Craft brew lovers fighting back

[Kealia]

Just saw this story posted about a protest being staged this weekend in San Diego.

What I love about this, much like the recent news about the Funkatorium cancellation, is that some people are taking ACTION instead of just complaining.
"It's better to light a candle, than curse the darkness" - Old proverb

While it may not discourage some, it surely will cause discussion and maybe educate a few people in the progress.
They should also plan a gathering somewhere to cheer everytime the plane flies by!

[Beer-lord]

A ’10 Barrel is Not Craft Beer’ banner attached to a plane will circle overhead for at least three hours this weekend during the party.

Ouch! That's making a statement by itself!

[John Sand]

If it's that important to them.
It's not to me. I do try to patronize local small breweries, but I don't boycott macro, nor the companies they buy. I drink beer that I like. I did boycott Bass for many years after they sponsored an expedition to recover beer from the Titanic. I think that was grave robbery. I have demonstrated at City Hall for causes that were important to me. Budweiser isn't one of them.

[Kealia]

I can get behind this. Not because I look down on BMC for what is or how it tastes, but because of their unfair business practices.
If they were just big fish buying up small fish, so be it - that's business. But the fact that they operate unfairly and in many cases illegally - specifically as it relates to keeping the smaller guys down - is enough for me to "boycott" them.

Now, I'm not going to march on Washington because of it, but I will vote with my wallet and not buy their beers (referring to the breweries they have purchased), nor buy from Northern Brewer/Midwest at this point. I subscribe to the notion that every dollar spent that goes to them, is a dollar contributed towards squashing craft breweries (through funding their practices).

Sometimes it sucks. I stopped at the original 10 Barrel location in Bend a few years ago and enjoyed thier stuff. It wasn't until I got home from that trip that I found out they had recently been acquired. Oh well, many other beers to drink.

And yeah, I might just go to a local brewery if I were in San Diego and cheer everytime the place flew by.

[FedoraDave]

We all make our choices in this matter, and ABInBev has their fingers in so many operations, it's difficult to know if you're buying a craft beer or a "crafty" beer.

I agree that I dislike their business practices, as Kealia noted. But the last time I was at the LHBS, the owner was having quite an animated discussion with a couple of us about all these recent developments. He made the valid point that owners such as Jim Koch and Sam Calagione are, to put it bluntly, opportunistic scumbags who employ a lot of the same practices and techniques that ABInBev uses; it's just that they're smaller and don't make the same headlines or cause as much of a stir. And can you really blame brewery owners who work for 15 or 20 years or more to build up their brand, sacrificing time with their families and pouring everything they've got into it, only to be offered several million dollars to sell it off? Who among us wouldn't want to be able to buy an island and retire well-off at so young an age?

So who's right and who's wrong? To whom do we give our allegiance?

Me, I think the real future of craft beer and small breweries is the local brewpub. They could be good enough to become fashionable and popular in their own venues, but not have (or even need) any kind of distribution beyond their dining rooms and bars. Good beer always pairs with good food, and having the proper location and atmosphere to boot would almost guarantee success and stability.

That's just my take.

[RickBeer]

I think there is a difference between being a predatory business and an aggressive business. ABInBev would like nothing more than to own all the shelf space (or tap handles) with all their brands. Owning distributors who shutout little guys is simply BS. Koch and Calagione both know they cannot own all the shelf space, and don't want ABInBev to be the only competitor, but will fiercely protect their brands. I recently read Koch's book, the guy busted his ass for a very long time to be successful. I am reading one of Calagione's books (not as good a writer), and selling "off center beers for off center people" means he knows there will be lots of competition.

In the craft beer world, everyone (except ABInBev) needs competitors. Being a good business leader means stealing market share by legitimate means from others. It means protecting your brand from encroachment, like Larry Bell did and got nailed for in social media. Doesn't make you an "opportunistic scumbag", except in the eyes of the competitor you just beat.

[alb]

Me, I think the real future of craft beer and small breweries is the local brewpub. They could be good enough to become fashionable and popular in their own venues, but not have (or even need) any kind of distribution beyond their dining rooms and bars. Good beer always pairs with good food, and having the proper location and atmosphere to boot would almost guarantee success and stability.

Oh, I hope so! I would love to be able to find a neighborhood brew joint wherever I am, much as they had long ago. This one is a mile or so from my house. That sour porter is delicious, and the food matches the beer so well.
http://www.carillonbrewingco.org/the-ex ... ine-cider/

[FedoraDave]

Me, I think the real future of craft beer and small breweries is the local brewpub. They could be good enough to become fashionable and popular in their own venues, but not have (or even need) any kind of distribution beyond their dining rooms and bars. Good beer always pairs with good food, and having the proper location and atmosphere to boot would almost guarantee success and stability.

Oh, I hope so! I would love to be able to find a neighborhood brew joint wherever I am, much as they had long ago. This one is a mile or so from my house. That sour porter is delicious, and the food matches the beer so well.
http://www.carillonbrewingco.org/the-ex ... ine-cider/

There's one in my small hometown (Defiant Brewery), and another one is working on opening up. There's at least one in Westchester County, too, which I understand is doing very well (Captain Lawrence). Both Defiant and Capt. Lawrence have limited distribution, but I have to believe their real revenue and profit is made by in-house business. There's also Rohrbach's in Rochester, which not only has a bar and tasting room, but a darn nice restaurant. The same is true of Barley Creek Brewing, in Pennsylvania's Poconos.

I share your sentiments, Alb. I really hope it trends and grows; it may be something that craft breweries can offer that the megas can't.

[Pudge]

I just feel beer is slowly moving to the local level. National and regional brands are going to feel the sting over time. There is a wider profit margin at the local level minus all the marketing and distribution that the larger brands cannot compete with... let alone the level of freshness... quality.

Quality with some, not all.