Sunday, we learned that MGD 64 has exploded onto the bar scene nationwide, and it’s 64 calories are available in draft everywhere.

Of course, that’s taking MillerCoors at their word. Please leave us some comments if you see it — or don’t see it — at your local house of refreshment.

The drafting begins this week. MGD launched nationally in bottles and cans in August.

MGD 64 has only 2.4 grams of carbohydrates per serving.

It’s also 2.8 percent alcohol by volume.

Chief Marketing Officer Andy England told the Associated Press that the decision was “due to weakness in the ‘malternative’ segment and declining consumer interest.”

Zima has ended production as of October 10, but distributors can get their hands on the product’s remnants until the end of the year.

Distributors are being asked to stock Sparks on store shelves to replace Zima.

Zima means “winter” in many eastern European languages. The brand of lightly-carbonated beverage came from Coors in 1993 and remains a symbol of 90s pop culture.

And so much for Babylon 5, which had references to Zima, despite being set in the year 2259.

The Ball Corporation is supplying their new 16-oz. Alumi-Tek aluminum bottles to Miller Brewing Company for Miller Lite. 

It looks odd, but the resealable bottles have a wide-mouth opening, the company says they are quick to chill and are 100 percent recyclable.

“The great taste of Miller Lite gets even better when it’s enjoyed from our new aluminum pint,” said Grant Leech, vice president of marketing for Miller Lite.  ”This package drinks like a bottle and cools like a can to deliver an invigorating taste experience.”

The Miller Lite aluminum pint will be tested throughout much of the Midwest and South through the end of the year.  Test markets for the Miller Lite aluminum pint are Alabama, Arkansas, Dallas, Florida, Houston, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin.

The Miller Lite aluminum pint is intended for off-premise retailers, with a focus on convenience stores.  The package will be sold as part of a nine-pack.

This is all in an effort to show off these new bottles, which the company hopes will have applications with soda, juice, energy drinks (definitely a good bet) and other alcoholic beverages.

Right now, it’s lime.

The Miller Brewing Company introduced Miller Chill in June 2007. The beer has done incredibly well — sales are about to surpass first-year expectations. According to Bloomberg Media, more than 325,000 barrels were sold in the first three months, allowing it to capture one percent of the US beer market-tremendous growth for an introductory product.

Anheuser-Busch just released Bud Light Lime. They intend to drive purchases amidst a struggling economy and stagnant beer sales. Just in time for summer barbecues, Anheuser-Busch is backing Bud Light Lime with a $35 million advertising campaign, MSNBC reports.

So how should beer companies react? Here are my recommendations for several well-known brands.

Bud Light Lime: You hopefully did the research and found that people like lime. Use your leverage as a mass-distributor to get your product to where people buy beer. Then advertise your lime beverage like crazy to get people to try it. A $35 million budget is a nice start. Drive sales up to make the investment worth it and then get out before sales tank.

Miller Chill: With another mass-market competitor entering, your brand will feel the pressure. So you have to make a decision. Do you pull out of the market, take your profit, and let Bud take the share? Or do you increase advertising and take on this new summer refreshment head to head? Not an easy call. I feel that you cannot just let Bud Light have the percent share of the market you worked hard to earn. You have done well this past year and with a little creative advertising, you should go challenge your largest competitor.

Coors Light: Stay out of the “lime craze.” You cannot win. First, you are too late to enter. You cannot compete after both Miller Lite and Bud Light have entered the arena. Second, you pride yourselves on “Rocky Mountain ice cold refreshment.” When people think about limes and beer, the most common association is Corona, which is a Mexican beer. The Rocky Mountain cold does not equate well with warm, Gulf coast beaches. A Coors Lime dilutes your unique positioning proposition.

Corona: Keep doing what you are doing, maybe step up advertising a little bit, but you are the import that owns limes. Lime plus beer equals Corona. What started as a seasonal beer is now the largest import beer in the United States. These other beers will fade and you will remain on top. Keep up the good work.

Guinness: Have no fear Guinness drinkers-your beer will not be changed. If there is one thing that will unite the Protestants and Catholics of Northern Ireland, it is a mutual agreement that fruit does not belong in thick, Irish beer. Your brew will remain unchanged.

UPDATE: In response to reader questions, Miller 64 is 2.8 percent alcohol by volume, according to a spokesman for Miller Brewing Company.

Miller Brewing Company is rolling out its 64-calorie Miller Genuine Draft, “MGD 64,” which is a reformulation of the original MGD Light, and they are touting it as the lowest calorie beer on the market.

“MGD 64 is a sensible choice for consumers working hard to keep up with the pace of their life,” said Grant Leech, marketing director for the Miller Genuine Draft brand. “Whether they are out with a group of friends or taking a break at the end of the day, MGD 64 provides all of the great beer aroma and flavor consumers want but with about 35 percent fewer calories than the typical light beer.”The beer is being launched in a limited roll-out in the Midwest and some West Coast areas. Miller is saying they will also market MGD 64 to active places like health clubs and spas — pushing MGD 64 on the healthy beer drinker.

MGD 64 has 2.4 grams of carbohydrates per 12 ounce serving, which is just a bit less than Michelob Ultra’s 2.6 grams.

Miller offers the following comparisons:

• A 6 ounce glass of red wine contains 128 calories — twice the amount in MGD 64
• A 6 ounce gin and tonic contains 172 calories — almost three times as many calories as MGD 64
• A 6.5 ounce margarita contains 246 calories — nearly four times the calories of one MGD 64

“The math is pretty simple,” Leech said. “Differences such as those between MGD 64 and competitive light beers and other alcohol beverages add up pretty quickly. For consumers who want great beer refreshment that doesn’t slow you down, MGD 64 is the clear choice.”

According to Miller, MGD 64 was initially launched last summer in Madison, Wis. People liked it there, and they’re expanding it. But we’re not seeing it on the East Coast just yet