Following on the heels of Budweiser, Miller Brewing Co. announced that it is launching 3 new beers in an effort to tap into the exploding craft beer market. The “Miller Lite Brewing Collection” are all ales: wheat, amber and blonde ale. They should be available nationwide by September.

So why are the macro brewers suddenly so interested in the craft beer movement?

…craft beers continue to outpace domestic ones, growing 12 percent the past two years compared with domestics’ growth of about 2 percent. That means brewers are looking for a niche and new flavors, plus craft styles command higher prices, which means more money for brewers.

The new brews will be “Lite,” meaning fewer calories than normal beer, though they will have a few more calories than regular Lite beer. Most analysts don’t think the new beers will succeed. I agree and here’s why: Making “light” craft beer is like making a 4-cylinder Porsche. The big breweries don’t get it. We drink craft beer for the flavor. We don’t care about the calories. We would rather drink one full-calorie, great-tasting beer than two watered down, tastes-like-beer-flavored-dish-water light beers. This is obviously nothing but marketing.

I’ll give the Miller beers a try when they come out but I’m willing to bet a case of Sam Adams that they will fail to satisfy true craft beer lovers.

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