Supporting the "enemy"...I broke down

I don't like In Bev because they sell a lot of shitty beer IMO. But I wholeheartedly encourage them to step-up their game and sell good stuff. I don't have to say I don't shun GI... it's in my years old avatar pic. (That pic actually might pre-date the take-over of GI. Can't recall...)
I support good beer. don't care who brews it!

 

If you have enough and you enjoy yourself you're not going to care who had a hand in it.

 

First thing I think is why would a good business Person Not carry something from AB-Inbev? I drink Craft, but many of my friends drink other beers, therefore when finding a place to eat or drink we have to pick a place one of us is not happy at, or a place that has everything. The question most of them have is why would they not carry Bud Light? The answer is the same, "I will not carry any of the big Beers, because I HATE them." Second thing is why hate? Another thing is that business is missing out on Bud, Miller, and Coors Ad money that most craft Breweries cannot afford. They will help you with neons, menus, Bar mats, and many other things that you see in most places that sell beer. Why would a Good business person miss out on this because they HATE or do not agree. Most of the places that do this think they know more about beer than we do, and they makes my friends feel like the AB-Inbev ad about craft beers was a home run.

 

agreed they'll always be better than the tagalongs trying to ride the trend while its still hot.

 

I don't care how cheap Goose Island is in Montana. If I have a "local" option I'll buy it. If I'm in a bar and/or (God forbid) a casino and GI is the only option then I'll take it. The grocery stores in town have the "big three"(Red,Hefeweisen,IPA) from GI and they are easily bested by breweries in my state.

 

Good beer is good beer. There is nothing wrong with buying your way into a market, as long as you don't decimate what you buy, and I haven't seen that yet. I have said this before, it seems like AB freed up Goose Island to focus on more extreme beers. That I am fine with, seems everyone that bitches about the forgets all that when the bourbon county stuff comes out. I am somewhat ashamed to admit that I had a Shocktop Raspberry, that I bought for my daughter and her friends, and gave it a real good rating here. It was an outstanding fruit beer with a non artificial raspberry flavor. Drink what you like and don't worry about it.

 

Oh yay, another "oh noez, mega coporationz!!1!!" thread.

Good beer is good beer. It's not like InBev employs slave labor or is killing children.

 

I believe InBev promoting more craft-ish beers is a good thing for the industry and consumers. In effect, with their marketing, they are helping convert drinkers from piss to good beer. The craft beer industry growth trend (significantly up) vs mass-produced beer (slightly down) has already started in this direction (which InBev sees and is trying to capitalize on). However, I believe InBev is accelerating this trend whenever they market a former small craft brand (assuming the quality of the beer remains good).
Put another way, there are an awful lot of BMC drinkers that could be converted to craft, and every time they randomly reach for a Goose Island, they are being helped in that direction. Once converted, I doubt they go back much.
In the end, expanding the quality end of the market at the expense of the low-quality end is a positive trend for folks like us that just want more good beer out there are reasonable prices. Based on the explosion of small micros, I'd say there is not a real issue with squeezing them out of the market.

 

But it's unlikely they could replicate those beers you (and I) love. Look at the much smaller scale Alpine /GF "experiment". I've tried the GF versions of Hoppy Bday and Nelson. They are good and drinkable - but different and not the same as the gold standards.

 

Just bustin' your balls man, I know where you stand. Same as me. I'm not going to really seek them out, but if someplace has Bourbon County anything, I'm drinking it.

 

I could not completely agree any more with every word you said. Well done.

 

I don't care that InBev owns Goose Island. Goose Island makes some great beer. Selling Goose Island is not, by my reckoning, any kind of sell-out, nor does it compromise your integrity, as such. Plus, you're running a business, so you answer to the numbers and the customers, the bottom-line.

 

I'm a consumer... I consume

 

No problem brotha. It was a fair question. And I don't blame you, Bourbon County is incredible. Cheers.

 

If it's good, buy it! Its all about what the consumer desires.

 

Maybe my question should be it's own thread, but I'm asking here as this is a conversation about "the Enemy" and many replies here have stated "hatred" for AB-InBev.

To those of you who say you hate AB-InBev, because they sell/produce shitty beer (and I'm limiting the hate of AB-InBev to the taste of beer, not politics, advertising, etc., only on the taste of their beers) do you mean that you hate all AB-InBev beers or just the AB beers? Again, just basing your hate on the taste of their beers, no other factors.

Personally, on taste as a factor alone, I don't hate AB-InBev, just AB. I think, and obviously this is only my personal opinion, that AB brews some really shitty-tasting beer. They're very good at consistently brewing said shitty-tasting beer so that it tastes the exact same every-time, but to my taste, still shitty.

However, as AB-InBev owns many other breweries, craft and international, with some really good beers, I can't say that I hate AB-InBev as a whole.

Anyway, enough with my rambling...

 

That is one of the saddest things I have ever heard.
I am sorry for you.

 

Why does there have to be an "enemy"? I drink a lot of craft. But I also drink cheap swill. I don't consider the swill an enemy. It's cheap and it fulfills a need. Just like the expensive craft I buy. I win either way. Hooray.

 

Enemy

 

If you can get good beer at a great price and you're strapped for cash,then do it..you don't owe anybody anything and vice versa..I'd rather pay a little more and support the little guy, but that's just me..don't beat yourself up man.