Miller Lite launches beer-flavored charcoal

Miller Lite is seeking a summer sales spark with a new product called Beercoal—a 4-pound bag of charcoal infused with beer.

Miller Lite Beercoal went on sale for $11.99 at a special website starting Tuesday afternoon and quickly sold out. Additional drops are slated for Thursday and Friday. 

The charcoal is part of a marketing program called “Summer Loves Beer,” which includes patriotic beer packaging inspired by the American flag. The Beercoal comes ahead of Memorial Day weekend, a key sales period for alcohol brands looking to seize on outdoor drinking occasions. Nearly 60% of Americans are expected to barbecue through the holiday weekend, according to WalletHub.

“Grilling and beer are a classic summertime pairing, and now, with the first-ever beer-infused charcoal, we’ve combined them to really create the taste of summer,” Anne Pando, Miller Lite director of marketing, stated on Molson Coors’s corporate blog.

Molson Coors—which owns Miller Lite, Coors Light and Vizzy— reported a roughly 16% increase in  marketing, general and administrative expenses in the first quarter, primarily due to new marketing that has come as pandemic restrictions continue to ease, according to the brewer’s latest earnings report.