Michelob, one of the American Macro brews, is actually made by and owned by Anheuser-Busch. I've written about being unable to find anything besides Michelob Ultra locally, though Michelob (or Anheuser-Busch) still makes the brew that started it all in 1896, now known as Original Lager—which is the beer I was initially trying to find. Michelob, who has now adopted the slogan "Crafting a better beer," seems to have been quite seriously attempting to woo the "micro" and "craft" beer markets since at least 1991, when they introduced Michelob Golden Draft," mostly as a regional beer in the Midwest, where, I'm told, Michelob Genuine Draft was doing better than other Anheuser-Busch brews, especially in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Then, in 1997, Michelob released:

1. Michelob Amber Bock
2. Michelob Honey Lager
3. Michelob Pale Ale
4. Michelob Marzen
5. Michelob Pumpkin Spice Ale
6. Michelob Winter's Bourbon Cask Ale

Michelob has proceeded to release a number of "craft ales," as they put it (note that these are still made in much larger batches than genuine craft brews), many of them seasonal, and many of them regional. They've even released "light" low calorie fruit-infused beers, like (I'm not kidding) Michelob: ULTRA Pomegranate Raspberry, which an ad describes as "A pilsner with a berry aroma, raspberry flavor, and a hint of pomegranate."

Now, locally, western Washington state, the only Michelob I can find—anywhere—is Michelob Ultra. I have discovered that Michelob is currently promoting a 12 bottle "Michelob Wheat Beer Sampler" which contains three bottles each of Shock Top, Honey Wheat, Dunkel Weisse, and Hop Hound. It's not available anywhere near here, though I can find it in the next county over. Michelob also releases seasonal sampler packs. Moreover, having surveyed my friends who live elsewhere via an online poll, I have discovered that elsewhere, Michelob offers six pack of these beers: Michelob Honey Lager, Michelob Porter, Michelob Dunkel Weisse, Michelob Marzen, Michelob Honey Wheat, Michelob Pale Ale, and Michelob AmberBock, as well as a selection of what what correspondent identified as "that fruity crap."

Now, while I'm as willing as the next person to be a beer snob, I note that this past June, Michelob Brewing Co. earned Gold, Silver and Bronze medals at the North American Beer Awards. They won Gold medals for Michelob Original Lager (American Premium Lager Category) and for Michelob Dunkel Weisse (Dunkel Weizen/Weizen Bock Category). Michelob won a Silver medal for Michelob AmberBock (Munich Dark Category), and a Bronze for Michelob AmberBock (American Amber Lager Category).

All of which led me to inquire of every beer-buyer I could locate at chain grocers, co-ops, and gas station stores, why they didn't carry anything but the low calorie Michelob Ultra. The reason, not too surprisingly, is that with eight micro breweries within a two-hour drive, there's no point. Why buy what one beer-buyer for a large local chain called "an imitation craft brew," when the real thing is available locally? So it's not so much a conspiracy as it is a triumph of small and local, over larger and national.