The Molson-ifcation of Creemore

I wouldn't call my self a beer snob but having worked in the premium beer category  for more than a few years, I feel like I can appreciate a finely crafted stout, ale or lager. 

That's why I love Creemore, it might have not been Ontario's first craft-brewed beer but it's certainly our most loved. There is so much good word of mouth about this brand - it has great product credentials, it's from a quaint brewery location in rural Ontario and it's had for years an inside industry rumour about it,  real or imagined, that all new bars couldn't order it because their small plant was at capacity and their owners refused to compormise quality by expanding the brewery.

One of Canada's beer behemoths Molson purchased Creemore over a year ago and anaylsts were puzzled about how it fit into the rest of a struggling fairly mainstream portfolio.  Having acquired it over a year ago and not doing anything to ruffle any Creemore loyalists, I thought Molson was actaully succeeding in building a micro beer reputation where it had failed in the past.

After listening to their last radio ad, I'm now  starting to doubt. Unfortunately I can't find the ad online but it was promoting Creemore in Cans. Never mind, a great glass bottle brand is risking product credentials by being put in cans, the ad pretty much slapped the face of 20 years of very strong if not sexy product communications by some wisecrack jumping in and telling the narrator to get to the point. I thought I was having an out of body experience, surely they didn't just piss on its finest brewed asset publicly.

.. but lo and behold, some fellow members of my "good beer" posse also heard the ad and were equally horrified.

So is this the beginning of the end for Creemore or just a case of one bad ad? I guess we'll wait and see...given the speed at whcih negative word of mout travels, we might not have to wait too long.