Advertising Age had an interesting piece today entitled Recession Doesn’t Dent Total Value of Top 100 Brands, which is based on Millward Brown Optimor’s annual BrandZ Report. Each year MB Optimor releases their list of “the world’s most valuable brands measured by their dollar value.” As they put it, “strong brands have the power to create business value. They impact much more than revenues and profit margins. Strong brands create competitive advantages by commanding a price premium and decrease the cost of entry into new markets and categories. They reduce business risk and help attract and retain talented staff.”

According to AdAge, despite the recession the top spots have not changed very much, nor has the overall total of the Top 100. The new rankings won’t be officially released until Wednesday, but here’s the Top 10. The number in parentheses is their rank last year.

1. Google (1)
2. Microsoft (3)
3. Coca-Cola (4)
4. IBM (6)
5. McDonald’s (8)
6. Apple (7)
7. ChinaMobile (5)
8. General Electric (2)
9. Vodafone (11)
10. Marlboro (10)

Some more analysis from the AdAge article:

All told, the value of the top 100 brands, which ranges from the ubiquitous search engine at the top to Lowes at the bottom, was about $2 trillion and didn’t suffer the decline one might expect in a recessionary environment.

There was, however, more volatility in the top 100 this year than in the past, with 15 brands dropping out. They were mostly car brands, such as Chevrolet, Ford and Volkswagen, and financial ones such as AXA, AIG and, of course, Merrill Lynch and Wachovia. They were replaced by brands such as Nintendo and Pampers.

Toward the end of the piece, finally they revealed what happened in the big beer world.

The beer category was dominated by Anheuser-Busch InBev. Bud Light was the largest brand, followed by Budweiser, and Stella Artois came in fourth behind Heineken. Miller Lite came in seventh, growing only 2% compared with double-digit growth for the A-B InBev brands.

So this is what we know so far about the 2009 rankings:

1. Bud Light
2. Budweiser
3. Heineken
4. Stella Artois
5. ?
6. ?
7. Miller Lite

Here’s Millward Brown Optimor’s explanation of how they calculate their rankings.

 
Here’s the beer brand rankings from last year, 2008.

1. Budweiser
2. Bud Light
3. Heineken
4. Corona
5. Stella Artois
6. Guinness
7. Miller Lite
8. Skol
9. Amstel
10. Beck’s
11. Cruzcampo
12. Kronenbourg 1664
13. Coors Light
14. Labatt’s
15. Baltika
16. Carlsberg
17. Brahma
18. Miller Genuine Draft (MGD)
19. Foster’s
20. Molson

In the Top 100 of all companies for last year, Budweiser (including both Bud & Bud Light) ranked 70th and was the only beer brand to make the overall list.

Tune in later in the week to find out the new rankings for 2009.

While I’ve been in Boston, I haven’t gotten out and away from the hotel and trade show as much as I might have liked, mostly just due to being busy and having to keep with my writing. But last night I finally got a chance to get over to Allston and see Deep Ellum, a great beer bar I’d heard a lot about. Dan Shelton, from Shelton Brothers, was having an event and brought several brewers with him from Belgium, two of whom I’d met on my last trip to Brussels.

Deep Ellum was as advertised, a very cool bar, small in size but with a great selection of both draft and bottled beer, a good menu and a beautiful space, including a great back patio.

I shared a cab over with Justin Crosley, from the Brewing Network, and we managed to get a seat inside before the crowds really started rolling in. We had a good vantage point to see the stream of new arrivees.

Which included Jeff O’Neil, from Ithaca Brewing, who while a mild-mannered brewer was underneath wearing the Bulletin supporter costume whereupon he turned into a superhero.

As it happened, I was enjoying his “Brute,” a delicious wild ale with a plate of fries. You can see my full review of the fries at Frites.

I loved this black and white painting hanging on on Deep Ellum’s wall.

Out back I finally found Jean Van Roy (on right, from Cantillon), Yvan De Baets (center, who plans to open Brasserie De La Senne by the end of the year) and I believe Bernard (on left, also from De La Senne). Did I mention how wonderful the Cantillon Vigneronne was on draft?

On the drive to Los Angeles last Wednesday to see the premiere of Beer Wars, I also took the opportunity to visit some friends along the way. My second stop on the way down was in Goleta, near Santa Barbara, to see Eric Rose’s Hollister Brewing, which opened less than a year ago. Rose used to be the brewmaster at Santa Barbara Brewing for many years, but left to open his new place with his father.

I sat at the bar and had a nice, long conversation with Eric about this and that, while sampling a number of his fine beers. I tried the H.I.P.A. (made with hemp seeds), Pigman Pale Ale, Table 42 Red, the Fairview Farmhouse Ale and the Barleywhine.

Father and son brewpub owners, Marshall and Eric Rose.

For more photos from my visit to Hollister Brewing, visit the photo gallery.
 

As retweeted by Rate Beer, one of three he’s following, along with Beer Advocate and the Lost Abbey, some prankster has set up a Twitter account under the name “mjbeer” with Michael’s photo as the avatar and “The REAL Michael Jackson Beer Twitter” in the Bio.

So far, only three tweets have been done, all within a little over an hour. The first is a review of the Lost Abbey’s Angel’s Share.

Drinking Lost Abbey 2008 Brandy Barrel Angels Share. This beer is cloyingly sweet and undercarbonated. It’s official I’m rolling in my grave.

In the second, he (or she) confesses it’s all a “little joke” and hopes they’re “not offending anyone.”

Waiting for ratebeer to reboot. It appears that they have found my little joke. I hope that I am not offending anyone. More reviews to come.

I’m pretty hard to offend and have a fairly broad sense of humor, but reading tweets purporting to be from an old friend and colleague who died tragically too soon less than two years ago is, I must say, more than a little offensive. Am I off the mark here? Am I being a stick in the mud? Does anyone find this funny? I’m pretty sure Michael’s estate won’t find someone impersonating him very funny. It just seems wildly inappropriate to me and in very bad taste.

 
UPDATE: I’m happy to report that the mjbeer Twitter account appears to have been deleted and removed.
 

I drove down to Los Angeles to see the live show for the new documentary film, Beer Wars, by Anat Baron, because I thought it would be fun to see it live, which it was. I got to hang out in the green room before the show and then later saw the satellite truck where the show beamed out across the country. It was definitely worth the long drive.

After a screening of the film, a panel of personalities featured in the film held a live panel discussion, hosted by Ben Stein.

When the live show was over, a reception was held at Royce Hall, which included the whole brewing gang from Stone Brewing, who drove up for the premiere.

For more photos from the Beer Wars Live show, visit the photo gallery.