Molson launches unique brew
The method that brewmasters use to infuse beer with carbon dioxide is one of the few ways a company can create a unique product, according to Geoff Molson, a director at the company who represents the seventh generation of Molsons in the brewing business.
"It's not that easy to be innovative in the beer business," Molson said in an interview Friday in Moncton.
"From A to Z, beer has a very specific process. You need to find points in the process that allow for differentiation," he said.
The Montreal-based firm, part of the Molson Coors Brewing Co. (NYSE: TAP), launched its newest beer, M, in the Maritimes Friday at the Moncton Press Club.
Molson explained that through a patent-pending microcarbonation process, the firm injects carbon dioxide through smaller, finer bubbles to achieve an ideal level of carbonation for the new beer.
Setting out originally to achieve a smooth and tasty brew, Molson said he believes the company has created "the most drinkable beer in the world."
He was tight-lipped on details about how the company creates smaller bubbles than a typical lager - since the patent is pending - but said the process required new machinery and a considerable human and financial investment.
The director was vice-president of marketing during the two years Molson conceived of M, finalized the recipe and brewing process and developed a marketing plan.
He recently stepped down from that role, remaining a director of the company, to take on a job as chairman of the Montreal Canadiens hockey team, which Molson and his brothers Andrew and
Justin acquired last December with financial backing from other investors.
The Maritimes market is the second for the latest beer, which the company released in Quebec last fall.
Bottles of M started appearing on the shelves of NB Liquor stores on Monday.
The beer label for Molson's new drink features a gold M on a black background.
Currently only in use at the Montreal plant, the microcarbonation brewing process will likely eventually be used at the firm's Moncton plant, which the company opened in 2007, Geoff Molson said.
The Moncton operation is one of six brewing operations run in Canada by the company, the largest brewer in the country with about 3,000 employees.
Molson set up its $36-million Moncton plant in part to be considered a local brewer in the region under a deal between Maritime provinces to treat one another's breweries as their own - not imposing surcharges on companies shipping beer to other regional provinces.
The handshake agreement of the '90s was made formal after officials from regional liquor corporations sat down to form a comprehensive set of rules and regulations in the fall of 2007, prompted by Molson's arrival on the scene.
Steve Dykeman, Molson's regional sales manager for New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, said the company cannot release numbers on its market share or sales but indicated that the
Maritimes beer market has remained strong despite the recent overall economic recession the world has faced.
"It's exceeded our expectations," Dykeman said of Molson's sales in the Maritimes.
By Rebecca Prenty
Based on the following sources:
http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/
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