ALDI beer knockoffs

I stand by my stance that folks who know better will know the difference, and that the Aldi off-brands willl bring new folks into the fold.

How is what they're doing anything different from what Coors did with Blue Moon 20 years ago, and even just 10 years ago, Stan Heirynomous himself is interviewing the brewmaster there for his book "Brewing with Wheat".

I get that Blue Moon was very different from any Belgian Wit available at the time, and it even uses an English yeast. For the majority of Americans, it is what a Belgian Wit should taste like, and the brand has been very successful. Folks that want to delve a bit deeper will, but how many of y'all have ever tasted Celis White or Hoegaardarten before the buyouts?

 

Some of their wines seem suspect too and since I'm not a hard cider fan I find this funny:
https://www.aldi.us/en/products/alc...iquors/detail/ps/p/wicked-grove-hard-cider-1/
The beers not so funny

 

I am looking forward to picket lines outside of Aldi telling folks not to buy beers there.

Wait, y'all aren't going to go to those lengths? Then STFU.

 

Is this different from when craft breweries do similar things?

https://www.bellwoodsbrewery.com/collections/available-online/products/bellweiser

https://store.twinsailsbrewing.com/products/low-life

 

An educated consumer is NOT the standard in Federal trademark law.

 

No, it's not different, and a number have received C&Ds for such things.

 

If the Key Lime Sour isn't made by DFH, that label is pretty egregious.

 

I haven't had any Aldi beer but the gorgonzola pita chips are amazing!

 

Here!

 

I.S. freaking O!

 

Winking Owl Chardonnay is terif.

 

Are you being dense on purpose? This is about the packaging, not beer styles.

 

If

If you put more into packaging than what's inside, you're the one being dense.

Folks who care to know the difference, will. Those who want to delve deeper, will. There will always be those that will never know the difference, and God help the folks that think that they're getting the coolest shit from Aldi.

 

So... yes.

 

FWIW, I can't imagine showing up to a cookout the Latinx folks I work with carrying a couple of six-packs of Holland. They'd rip me apart.

 

Well, we can agree to disagree.
*extending hand to shake*
We will never see eye to eye, and it's ok by me.
I don't want to argue with you further.

 

So, do believe trademark law should allow companies to dupe the uninformed?

 

Not necessarily, but if a company can't defend it's trademark, it's fair game. Look and Boot Tread vs. Fat Tire. They're different enough that I actually prefer Boot Tread.
(My tastes and I would actually prefer any number of beers to Fat Tire)

I just kinda feel that Aldi does its thing and it's really no different from Trader Joe's, but markets itself to working folks.

Does it use some subterfuge? Yes,.

Is what they do not 100% in the right? Yes.

Is what they're doing legal? Yes.

Will what they are doing eventually bring folks around to better beer? Yes.

 

One could also say that SNPA itself is a knock off of Anchor Liberty Ale.

 

Wild Range, Folded Mountains and Independence Harbor are all brewed by Genesee in Rochester using their old "High Falls" name (as do the current Genesee products, strangely enough) and a separate 'dba' name on the labels. For "Wild Range" for instance, the COLA lists: