The Big 3: Autos & Beer

12-pack of bottles of each run about $13 here at regular price. Easy choice I guess. lol

 

According to figures at the time of their merger, MillerCoors had approx. 6,000 and 4,000 employees respectively (one might expect that number to have been reduced since as they combined departments), and today M-C has a little over 28% of the US beer market.

The Brewers Association claims that "craft brewers", with under 6% of the US beer market, employ over 98,000 people. So, less than a 1/4 of the beer but nearly 10 times the workers.

Any "indirect" jobs (farmers, can/bottle mfg., distributor employees, etc) would not be affected since they would still have to supply the same goods and services, just to different companies.

The big brewers do employ many people, but their super efficient, modern, automated plants mean much fewer "workers per barrel brewed" are needed. Now, if you want to talk about the quality of those jobs re: wages and benefits, well, that is another question...

 

"There's no thriving craft soda industry..."

Oh? I've seen lots of small company craft sodas out there: Jones, Virgil's, Dad's, Boylan's, Stewart's, Ithaca, Sioux City, etc etc

 

Very True. I think the 50s mentality is starting to subside little by little. Look at the demographics of BAs. Most are younger than myself (40). I can share more cases of beer with my nephews than I can with my brothers and friends. Kids fresh out of College are going toward better beer and getting away from Natty ICE!
Look, we may never see the fall of BMC, But it will happen. To say that these corps will last forever is crazy. Nothing lasts forever.

 

Not trying to be rude, but I disagree.
1. Neither this site nor your immediate circle of friends represents a cross section of the demographic of craft beer drinkers. To cite just one example, since the craft beer renewal began in the 80s, the people who started back then would be even older than you (32 yrs + 18 would make those stalwarts 50.) There have to be a lot of them out there to have sustained craft beer from the 80s through today.
2. The sales figures on craft versus AALs show that most beer being consumed is still the latter (see jesskiddens post above), and I don't see many college kids drinking craft over AALs. Hang out at some college towns on game day and get back to me. This idea that younger people are more willing to step outside their comfort zone is a myth of our youth oriented culture.
3. The advent of light Pilsners was what killed the small breweries in the first place, that and the results of Prohibition, WWII, mass marketing, ease of interstate transportation and a booming post-WWII economy. The majority of people prefer light lagers, just like the majority prefer MacDonald's over Mom&Pop sandwich shops.

 

Oh no, Disagree away.
My statment was that FRESH OUT OF COLLEGE. Sure they all drink crap in college, no disagreement here on that fact.
Another words once they get a job and start making some money they are getting away from the BMCs.

And yes, youth is more willing to step out of their comfort zone. Im not saying some older people are not, but for the most part it is the younger generation that is more willing to try something new or break the norm. Its no myth, its fact. Besides its the 20 and 30 something CONSUMERS that are going to change the face of craft beer.

 

Who cares if the Big 3 are overtaken eventually? I'll keep boycotting them, but I won't tell others they should. I won't be rooting for their downfall. I'll just be drinking good beer that I like and choose to spend my money on.
Now if the Big 3 start to overtake the craft industry my tune will change, but as long as there is room for craft brewers to co-exist, do your thang Big 3.
Just please stop buying craft breweries like GI. If Cigar City gets bought out I'll be very sad I won't get to have their beer anymore.

 

Yup, and it's equally as true with cars. That's how companies like Toyota and Honda got so big. They sell the most generic, boring, bland, appliance-like vehicles (Civic and Camry and on and on) and became huge. Craft beer is the overly expensive, overly fast/loud/impractical/unreliable cars that are made in much more limited numbers. They are the Ferrari/Lambo/(insert various sports cars/quirky cars/impractical beasts) of the beer world.

Dope

 

Unfortunatly they are not only trying to buy up small breweries, they are burying others in litigation. DFH was sued multiple times by Bud. When you have the $ you can bury your small competition in litigation battles that cost the small brewery money they dont have or buy them, or both.
So I will root for them to be crippled enough to let the little guy do his thing.

 

Damn I realized they were kind of shady but eff them for messing with DFH.
DFH is one of the coolest breweries around, definitely the most creative.

 

"...for the most part it is the younger generation that is more willing to try something new or break the norm. Its no myth, its fact."

And your data to support that "fact" is...?

 

I find as I get older I am willing to try more things.

 

Most of us are fine with $19.99 for 750 ml? Wow.I didn't know that.

 

I don't think the two industries are particularly similiar. Nice try though.

 

I think to this point Craft beer has been basically playing the role of both Toyota and and Ferrari, sometimes within the same brewery. If you look at Boston Lager, for example, I don't think the analogy to a Toyota Camry is that far off base. It's a higher quality product capable of competing at roughly the same price as the Big 3, and over time I think it's conceivable that a product like that could represent a major problem for Bud et al. the same way Toyota did for Ford et al. in the car industry.

On the other hand, the Ferrari segment of the craft industry is very real and growing rapidly. The amount of "expensive beer" is growing rapidly, and as it does the definition of what constitutes "expensive" beer is quickly shifting as well. I have a feeling that this is the part of the market that will look the most different five years from today. EBay has made clear that the price being charged for the highest end beer in the market isn't close to it's market price, and while many brewers are in if for the love and want to make sure their locals are the ones getting the beer, I do expect the market to correct over time. This part of the market poses no threat to BMC the same way that Ferrari doesn't threaten Ford. They're only making the same product if you look through an extremely wide lens.

 

So what's the BMC equivalent to a 2013 Chevy Corvette 427 convertible?

 

Where did you hear that? The Corvette is probably the least likely sports car to be discontinued out of all sports cars from all manufacturers. They sell well, they outperform just about anything dollar-for-dollar and they have been iconic for almost 60 years. The 7th generation comes out in 2014...

Dope

 

You heard wrong.