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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 25, 1994)
Photo Illustration by Damon Lee/DN Lincoln beer drinkers aren’t following national trends. Although ice beers are popular throughout the country, they aredecreasingly in demand locally, some Lincoln bartenders said they thought the special brew was just a fad. Ice beer craze thaws out in Lincoln By Charles Isom Staff Reporter Ice beer is a hot item in the United States right now, but local interest in the brews seems to have cooled down, according to some Lincoln bars and liquor stores. Ice beer is specially made by frcc/. ing during the brewing process so that ice crystals form. These crystals can be left in the beverage or re moved, causing the beer to taste dif ferent and have different alcohol con tent. Ice beers were introduced in this country from Canada almost a year ago and have continued to grow in national popularity ever since, said Sandy Carson of Stroh’s Brewery in Detroit. The fact that there arc over 40 different brands available from al most all the major distributors seems to prove its popularity. Everything from regular ice beers to malt ice beverages to light ice beer has been introduced. These beers make up a good share of the total beer shipped, 5.8 percent nationally according to Nielsen fig ures. This is the highest mark these beers have held, and they show no sign of slowing down, Carson said. However, for some reason, sales in the Omaha/Lincoln area have been on the decline since April. According to Nielsen figures pro vided by Stroh’s, ice products hit their peak in the Omaha/Lincoln area in April at 5.3 percent. Since then they have dropped dramatically to their lowest point of 3.4 percent in July before starting a slow growth to the current 3.6 percent. Carson said she didn’t under stand the decline in the Midwest. “I don’t know why they aren’t selling well in some areas. It could be the combination of distribution, me dia exposure and which beers are currently selling strong. Or it could be any one of those alone," she said. Tommy Mausbach, manager of the Brass Rail Bar, 1406 O St., said that he, too, wasn’t sure why the ice brands don’t sell very well. “Forcxamplewe’llorder 12 cases of Miller Lite as opposed to two cases of Miller Ice. The only ice beer that seems to be holding its own is Ice house,” he said. “I don’t see this (ice beers) as being a continuous thing.” Marcia Levering, bartcndcr/man ager of Iguana’s, 14260 St., echoed Mausbach’s statements. “There was a big deal made when these beers were introduced. We sold a lot at the beginning, especially Bud Ice. Then everything died off real fast,” she said. “It’s probably just a fad.” It’s not just bars that have noticed the lack of sales for the ice varieties. The liquor stores around town have also noticed the lack of mass sales prom used by the breweries. Local liquor stores have had poor sales for the most part. “The ice brands are not very pop ular at ai I. Out of everything we stock they probably make up lens than 1 Ecrccnt, if that. They sold hot at first, ut then died,” said Daryl Bahm, ownerof Herm’s Liquor, 1644 P. St. “New items generally sell good for awhile but then the newness wears off and sales start to slack. It’s the same thing as Miller Dry or wine coolers,” he said. Jim Mumgaurd, co-owner of Mum’s Liquor, 841 N. 27th St., had a more positive outlook dcspitccxpc riencing similar poor results. He said that when the ice products first came out they d id wcl 1. especial ly Bud Ice. But they lost some of their popularity during the summer. He said he was looking for sales to in crease now that the students are com ing back. “I’ll wail and see before I start calling this a trend. Sometimes it just takes a little longer for stuff to get going.” with coupon yt QFFFrrcreR op Expires: 8/31/! One Coupon Per E Every | Thursday FRI. & SAT. LIVE MUSIC IVlon-Sl.75 l^po^s Tues-Sl Rails Pints & Trolling Rock Wedjl 00 Bufflo Wings Hmre-250 Tacos—— Fri-Gutbuster & Fries for $2 Comer of 9th & 'O Street Bocfe To Softool August 22-September 3 Husker 10% ■■M™\led's Campus Recreation Center 50% Off NAMESTO Kim Crash Test Dummies with The Millions Friday, August 26, 7:30 p.m. AII 4 0ne Sunday, August 28, 7:30 p.m. Lorrie Morgan with Sammy Kershaw Monday, August 29, 7:30 p.m. River City Folk with Tom May Wednesday, August 31, 7:30 p.m. Sawyer Brown with Diamond Rio Friday, September 2, 7:30 p.m. Statler Brothers Sunday, September 4, 7:30 p.m. Blues Festival Starring: ■ • kix. uw> f««. Dr. Iota A A Trifentc to Muddy Waters Monday, September 5,5:30 p.m Events To Remember. Outlaw Truck & Tractor Pulls Saturday, August 27, 7 p.m. & Sunday, August 28, 1 p.m. Bull Riding Saturday, August 27,1 p.m. Pickup PullS Tuesday, August 30, 7 p.m. Demolition Derby Friday, September 2, 7:30 p.m. Car Racing Late Model Saturday, September 3, JM Sprints Sunday, September 4, & 360 Sprints Monday, September 5,12:30 p.m. warm-ups with races at 1:00 p.m. Order tickets now. Call (402) 478-4105 and charge your tickets to VISA* or MasterCard*. Or purchase your tickets over-the-counter at the Administration Building Ticket Office at State Fair Park.