In order to boost production of its successful new Blue Moon LightSky light citrus wheat beer, Molson Coors added a new filler to its Miller Valley packaging facility on Monday.
"The increased production investments are to accommodate the incredible demand for LightSky, which is the top-selling new beer in 2020," says spokesman Marty Maloney.
The new equipment fills the slim cans in which LightSky is sold.
"Combined with other investments coming over the new few months, Molson Coors will be able to quadruple the amount of LightSky produced by early 2021."
Blue Moon LightSky is a 95-calorie light beer brewed with tangerine peel and dry-hopped with Azacca hops, which are packed with tropical fruit notes. It has a sessionable 4 percent alcohol by volume and just 10 IBUs.
LightSky had notched more than $26.9 million in sales in 2020 by the first week in August, according to Beer Business Daily.
The beer is one of four new low-cal, low-alcohol brews launching in 2020 from Molson Coors.
The others are Leinenkugel’s 93-calorie, 4.2 percent ABV Spritzen – a beer with a splash of seltzer; the 92-calorie and 3.8 percent Coors Peak line, which comes in a trio of flavors (light beer, citrus and berry); and Keylightful, a fruit-forward raspberry lime light shandy based on Keystone Light, with 4.1 percent ABV and a mere seven IBUs at a budget price point.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
