It is no secret that the craft beer section at the supermarket is filled with beers from the major brewers: MillerCoors and ABinbev. Many of the staples you see at parties during the summer such as Leinenkugel and Blue Moon are all brewed by MillerCoors. Their popularity has led MillerCoors to launch a new Craft Beer and Import division, Tenth and Blake Beer Co.

“You are seeing a tremendous amount of consumers gravitating to craft beer,” [Tenth and Blake CEO Tom] Cardella said. “Consumers are being more discerning about beer.”

Although some consumers have traded down to less expensive beers during the extended economic downturn, a substantial number continue to seek greater variety and have turned to higher-margin craft and import brews, Cardella said.

MillerCoors executives see the move as a way to keep its sales growing as the economy slowly improves. Crafts and imports are outperforming MillerCoors’ premium flagship brands such as Miller Lite and Coors Light, which have posted flat or declining sales.

What an observation. Who knew that people cared about what kind of beer they were drinking? I believe this switch has much more to do with how the beer will be marketed and is an attempt to separate their craft beers from Miller and Coors brand. But I also wonder if a beer in such large scale production as the Blue Moon products is really “craft beer.”

The Blue Moon portfolio, which includes Belgian White, Rising Moon, Honey Moon, Harvest Moon and Full Moon, has been growing at a clip of more than 20 percent in 2010, Cardella said. MillerCoors is expected to produce about 1.5 million barrels of Blue Moon products this year.

Regardless of motivation, I’m sure we’ll all get to see some new and exciting marketing for these beers in the future. Just imagine if Blue Moon Summer Sampler had a window on the side so you could see what your were drinking? or maybe the moon will turn blue when your beer is cold?