Coors creates high-end beer unit: report

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. beer maker Coors Brewing Co, a unit of Molson Coors Brewing Co (TAP.N), has created a new subsidiary to develop high-end beers, the Wall Street Journal reported in its online edition.

AC Golden Brewing Co will "introduce above-premium beers to the market-place" at a deliberate pace, Coors Brewing told beer wholesalers in an email last week, the Journal reported.

The formation of the subsidiary comes amid slow growth in the American beer business, where upscale "craft" beers and imports have outperformed conventional domestic beers, the report said.

The company, the third-largest U.S. beer maker by sales, said it would cultivate the upscale beers at a similar pace to how it built Blue Moon, a Belgian-style wheat ale, over a decade, the report said. The new unit will be run by Glenn Knippenberg, an industry veteran who worked previously for Coors Brewing, the report said.

A Molson Coors spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

(Reporting by Lewis Krauskopf)