In 1855Frederick Miller, an immigrant from Germany, bought the Menomonee Valley Brewery, a Milwaukee brewery also known as the Plank Road Brewery, which had been founded seven years earlier by Frederick Charles Best. The company remained in the hands of the Miller family until the late 1960s, when the head of the family was killed in an airplane crash. Philip Morris and Company purchased Miller in 1970. In 1972 Miller bought rights to the Meister Brau line of products, including one called Meister Brau Lite beer. Although Lite Beer cost less to produce than conventional beer, Miller positioned the product as a premium beer. The formula for Lite Beer from Miller continued to prove a winner, especially because of widespread, aggressive marketing. Miller’s goal was to persuade the public that the low-calorie beer was as suited for men as it was for women. Miller not only achieved this goal but also broke ground in the brewing industry by developing low-calorie and low-carbohydrate beer and making it a national best seller.
