Corporate Beer Still Sucks

Interesting article about the divide between the corporate interests and the craft breweries here:

Hopslam: How Big Beer Is Trying to Stop a Craft Beer Revolution

also

The Plot to Destroy America's Beer

Craft Brewers Threatened by Big Beer Brands

If your beer has not been brewed for at least 500 years, your beer is wack.

Legislation is expected to be reintroduced in Congress that would give tax breaks to breweries with an annual production of 6 million barrels or less—much higher than the 2 million barrels to which a tax break currently applies. The move would protect the bigger craft brewers, like Koch's Boston Beer Company or Calagione's Dogfish Head, even if they were to double in size. Those breweries argue it's a way to keep all craft brewers—big or small—in the fold.

Republican Pennsylvania Rep. Jim Gerlach, who introduced a similar Small Brew Act in previous years, may introduce the bill again. A number of craft and small brewers sit in Gerlach's district, including Victory Brewing Company, whose brands are distributed in 30 states. Gerlach's spokesman Kori Walter said the congressman's intention is to "help small brewers compete on a level playing field."

this guy used to be my rep before the districts got recently gerrymandered. i obv never voted for him, but kudos to him for pushing this legislation

surprised that Sam Adams is independent (I assumed they were owned by a big company) and the not-craft beers (like Blue Moon/etc.) still sell so little.

Doesn't really seem like a fight between 'craft beers' and the big boys so much as mid-tier brands and the big boys - the small craft beers that you can only get at liquor stores or Whole Foods/etc. aren't being pushed out of eye-level display space at 7-11, they were never in 7-11 to start with

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/160510103356-budweiser-america-780x439.jpg

http://money.cnn.com/2016/05/10/news/companies/budweiser-america-anheuser-busch/

make shit beer great again

then will be THE KING again in November (Trumpist)

so drunk off America rigt now

if you drink craft beer the terrorist win

whaaaaaaaaat this is corny af

Czechoslovakia

Roger Bachmann - Bud will always be stl as far as I'm concerned bud is #1
Like · Reply · 16 · 2 hrs

Budweiser - Appreciate the love, Roger.

Scott Lang - Thats so awesome i luv it!#

Budweiser - We're excited to celebrate summer with you, Scott.

one point in budweiser's favor: union made

https://www.unionplus.org/union-made/beers

Ironic that Budweiser brewing co. is now wholly owned by a European multi-national corporation, isn't it?

was drinking a bud the other day and reading the inscription "This is the famous Budweiser Beer. We know of no brand produced by any other brewer which costs so much to brew and age." wondering how they even get away with that

they can always say, "hey, we've never made any attempt to find out what it costs other brewers to brew and age their stupid beer. so, we are just proclaiming our ignorance. what do you want to do? sue us?"

This was posted today by one of my favorite brewers, re: why he un-invited a longtime friend and collaborator (Del Borgo) to his annual festival after Del Borgo had been acquired by AB/InBev:

Brasserie Cantillon
16 hrs ·

Quintessence 2016 is over.
We had a great time thanks to all of you, Cantillon friends.
I won’t forget our volunteers who worked hard at every tasting spot, in the kitchen, shop, etc...

I have waited the end of the event to speak in more detail about the change in the organisation and why I decided to do it.

I got a lot of congratulations about the decision to cancel the inclusion of Del Borgo.
Some, even if they agreed, didn’t understand why I wouldn’t present beers brewed before Inbev took the Italian brewery over.
To be honest, my first intention was to cancel the Del Borgo presence and invite Leonardo Di Vicenzo as independent brewer with the beer he brewed before the Inbev repurchase.
I have a lot of respect for Leo and in my opinion, he deserved to be present.

But this idea was more due to our friendship and was not the best one to react to the last events. In such a case, a firm decision is the best, all or nothing.

It was nothing, and here are my personal reasons why.

It was first ideological but also due to our history, the history of the Cantillon brewery.
In the 60’s, 70’s and early 80’s, the big industry bought over a lot of small craft breweries.
At this time, because of contracts enforced with bars by the industrial breweries, the most important way of beer sales for craft breweries was closed.
Competition was no longer equal and a lot of small producers had a lot of trouble, and had no other choice to shut their doors or to join the industrial side.
In 20 years time, we lost a lot of beautiful breweries, a lot of great beers and a lot of history!

We are very fortunate to live today through a new craft beer revolution, but I have the feeling that the big industry will adapt, at a global level, with the same politics they used in Belgium forty years ago.
In Belgium, decades ago, the reaction against this monopoly arrived too late, the power was already in the other camp.
That’s why, in my opinion, we need to react as fast as possible and that’s also why I couldn’t accepted an Inbev member in the Cantillon brewery.
Today the big industry looks to craft brewers on how to build the best image possible, then says “look, we are like you”.
They are not, and if they need to emulate us, I’m sure we are doing well enough without them.

Understand me, this personal point of view has nothing to do with the beer quality.
Some “industrial” beer is well made and craft doesn’t always mean quality.
Small industry is mainly working with small producers from the region.
When you drink a craft beer, you give work to more than one craft producer!
Unfortunately, I’m sure it’s not the same when you are drinking a beer produced by big industry.

If we allow big industry to take over what we've built, history will repeat itself...and I hope we won’t live again the events of Belgium forty years ago.

Jean Van Roy

I thought this was interesting, though I can't really say how true it all is.

http://thefullpint.com/dans-blog/ballast-point-changed-past-9-months-w-observations-predictions/

Interesting. I wasn't aware of the acquisition, but they started carrying BP variety packs at my Costco and that definitely makes sense now. I didn't drink BP often enough to say for sure whether I notice a difference in quality, although I was definitely disappointed with the Big Eye and California Kolsch (which I had never had before). The Sculpin tasted good to me and I remembered liking it before, and the scotch ale, which I had not had before, was good.

fuckin' Hop Valley:

http://registerguard.com/rg/news/local/34624194-75/hop-valley-brewing-co.-being-acquired-by-millercoors.csp

i love this stupid thread title

there's a brewery in salt lake, kiitos, that makes some really delicious, clean, drinkable beer. a step up from the wasatch, uinta, moab stuff. they have a tiny store underneath the freeway that sells cans, cute design too.