A Farewell to Cheap Beers

Molson Coors announces discontinuation of 11 economy brands

It reads like a shopping list for a not-very-well-funded college party: Keystone Ice, Miller High Life Light, Steel Reserve 211. No more will these cheap beers fuel Animal House-style mayhem. They’re a few of 11 economy brands Molson Coors is discontinuing. Also gone will be Keylightful — launched in 2020 to get in on the fruity drink trend — Icehouse Edge, Mickey’s Ice, Hamm’s Special Light, Milwaukee’s Best Premium, Olde English HG 800, Magnum, and Henry Weinhard’s Private Reserve. 

“After an extensive analysis of our business, we are meaningfully streamlining and premiumizing our U.S. portfolio,” Molson Coors CEO Gavin Hattersley said on an earnings call. “This will improve supply chain flexibility for our more profitable priority brands, enhance our innovation efforts, enable us to better focus resources and ensure dependable and on-time shipments to our distributors.” 

It was one thing when the supply chain issues brought on by the pandemic made new cars extremely low tech and spiked lumber prices, but now they’re taking away our favorite cheap beers to sip on while we work on our transmissions and build new decks? 

At least give us some suggestions on what we might replace them with. 

“Distributors who sell brands like Magnum and Mickey’s are going to feel it when they are discontinued,” Hattersley said. “So, our local sales teams are partnering with distributors and retailers on a market-by-market basis on exit plans and to identify swaps that make sense.” 

Phew, OK, we can deal with that. Next time we pick up a pack of 30 Stones for that house party down the street, they might be Light instead of Ice. We’ll just have to get used to it.