Coors Light's 'absurd' iced-tea-flavored beer
The struggling beer behemoth hopes its strange new concoction will hit the sweet spot with consumers

Molson Coors is rolling out a new product: Coors Light Iced T. The drink is a standard Coors laced with citrus and iced-tea flavors, all with a relatively meek alcohol level of 4 percent. "We've got the world's most refreshing alcoholic beer sort of meeting up with the most refreshing non-alcoholic drink in the world. Those two things go really well together," says Peter Swinburn, the chief executive of the company. Plenty of beer purists, of course, are less excited. Here's what you should know:
Why is Coors mixing beer with iced tea?
It's part of a broader plan to win back customers who are increasingly drinking wine, cocktails, and flavored alcohols. "Someone else is eating our lunch in the alcohol space," says Swinburn. Beer sales in the U.S. have declined three years in a row, while liquor companies hocking unusual concoctions like Smirnoff Fluffed Marshmallow Flavored Vodka and Southern Comfort Fiery Pepper have gotten a boost. Consumers are also increasingly buying craft beers, sales of which were up 15 percent in the first six months of 2011, putting pressure on Coors and other beer giants to come up with a new strategy.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Are other beer companies following suit?
Yes. Anheuser-Busch, the maker of Budweiser, is unveiling Michelob Ultra 19th Hole Light Tea and Lemonade in April. Both Anheuser-Busch and Molson Coors appear to be following Boston Beer, the owner of Samuel Adams, whose Twisted Tea brand has been a great success. Boston Beer plans to sell its Angry Orchard Cider brand nationwide in 2012.
Will Coors Light Iced T be a hit?
Beer purists may find it an "absurdi-tea," says Rick Aristotle Munarriz at The Motley Fool. But it's at least an "intriguing" move, since "specialty flavored brews are booming in popularity." But the "beer industry's track record has been mixed when it branches out," says Mike Esteri at The Wall Street Journal. Remember Zima?
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Sources: CNBC.com, The Motley Fool, Reuters, The Wall Street Journal
-
Peter Mandelson called Epstein his 'best pal' in birthday note
Speed Read The UK's ambassador to Washington described the late convicted paedophile as an 'intelligent, sharp-witted man'
-
A Spinal Tap reunion, Thomas Pynchon by way of Paul Thomas Anderson and a harrowing Stephen King adaptation in September movies
the week recommends This month's new releases include 'Spinal Tap II,' 'One Battle After Another' and 'The Long Walk'
-
'Vampire energy' could be causing your electric bill to rise
Under the Radar Wasted energy could account for up to 10% of home use