Long term readers of Freakytrigger will remember me mentioning on the Publog about a year and a half ago, that Carling were dipping their toes in the weak as piss lager market (currently territory of Tesco’s own Lager). Those who don’t remember the story can read it here : THEN COME RIGHT BACK.
Back then I was led to believe it was called Carling 2 0, this appears to now have been changed to Carling C2. I saw the first billboard ad for it this morning on the Caledonian Road. Apparently the lager has been tested in the Midlands and has been a minor hit. Though I am kind of relying on the Coors website for these details. Of course the website puffs it up, I will be particularly bearing in mind this quote when I get round to tasting it:
“After 8 years, 786 recipes and the development of a new brewing technique, C2 is a product we are proud to put the Carling name to.”
Which begs the questions, what with the taste of Carling Black Label, their pride comes cheap. Not to mention wondering if Recipe One was a Half of Carling Black Label, and a Half of Perrier. That said, on the whole I am for this development, pushing for lower alcohol lager does do many of the things the company suggests, including giving you “More Pub Time”. The whole push of this campaign seems to be “Spend more time in the pub”. As a booster of the pub experience I can only applaud this. It stands in stark contrast to those who would probably be the big enemies of Carling C2: namely CAMRA who are only starting to come round to realising that they have won the beer argument, and its the pub argument they have to win. The only downside is I don’t really trust the brewers (chemists) at Coors/Carling to make this weak lager taste in any way pleasant.
The ad I saw this morning had the strap-line “The swift one at lunch beer”. Other strap-lines for the campaign will include:
-The swift one on the way home pint
-The big meeting tomorrow pint
-The 19th Hole Pint
-The pint after training (Bad JPG nicked from the Coors site of the last one).
So Publoggers, keep your eyes out and I want reports of how the Carling C2 experience is for you. And then get wasted on wifebeater like normal…
Is the 2 in C2 the strength?
I first read that as CS, as in the gas.
Indeed it is still 2%.
Mmmmmm, CS gas….
The ad I saw this morning had the strap-line “The swift one at lunch beer”. Other strap-lines for the campaign will include:
-The swift one on the way home pint
-The big meeting tomorrow pint
-The 19th Hole Pint
-The pint after training
Will they dare do an ad telling you can drink for longer before driving?
Thought not.
I’ve seen the 4% Becks in a few pubs now. Were Heineken a bit rash to drop the weaker stuff after all?
Using licensees brane maffs, it appears you could drink an HOLE PINT of C2 and not be over the limit. But that thought did cross my mind, and I fear it may cause a few problems on this front.
I had forgotten about Becks Vier. Any idea on its quality? As for Heineken, possibly, there are entries on this passim I think. It has wandered into a very crowded market, which it happily held its own in with Heineken Export.
maybe carling are trying to take over the mild market (mind you, most milds are at least 3% these days)…
I haven’t tried Becks Vier in the pub, but I was seduced by the marketing a while ago upon spotting the cans in Asda. The idea of being a sophisticated continental type, drinking a lager for the taste rather than losing my mind. Needless to say I can’t remember what it was like.
The only place I’ve definitely seen Becks Vier is The Phoenix (although I’m sure I’ve seen it elsewhere), and I tend to stick to the meal-in-a-glass goodness of Budvar Dark (now making its way slowly across publand), or plain Budvar if I’ve already eaten.
A few pints of Budvar Dark in the Lord John Russell.
Or should I have a pint of the GREY?
For fck’s sake. It’s no better than lite Mayonaise. Pick a team and then stick with it. Eat and drink till you’re fat and raddled as fuck then go on a 19-mile jog till you can bare to look at yourself in the mirror again. Don’t kid yourselves by drinking/eating beer/food that tates like floor cleaner, like some pathetic ‘if I don’t inject, I’m not a junkie’ food/beer junkie. This is everything that’s wrong with modern Britain in it’s pathetic, Topman, seams on the outside, Razorlight, Coke Zero, date-rapist glory.
IPA is only 3 1/2%. Learn to pace yourselves a bit.
it’s important not to inject food kids, unless heston blumenthal is cooking tea for you.
The irony is I was pretty drunk when I wrote that. But still, what kind of person drinks Carling for the taste?
LMAO! :D ROFL :P
C2 is officially the worst beer ever! I was living in Ironbridge in the Midlands when they trialled it. They removed the Leffe tap from my local and put this C2 monstrosity in, I was fuming, I can’t believe they’ve put this shit into full production.
Pete xXx
Well it has still be yet to be sighted in London, though the ads are up, but I feel your pain Pete.
Almost a full year later (!) it has been sighted and tested.
Important to note, alhough not allowed to be advertised… you cannot get drunk on Carling C2!
You absorb the alcohol at a quicker rate than it can be drunk. Believe me, I have tried.
And don’t think Kaliber… this stuff tastes pretty good.
There are the seeds of a challenge in that comment, though one I imagine will go untested. (Actually though it is all a bit metabolism specific – and since I have seen people get drunk on bitter shandies which would be the same strength I doubt it). If on average the body processes alchohol at about one unit an hour, C2 contains about 0.7 of a unit so as long as it is being drunk faster than 40 minutes (not hard for many people I know) the net result will be a raise in blood alcohol. It would be slow, but you could get drunk.