The Associated Press reports that the growing low-carbohydrate beer segment is proving to be an enormously successful part of the business, with more than a dozen such brews in the marketplace vying for the attention of people who are on the Atkins Diet or one of its brethren.
For example, Anheuser-Busch's Michelob Ultra reportedly had a better than two percent share of supermarket beer sales during December; Rolling Rock shipped one million cases of Rock Green Light in less than three months; Coors Brewing Co. plans to introduce Aspen Edge in 10 states during 2004?
The problem? Well, as with so much of the low-carb frenzy, it is difficult to tell whether this is a permanent segment with staying power, or just a fad that will sooner or later peter out.
For example, Anheuser-Busch's Michelob Ultra reportedly had a better than two percent share of supermarket beer sales during December; Rolling Rock shipped one million cases of Rock Green Light in less than three months; Coors Brewing Co. plans to introduce Aspen Edge in 10 states during 2004?
The problem? Well, as with so much of the low-carb frenzy, it is difficult to tell whether this is a permanent segment with staying power, or just a fad that will sooner or later peter out.
- KC's View:
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USA Today has another in its regular series of articles about the low-carb trend, and makes an observation that is worth remembering - that the Atkins Diet was conceived three decades ago, and therefore can already said to be have stood the test of time.
There's some truth to that…though the level of attention it is getting now certainly has propelled it into another category. The question now is whether it will maintain this level of enthusiasm…or slip back into being a fringe diet strategy.
