Andrea Riberi, moderated by BMI exec editor Eric Shepard. They join a top-flight program that includes AB sales vp David Almeida and Heineken USA president Dolf van den Brink, as well as outspoken Harpoon ceo Rich Doyle. Also on tap: a panel moderated by consultant Bump Williams including MillerCoors chief customer officer Kevin Doyle, Crown exec veep sales Bruce Jacobson and Boston Beer sales veep John Geist. As always, BMI's Benj Steinman will present an overview of industry trends. More speakers will be announced in coming weeks. The seminar is $1150 per person. Sign up for what's sure to be a jampacked and insightful day. Seating is limited. Click here for more info. Click here to register.

We should have been more skeptical of Wall St Journal report on Mich brewers and distribs (see last Express) when reporter (actually more like an intern) said beer biz nationally doing “incredibly well.” Turns out his major theme – that Mich distribs holding up key reforms to give craft brewers flexibility – was totally inaccurate. Mich Beer & Wine Wholesalers Assn actually supports 3 key reforms: raising microbrewery cap and increasing the number of brewpubs and retail sites that brewers can operate. Indeed, distribs and craft brewers met to hammer out that compromise, in place of sprawling reform recommendations made by state agency, earlier this yr. Bill did not get done before session ended, but likely will move in fall, we understand. What’s more, WSJ reporter talked with MBWWA and was told of distrib support before the article/video ran. But he apparently had his own story to tell.

Interesting analysis of Heineken’s US scan data by Bernstein’s Trevor Stirling in advance of 1st half report next week. Global Heineken “weakness expected,” according to Trevor, but “positive momentum” should return in 2d half. Here in US, HUSA volume “ticked up recently” to 8.3% in 3 mos to Jul in Nielsen foodstores, said Trevor. HUSA growth led by Dos Equis up 274,000 cases, 21% and Tecate up 99,000 cases, 6% (including hot Tecate Light presumably). While Heineken up 2%, 69,000 cases, that’s essentially offset by Amstel down 11% and Heineken Light down 6%. Dutch brands about half of mix with Heineken at 38%, Amstel at 3% and Heineken Light at 6%. Dos Equis was 15% of HUSA volume, Tecate about 19% of volume. Others almost 20%. Big others growth is presumably Beers of Mexico and Strongbow.

Fortune today released its 2013 Executive Fantasy League starting lineup and ABI ceo Brito ascended to ceo. Meaning Fortune mag sez Brito the best ceo around. Brito dubbed “master of M&A…obsessed with making AB InBev more efficient” and “truly global.” Long accompanying Fortune profile of Brito is mix of flattery and some telling quotes/anecdotes. Lotsa space given to Brito’s attention to detail, no-nonsense style and results. Ex-AB prexy Dave Peacock offers that “the thing I most respect about Brito is he does what he says he’s going to do,” and even compares Brito to Lincoln: “He’s Abe Lincoln, only shorter, bald and Brazilian.” Current St Lou brewmaster Pete Kraemer praises more open communication at AB since they “tore the walls down” at HQ. Current NA prexy Luiz Edmond sums up ABI’s dominant culture of constant performance evaluation. “There will always be people who don’t like it, especially the ones who were just entitled to be there for historic reasons, the ones who were not performing. Our processes, our systems do not allow for that. They do not allow you to hide in a nice room, stay for the whole day. No.”

Fellow Brazilian and key ABI investor Jorge Pablo Lemann acknowledges ABI’s cost-cutting culture, but noted: “I wouldn’t call it a Brazilian management style. It has been amalgamated by a bunch of Brazilians, but we have copied most of the things we know from the US, quite frankly,” citing Goldman Sachs and GE as models. Jorge echoes Luiz and everyone else who has commented about the ABI culture: “You are always running, always close to a limit. You are working very hard and being evaluated all the time. People either like it or don’t like it.” Brito is typically blunt, referring to detailed sales report at an early morning mtg in Sao Paolo: “This is very much our company, this sheet. We like metrics, tons of numbers.” Another revealing anecdote: about 10 yrs ago, during Brazilian energy crisis, govt demanded bizzes make sharp reductions in energy use or face big fines. Consultant group and Brito himself hit the bars/grocery stores to show vendors how to cut back: “The ice cream guys, they didn’t do that, so they got screwed big time,” Brito sez. Fortune allows a few negative notes -- that ABI has “failed to revive” Bud in US and analysts have “mocked its latest effort” -- but only a few amidst portrait of inevitable winner, or as title dubs Brito: “(Brew) master of the Universe.”

Better beer biz trends continue, volume up 2% and $$ up 4.8% in latest Nielsen all outlet data for 4 weeks thru Aug 3. The 2 top growth brands are new AB and MC products, Straw-ber-Rita and Redd’s. Bud Light Straw-ber-Rita at 1.3 share and Redd’s up to almost 0.6 share (much bigger than Bud Black Crown). So those 2 brands up 1.9 share of $$ last 4 weeks. Yet AB and MC share losses continue, down 0.6 and 0.5 share of $$ respectively last 4 weeks. That’s about same as YTD. With better overall numbers, AB volume up slightly (1%), MC down slightly (-0.4%) last 4 weeks. Biggest share gainer in recent period is Crown, up 0.6 of $$ and cases, with volume up almost 15%. And Boston Beer up 0.4 of $$, 0.3 of cases with sales up near 40%. Wow!

In wake of complaints from MillerCoors and other aluminum buyers from bev and other bizzes, Commodity Futures Trading Comm now digging deeper into charges that bank holding companies “artificially inflated the cost of aluminum and other metals,” WSJ and Bloomberg reported today. Recall that MC global risk mgr told Congressional hearing last month that Goldman Sachs and other bank holding companies in commodities biz create warehousing bottlenecks that limit supply and boost prices to them and ultimately consumers. (See Express #90.) Now, CFTC has sent subpoenas to those banks for details on their commodity bizzes, WSJ reports. Also in review: “hedging practices of aluminum end users” and how they may affect prices and “incentive payments” from warehouse operators to producers. Goldman has said it will now “provide immediate delivery” and blamed the buyers for backups, according to WSJ. JP Morgan has put is commodities biz up for sale.

Media generally, and Wall St Journal specifically, has never had warm fuzzies for beer wholesalers. Latest hit from WSJ came in article that ran Friday citing “Frothing” Mich micros with companion video segment titled “Set Michigan Craft Brewers Free.” The clips made point that proposed legislation to ease some caps and other restrictions on craft brewers being quashed by what one small brewer termed the “800-pound gorilla in Lansing,” or the Mich Beer and Wine Wholesalers Assn and its members. MBWWA “put over $3 million into Michigan politicians” over last decade said reporter, while craft brewers “don’t appear to have the political influence” to push thru changes, only able to “muster up $10,000” over last few yrs. Those possible changes includes 3 Mich House bills “currently treading water in committee,” which would 1) raise “microbrewery” cap from 30K to 60K, 2) increase number of brewpubs a company can operate from 2 to 5, and 3) increase the number of “on-premise retail sites” a company can operate from 1 to 2.

Distribs have “protected role” in 3-tier system, claimed reporter (who didn’t look old enough to consume beer legally, but who will be a Yale senior this semester). And poor craft brewer making 60-100 bbls/yr can’t deliver a 6-pack across the street. These “archaic Prohibition-era” laws that cap what craft brewers can do not only “could” raise prices, but “consumers want craft beer and craft brewers can’t give it to them. It’s hurting supply more than anything else,” reporter said in video interview with host who commented that the craft beer biz is “booming in Michigan” and “growing faster [there] than almost anywhere else!” Indeed, article begins that number of Mich breweries has grown from 3 to over 140 in last two decades, and “grew by 20%” in 2012, “the fastest rate in the country.” Then again, reporter also claimed beer biz nationally is “doing incredibly well” and appears to be “recession proof” (we assume he meant “craft beer”).

A few Mich micro-owners weigh in, including New Holland prexy Brett VanderKamp who commiserated that “the 30,000 barrel-limit would preclude us from opening another tasting room and we would also have to shut down our tour program.” But both “are crucial,” as “the tasting room alone accounts for about 25% of New Holland’s revenues.” New Holland and Shorts Brewing have both put holds on multi-million-dollar expansion plans due to current caps. Reform legislation in hopper, including above changes and a “150-page omnibus-style bill” in the Senate, all “stalled” as big bad wholesalers and their political participation mean “the thumb’s on the other side of the scale” to make sure no one is “hurting their role” or “protected niche.”

Modelo Especial jumped 35% and gained 2 share of $$ to over 11 in 1 large c-store chain in west yr-to-date. That put it ahead of Coors Light and gaining on Bud Light. Bud Light up slightly but down nearly 1.5 share to about 18. Those 3 brands about half of the biz in that chain. In some parts of Calif, Modelo Especial is already #1 brand in that chain. With a bullet.

Spurred by complaints from AB, the Nat’l Advertising Division has asked FTC to intervene for further review of mktg claims for Coors Light as MillerCoors declined to participate in NAD process. “The challenged advertising claims appeared on Coors Light beer can itself,” as well as “packaging, on social media websites,” the Coors Light website and “at least” two TV spots, noted NAD. AB challenged “implied claim” that Coors Light cans “are technologically superior to other beer cans and provide a more refreshing beverage experience.” MC’s touting that Coors Light has “The World’s Most Refreshing Can,” has been challenged by AB, which claims “with respect to technology…falsely conveys to consumers that the Can is technologically new, original, and advanced compared to both beer can technology currently available on the market and used by competitors, and what MillerCoors itself previously used for Coors Light.” AB conducted its own evaluation of Coors Light can and contends it doesn’t “have any special or unique technical properties, or represent an improvement or advance.” The “Frost Brew Liner” is not an innovation, nor does “Double Vented Wide Mouth” represent “any functional improvement.”

MC’s response: While MC “fully supports the self-regulation program,” ABI’s complaint about Coors Light can “is frivolous and an inappropriate use of NAD’s resources,” Jonathan Stern, dir of media relations, told INSIGHTS this morn. “All of the statements regarding the can either clearly are intended as acceptable marketing puffery or have been proven through extensive testing as accurate,” he added.