“Probably not the best beer in the world. So we've changed it.”

[Chippy_Tea]

It took them long enough to admit it!



After 40 years of advertising its lager as "Probably the best beer in the world", Danish brewer Carlsberg has confessed that the famous slogan may not be true.

“At Carlsberg UK, we lost our way. We focused on brewing quantity, not quality; we became one of the cheapest, not the best.”

Reacting to falling sales and increasingly harsh comments from drinkers about the taste of its beer, Carlsberg has launched a new recipe along with a more honest approach to marketing.

The campaign declares: “Probably not the best beer in the world. So we've changed it.”

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...best-beer-in-world-lager-brewer-a8874016.html

 

[Clint]

Rumour has it Boddingtons are upping their advertising campaign in response...
"Still the crappiest beer in the world".
They may even be diversifying and making a Belgian style that tastes absolutely nothing like what it should.
It's going to be called their "Crappist" range..

 

[Chippy_Tea]

 

[marshbrewer]

Absolutely spot on marketing; the campaign is clever and pushes all the right buttons. Think about their target market - Carlsberg could manufacture a beer that tasted like the best craft beer ever, made your manhood grow by six inches and cure male pattern baldness, and the hipster crowd wouldn't touch it. However, the mass market punter are aware of this craft thing, but don't fancy risking buying something that tastes like ****, and costs fifteen million pounds a third. So this campaign suggests that they can get ''crafty" at a normal industrial lager price point and brag to their mates that they can taste the improvement.

In reality, I would be amazed if it wasn't still a bland pint, but fair play to their marketing dept.

 

[phildo79]

It will still be pretty poor. Why don't they up the ABV? Guess that would mean spending an extra few quid.

I was in Copenhagen a couple of years ago and I actually struggled to find 'ordinary' Carlsberg on draught. For some reason Carlsberg Classic was the option. I didn't bother trying one but did try a Tuborg Classic. It was stronger and darker than a normal Tuborg. And nicer. I also tried a Carlsberg IPA on draught and thought it was decent. So why not just release that sort of stuff in the UK instead of just changing the name to pilsner?

 

[prog99]

It will still be pretty poor. Why don't they up the ABV? Guess that would mean spending an extra few quid.

I was in Copenhagen a couple of years ago and I actually struggled to find 'ordinary' Carlsberg on draught. For some reason Carlsberg Classic was the option. I didn't bother trying one but did try a Tuborg Classic. It was stronger and darker than a normal Tuborg. And nicer. I also tried a Carlsberg IPA on draught and thought it was decent. So why not just release that sort of stuff in the UK instead of just changing the name to pilsner?

They also (around 20 years ago) rebrewed one of their original recipes and it was really good but it only ever sold in denmark I think (thats where I had it anyway). That was back in the day when the brewery tour was free and you got rather a lot of booze at the end too.

 

[Drunkula]

"Still better than Carling." is the line I'd add.

 

[simon12]

Probably the cheapest lager in most pubs and tastes like all the others would be most truthful and its most positive points.

 

[Portreath]

Or could be 'At 93 pence a pint, probably the cheapest mildly flavored and highly carbonated water in the world,.

 

[aamcle]

Apparently 3.8% well I suppose that gets it into some sort of lower tax bracket. Shame ... They could make good beer Carlsberg 68 anybody?


AAmcle

 

[Nicks90]

Whenever a mainstream food/drinks manufacturers comes up with something like this, I always presume they have cost minimised it.
Either through cheaper products or a more efficient manufacturing process that slightly alters the end taste.
I would put money on this being the case.

 

[Alex.mc]

The beer duty brackets are 2.8% and 7.5% according to https://www.gov.uk/tax-on-shopping/alcohol-tobacco
So I don't know why 3.8% seems to be a limiting factor for them? I suppose it has to do with efficiencies and price points?

 

[SmallSpacesBrewing]

Here in Norway Carlsberg is one of the most expensive lagers you can buy in the shop. I almost never buy it, but if I do, I buy the small glass bottles. And I enjoy them. So now I'm wondering if it's like a price point placebo effect? It's good cause it's expensive? I though everybody liked Carlsberg

 

[Gunge]

Whenever a mainstream food/drinks manufacturers comes up with something like this, I always presume they have cost minimised it.
Either through cheaper products or a more efficient manufacturing process that slightly alters the end taste.
I would put money on this being the case.

You see this all the time with food products.... 'new and improved recipe' stickers on the packs of stuff I like, I've learned to avoid.

 

[phildo79]

Here in Norway Carlsberg is one of the most expensive lagers you can buy in the shop.

When I was in Norway, every beer was expensive. I've only been to one more expensive country, Iceland.

 

[MickDundee]

I prefer the linked story in the article about the man who has collected 9,000 beer cans. I’m especially impressed by his collection of Supermarket Bargain Brand cans!

 

[Norfolk79]

Damn, I'm now going to have to have a pint of it to still find out I don't like it.

 

[-Bezza-]

Used to plough through this stuff at £1.60 per pint in my uni days. Served ice cold alongside a few mates and it was alright. Not sure I've touched the stuff since.

I'm not quite sure I understand how they're going to turn the "drinking the bathwater your nan died in" line into something positive for them.

 

[phildo79]

Well it's certainly an evocative image. Perhaps all the other reviews were even more damning?

 

[CD]

Remember 'It refreshes the prats other beers cannot reach'?