Miller Brewing Co. has decided to drop a test for a fruit-flavored malt beverage.
The beverage, Brutal Fruit, had been testing in Richmond, VA, Tampa, FL, and Seattle, WA, during the spring and summer, Miller Brewing spokesman Peter Marino said yesterday.
"We're not going to be taking it national," Marino said of the beverage. "We will continue to look at products that have had success in other parts of the world for SAB Miller. [But] we must be very disciplined in what we ask our system to support."
South Africa, where the drink was first introduced in 2002, had been showing strong sales, particularly among women ages 24 to 35, news reports said.
Brutal Fruit had been promoted as "a splash of malt in a sea of fruit juice" (5% alcohol by volume). It comes in four flavors—, mango, litchi and kiwi flavors.
