Samuel Adams Sales Decline

Time to eat crow and brew a decent IPA. Muhahahaha!

 

We all know sam adams is the moped of craft. Its something most of us enjoy behind closed doors when nobody is looking. They are like rogue and new belgium, its cool to hate on them. The more they try to get craft drinkers to like them, the more we withdraw. And let's not forget jim koch is a bit out of touch with the craft beer crowd. Look at the last thread about jim, he talks trash about the most popular beer style in america right now. Well, arguably the best anyway.

 

Weakness in offerings compared to other craft breweries would be my vote. Say what you want about BMC folks but one thing they are is brand loyal. Can't say the same for craft beer drinkers which punishes those breweries with mediocre beers.

 

They need to bring back or make more available Honey Porter.

 

Nobody here watches CNBC? Many, many companies showing a slow down right now with these quaterly results... even companies that are "cool" to like.

 

If "improved inventory planning" = releasing Summer ales in March, I continue to not be a fan of that practice..

 

Hmmm. Even though I'm not a big Sam Adams guy, I don't think this is great news when the leader of the craft world is reporting declines. The more BMC drinkers drinking BBC is a great sign...when it slows though...and Lime-A-Rita gows...

 

Hard cider was my first passion and is still very alive, but I have run out of new ciders to try in MD (good bottles are like $20), and local ciders are mainly available in the fall. However, I will say that their Angry Orchard is much better than most of Crispin's "ciders", but both aren't really true ciders. Their Iceman is amazing but on the very sweet side (which I prefer in my ciders, like JK Scrumpy's), and their Strawman is one of the driest things I have had, even outside of ciders (which I did not like). I haven't had their Twisted Tea though.

I pretty much stay away from Sam Adams, but I have always lumped them in with BMC, because before I was into beer I would see them along with all the other macro options. I don't like their styling or marketing that much and they brew a ton of different beers in a lot of different styles, but I feel that they don't really do any of them that great. They are simply the second step up after BMC. The only thing that they do that I am interested in is Utopias. I don't like lagers and that is what they are known for. I know they have branched into their latitude IPAs but I have heard no one on here talk about them and they don't really stand out for me to try. To me, they are the BMC/In-Bev of the craft beer scene. The head guys in the commercials seem like great guys that love their beer, but it just doesn't appeal to me. I guess that is what happens when you are at the top of the: Top 50 U.S. Craft Brewing Companies (Based on 2012 beer sales volume). Finally, I have a much better view of their closest competitors on that list: Sierra Nevada and New Belgium.

 

IMO Sam Adams makes 5-10 great beers. When they expanded out and started making 50 different brews a year it cut into the quality and availability of their higher volume options. Though I don't purchase alot of their products a year I do love their "imperial white", and buy a 4pk every year. Last year they switched to these bombers, and it really turned me away. Sam Adams needs to stick to their target market: Introductory brews for the BMC drinker. Bombers don't appeal to to that market, only us beer snobs know its not wine

 

Seriously. Businesses peak and valley. This is hardly news.

 

Wow, way to expand on your posts and add something to the discussion.
You can hold up whatever you want from sam adams, I would rather spend my money on an excelent example of a style, not an attempt to appeal to the most people.

 

I'm more apt to enjoy Sam Adams when I'm out and it's the best option available. When I'm behind closed doors I think it's an average craft beer. Better than some, but worse than many others. I'm not hating on them, they just make average beer (except for Old Fezziwig)

 

Gateway beer!

 

The same goes for blue moon. If its all there is, I'll take it before I drink a coors. But if bmc is all there is, banquet works. If given the choice I will drink the beer I like best.

 

Too each their own. I like what they have done for the industry but I also know what I like and am interested in. They are just irrevocably linked with BMC for me, but I will try their beers someday (probably the latitude). I think and almost hope that they are a sign that companies need to trim down (like globalization companies that have just in time production) and focus on freshness as well as a strong core or flagship (which has gotten heat recently for having weakness), that has a small but reasonable rotating core. I would say that DFH is even stretching this to its limits, but I love that they put out a ton of unique brews and almost always have a new, widely available beer every year.

 

Meanwhile...Lagunitas, Founders, Green Flash, Oscar Blues and many other breweries that actually make beer worth drinking are expanding. Imagine that.

 

It's kind of funny because Sam Adams brews too closely to style to be popular with an audience that largely wants the new and cutting edge brews. Check out their medals from any contest ever. They brew to BJCP style guidelines and make very stylistically proper beers.

For instance - http://www.denverbeercomp.com/results_2013.html

I personally like beers that don't fair well at contests for being outside of the styles, like DFH. Although I recently had a Sam Adams Hopology Mosaic and it was very good.