My sister recently discovered that she might be allergic to wheat. No bread at all, no pizza, no pasta, and even worse: no beer.
While looking into what possible options might be for her, i discovered (and then also saw here) a company called Long Tail Libations. Apparently Anheuser-Busch has created it as a division to create and market niche products. There is a great book called The Long Tail that came out in 2006 that talks about the fundamental shift of the marketplace from blockbusters to niche products as a result of the “infinite shelf” of the Internet. Bud recognized this shift and created this new division.
As a result they have gone from 26 brands in 1997 to 80 brands in 2007. The new brands cover all sorts of crazy niches such as a beers with a safe grain for those allergic to wheat (Redbridge), a beer with caffeine (Bud Extra), a bock beer (ZiegenBock), a stout (Bare Knuckle), and some organic ales (Stone Mill and Wild Hop)
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Redbridge Redbridge is a rich, hearty, full-bodied lager brewed with sorghum (a safe grain for those allergic to wheat or gluten), water, yeast, imported Hallertau and domestic Cascade hops and corn. The result is a rich, full-bodied lager with a moderately hoppy taste. No wheat or barley is used to make the beer. |
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Bud Extra Bud Extra takes beer to a new level – combining the drinkability and broad appeal of beer with caffeine, ginseng and guarana, Bud Extra is a beer remixed. Well-balanced beer with unique aromas of blackberry, raspberry and cherry, Bud Extra offers a lightly sweet and tart taste – with a “wow” factor in the finish. |
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Bare Knuckle Stout Traditionally brewed using a blend of roasted barley, pale and caramel malts, Bare Knuckle Stout is balanced with robust hopping to provide a rich and flavorful stout, with a smooth and creamy head. |
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Anheuser World Lager Rolled out in May 2003, Anheuser World Lager is a classic pilsner beer with a distinctive hop note and full-malt flavor – an import-style beer made in the United States. |
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ZiegenBock An easy-drinking, American-Style bock beer, available only in Texas, since 1995. |
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Stone Mill Pale Ale Stone Mill Pale Ale has the perfect balance of maltiness and hop bouquet resulting in a classic, fruity pale ale. Stone Mill Pale Ale is brewed with organic ingredients in a certified organic brewery. |
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Wild Hop Lager Wild Hop Lager is a classic, European-style lager. It has a signature body with Cascade hop aroma and hints of caramel sweetness. It is brewed using organic ingredients in an organic brewery. |
The world is going to niches. When you can get 1000 channels of TV for all types of people, it makes sense that you can get all types of beer too. At least with the non-wheat Redbridge lager it’ll help my sisters weekends that much more fun
Crichton’s a smart guy and the premise to his books are really good. I just think he’s become too shallow in his character development. I think his older stuff is better and really love his memoir, 
I know i’m a day late on this, but here goes. My predictions and hopes for the Oscars this year:
I found these two updates today on the glorious world wide web. You know that tubular place known as the Information Superhighway. Anyway…
f Battlestar Galactica. I just finished season 1 of this show and i think it’s great. Apparently the 2nd and 3rd seasons are some of the best around. The film, which will feature all the same cast and crew as the TV show and will bridge the gap between the show’s third and fourth seasons. If you know who these guys are, it’s being produced 
e lists things he wants to happen before he dies. They are:
Bush is a marketing act. Many politicians are like this, but Bush has taken it to another level. He repeats phrases and has his entire PR staff do nothing but parrot his statements. Like an idiotic beer commercial, Bush believes we’re morons and need to be spoken to as morons. He’s used this practice to bring us into war. He justifies everything with blanket statements like “Failure is not an option – we’ll be victorious” without addressing the fact that most people don’t even want to be involved.
Going into space would be amazing and truly “out of this world.” Humans were not meant to leave Earth and getting out of the atmosphere and looking back on the little blue ball would be a beautiful and authentic experience. This is not marketing, not hype, not based on buzz or what the blogosphere or Hozack is saying. This has nothing to do with what society wants us to desire like low-cutting jeans, an iPod or Beyonce – this is just something that is objectively awesome.
American Idol is a fascinating show. It is promoted in every nook of America. It takes regular people, makes them sing popular songs on national TV, chooses the person that is most marketable (based on viewer feedback), signs them to a very restrictive contract and then promotes the hell out of them for people to buy it. It is a cash cow. It is the perfect marketing engine. But it isn’t real. These “Idols” don’t write their own stuff, they don’t acheive their own success and are really just pawns for corporate bigwigs who are looking for something to sell.
