The cheeky pint or two at lunchtime is a pub tradition that has been suffering a slow, painful death. There have been many reasons for this: from drink- driving laws to the simple fact that pubs now offer better quality alternatives, from cola to coffee.
And you can¹t rule out the increasing strength of beers on the bar top, with many cask beers hitting mid-four per cent and many lagers at five or over.
It is no longer acceptable for many workers to come back from their lunch hour having imbibed a pint or two and many younger drinkers simply don¹t want to drink at lunchtime.
So it was with some surprise in December 2004 that the on-trade welcomed Coors Brewers¹ latest product, which it claimed would rescue the lunchtime pint. Carling C2 is a two per cent lager, launched under the tagline ŒMore Pub Time¹ as the brewer tries to encourage beer drinkers back into the pub at lunchtimes and after work.
It is an idea that has long been in the pipeline according to Coors it has taken more than 850 recipes and 10 years to get the beer right.
Simon Davies, Coors Brewers¹ marketing director, admits it was an idea that Coors was so concerned about that it spent a long time debating whether the product should be Carling branded at all.
³Low alcohol beers are an area that consumers approach with a degree of suspicion. They have had their fingers burnt before and, to be honest, we thought long and hard about whether we should put the Carling name on the product. But at the end of it we were happy to it is a Carling product.²
The sales and marketing push for the brand is very much focused on the lunchtime occasion be that midweek while at work, or at the weekend when
drinkers may be busy with family life. It states that C2 is perfect for those occasions when you want two pints at lunchtime rather than one.
³The drink is not so much about sessionability,² says Simon, ³it is about taking back that occasion that has fallen out of people¹s habit: the lunchtime pint.²
C2 was initially seen as an off-trade product, according to Simon, but the commitment to pubs is now total. The company is looking at C2¹s future very much in the long term the brewer points out it is starting a new category, which takes time to establish.
Coors has made C2 available on its Cold Beer Station and it has undertaken a wide sampling campaign particularly focused on city centres especially in outlets near offices. In an effort to ensure quality of serve the product is available in 20l and 50l kegs the smaller size for pubs which have a lower rate of sale.
The investment behind C2 is large. Last year alone £3m was spent on a poster, press, sampling and in-outlet campaign to educate consumers. More than £4m will be invested during 2007.
Simon believes the future is very bright for C2, especially so thanks to one big piece of government legislation the smoking ban.
³What is crucial as far as I am concerned is the smoking ban. I now look at an on-trade that is undergoing some fundamental changes,² he says. ³Food will be a much bigger part of the on-trade and the retailers that get it right will get back to proper lunchtime occasions. This is where C2 fits in because good food in a smoke-free environment is a huge driver of on-trade traffic.²
The good old-fashioned lunchtime pint may not return to the levels it once enjoyed culturally our drinking habits may have moved on too far. But C2 is one product that, if properly marketed by the licensee, might well add to your profits.