| 24 June 2009
If you’ve ever wondered about the power of the Internet, just consider for a moment the case of Corona Extra. Made by Grupo Modelo, a Mexican company specializing in beer production, distribution and marketing, Corona Extra was recently picked by Facebook users as their favourite beer.
The brand was selected in a Facebook "Pick Five" survey where users worldwide choose their favourite five things based on different topics. The Favorite Beers survey collected the opinions of 2.5 million people on Facebook, according to PC World. Facebook is a social networking site boasting some 200 million users worldwide.
"Having our brand on the top of a list in an unsolicited survey is definitely proof of the great success of Corona Extra and of the unique brand imagery that distinguishes our brand all over the world," said Jose Pares, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer at Grupo Modelo, the maker of Corona Extra.
| 16 June 2009
Beer, the oft-maligned blue-collar drink, offers an amazing variety of styles and remarkably complex and often subtle flavours. Brewing is at least as old as winemaking, its history going back as far as the ancient Sumerians, some 5,000 years ago. It was the natural beverage of choice in those parts of the world where grains, rather than grapes, were most readily available. In Europe, countries bordering the Mediterranean had no trouble making vino and remained wine drinkers, while more northern regions naturally turned to this fizzy concoction.
At its best, beer challenges the senses in much the same way wine does. Until quite recently in Canada, as in the US, most ales were of the standard, mass-produced kind, showing little variety or complexity. This has all changed for the better (see “Renaissance,” in Tidings’ July/August 2008 issue). We now import some of the best beers in the world and, more importantly, a new generation of imaginative brewers has sprung up all over this continent. Indeed, North Americans are creating the boldest and most innovative brews on the planet. It has been said that we live in a golden age of wine. That is every bit as true for the brewers’ art. It’s time to wake up and smell the hops.