Coors set for 330ml lager can launch

Coors Brewers is set to launch Carling and Grolsch lager brands in smaller can formats of 330ml next year in an attempt to cash in on the trend for smaller alcohol servings.

The lagers are available in both 440ml and 500ml cans, the usual sizes of most canned lager brands in the UK. Rival Budweiser, owned by Anheuser-Busch, was available in 330ml cans in the Nineties, but the format has been discontinued in the UK.

One retailer says that the new 330ml can sizes could reinvent the beer market, which has seen little new product development in 2004.

A Coors spokeswoman says: “The launch of the 330ml cans is based on consumer insight. Certain occasions demand different cans sizes and we are offering a range of different options. The new cans are not related to our responsible drinking initiative because our brands already carry that message on the labels.”

Coors flagship brand Carling has started incorporating the message “Enjoy Carling. Take it Easy” on all its packaging and maintains that it is keen to tackle the problem of underage and binge drinking.