By George Anderson
Brewers were hoping to attract new consumers to the beer category when they jumped on the low-carb bandwagon. It's still, perhaps, too early to tell if much headway is being made into expanding the consumer base of the category but it is clear the new low-carb brews are selling.
Benj Steinman, editor of Beer Marketers Insight told the Associated Press, "It's been the most successful new product since light beer. This is a phenomenon and no one really knows how high is high, but no one really knows when it's going to be over.'
The leader in low-carb beer wars is Michelob Ultra. The first major brand to come out with a low-carb version, the Anheuser-Busch product currently accounts for 2.1 percent of beer sales in supermarkets.
Moderator's Comment: Are low-carb beers expanding the consumer base of the category?
Our evidence is anecdotal but over the holidays we did see a couple wine drinkers trying out Michelob Ultra. None reported being ready to give up the grape but they did say having some low-carb beer from time-to-time is something they could see themselves doing.
Anheuser-Busch, as you would expect, is serious about trying to expand the category's consumer base. Michelob Ultra is slated to become the official beer of the LPGA Tour. [George Anderson - Moderator]