goreds2
01-28-2007, 05:56 PM
<p><a href="http://www.tallahassee.com/legacy/special/blogs/2007/01/wwjd-what-would-jimmy-buffett-drink.html">http://www.tallahassee.com/legacy/special/blogs/2007/01/wwjd-what-would-jimmy-buffett-drink.html</a></p><p> WWJD? What would Jimmy (Buffett) drink? <br />Land ahoy! Lank Shark Lager is here. The Jimmy Buffett brew was unveiled Monday and will be available in local stores next week. <br /><br />So what is it? <br /><br />First and foremost it is first-rate marketing. We’ll talk about the actual beer in a minute, but let’s examine this coup by Anheuser-Busch. <br /><br />The big beer company’s new partnership with the popular musician abruptly ended Corona’s relationship with Buffet. Corona was a major sponsor of Buffett concerts. Hello No. 1 selling beer company in the world, goodbye No.l import in the U.S. <br /><br />Ostensibly made by Margaritaville Brewing Co. in Jacksonville – where A.B. has a major bottling plant – Land Shark Lager will presumably be the new sponsor for Buffett tours and the flagship beer at his restaurants. I would expect it will be available at the Civic Center next month when Mr. Margaritaville himself is the featured attraction. <br /><br />It is available for the time being only in Florida. Even before it shows up in the beer aisles next week they will be serving Land Shark Lager at Sharkey’s in Southwood starting Friday. <br /><br />Now, the rest of the story: <br /><br />Land Shark Lager comes in clear glass bottles that look a lot like Miller High Life, for a point of reference. This is a big no-no, because clear glass is easily susceptible to contamination via exposure to sunlight. However, this beer is so thoroughly pasteurized I’m sure it can withstand more light exposure than most. <br /><br />If you don’t know Budweiser makes Land Shark Lager, you won’t learn it by studying either the bottle or the six-pack container. Go to <a href="http://www.landsharklager.com/" target="_blank">www.landsharklager.com</a> and you can learn about the relationship. <br /><br />But if you aren’t that ambitious you might be lulled into thinking you’ve stumbled onto a new microbrewery’s product. You haven’t. <br /><br />Land Shark Lager lacks taste and flavor. At best, it qualifies as a lawnmower beer, a post-workout thirst quencher. It is, in short, a typical big beer product. <br /><br />Several of my colleagues in the newsroom tried it this week and none were impressed. The kindest comment came from a sportswriter who said “it looked – and tasted – an awful lot like Miller High Life. In other words, OK at best.” <br /><br />But would Jimmy Buffett drink it? Who knows? Do his doctors still allow him to drink? If so, then I’m sure he would. <br /><br />That doesn’t mean I will. Yes, I tried it. It’s not my cup of beer. I want flavor, taste and maybe even complexity in my beer. This offered none of the above. <br /><br />I admire the marketing. Even the label, a shark fin slicing through the ocean water, is pretty cool. The product is an entirely different matter.<span class="postbody"><br /></span></p><p> </p>