Miller Lite's Tree Keg Stand Taps Into The Christmas Spirit

Step aside, eggnog. There's a new holiday beverage in town this season: Beer. You might expect to see a holiday menu from beverage brands like Dunkin' or Starbucks. After all, wrapping cold hands around a hot mug is about as Christmassy as it gets ... right? This year, Miller Lite says "No." The beer brand is challenging traditional holiday drinks by bringing good old beer right to the center of the yuletide action.

Back in May, Miller Lite rang in summertime grilling season by releasing beer-flavored charcoal called "Beercoal." Last year, Miller Light dropped a line of beer-themed Christmas tree bulbs called "Beernaments," which are scheduled to return on November 8 at 9 a.m. CST. This time around, though, the Beernaments are going to be even bigger. The ornamental bulbs will fit around a 12-ounce beer can (compared to last year's 8-ounce size) for a festive touch while you sip, but can then be detached post-brew to hang on the tree. Now, the brand is back with another avant-garde non-beer product. Earlier this week, Miller Lite announced the drop of its latest product via the Molson Coors company blog "Beer & Beyond," and it's built for beer fans in the spirit of the season. Introducing: the Christmas Tree Keg Stand. (Yes, really.) Here's what fans can expect.

Hoppy Holidays

Miller Light's Christmas Tree Keg Stand is effectively just a small table with a weight capacity of 150 pounds (that works out to roughly a 5-foot Christmas tree with decorations, per CNN). The kicker, though, is that this table also stands tall enough that a quarter-barrel keg can easily fit beneath it. Via USA Today, that's 83 12-ounce cans. (Talk about a jolly holiday.) The top of the stand is outfitted with openings for the keg tap, the picnic faucet, and the beer line, a setup meant to give the illusion that beer is being tapped straight from the Christmas tree itself. In the spirit of the season, the stand is wrapped like a present in festive paper bearing the Miller Lite logo and a massive red ribbon, per People. The decor is functional, too: the bow on top can hold water for live Christmas trees.

Indeed, this might be a particularly lucrative holiday season for Miller Light, and not because of beer sales. When the Beernaments dropped last year, they sold out almost immediately. This year, a six-pack of the bulbs will run for $35.50 and a new design line is scheduled to drop every week through December 6. The beer brand is also bringing back its line of holiday "ugly sweaters" for the sixth year. Now, the limited edition Christmas Tree Keg Stand hits the market on November 10 at 9:00 a.m. CST on the Miller Lite website for $49.99. (Tree and keg not included.)