I like an occasional beer.  I don’t drink a lot, but when I have a beer, my taste tends towards darker microbrews such as HE’BREW, the chosen beer, or a good stout, such as Guinness, properly poured.  I realize that by saying that, I’m not making any fans in St. Louis, home of Anheuser-Busch, brewer of beers that are quite a bit cheaper than HE’BREW, other microbrews, or Guinness.  

Recently the Carlsberg Group  introduced a $400 beer.  That’s $400 for 375 ml, which is about 30 times more than I pay for even the best micro-brewed six pack.  In 2006, Carlsberg, which sells beer in over 150 countries, generated 41 billion Danish Krones in revenue from sales of 102 million hectolitres of beer and 19 million hectolitres of soft drinks.  For the record, one hectolitre is equivalent to about 176 British pints.  So they are definitely not a microbrewer.

So why all this discusion of beer?  While some would call the $400 beer faddish, which it is, I’m impressed by the ability of such a large company to do something beyond the mundane.  Though I have’t tasted it, I’m almost sure it is no ordinary beer.  I’m also sure it’s not a large market opportunity.  But it will help build Carlsberg’s brand awareness.

In the world of technology, I often talk to employees of large systems companies that bemoan their inability to get innovative products to market in a timely fashion.  Perhaps they should take some inspiration from a brewer in Denmark.  Even if the market is small, it might help the brand.