"Importing" craft beer

They will keep stances like that until they have the capacity to get distributed out of state, then the money they make from wider distribution will change their tune.

 

I try to drink a good amount of local/regional beer, but I still enjoy imports, mainly Belgian beers as well as various west coast style IPAs.

 

I love supporting my local Breweries..... But I love that I can try new and exciting things from all over.

Its kind of funny becuase the argument that a lot of craft brewers have about the big brewers is that the big guys have such great distribution and advertising that its hard for them to compete, and the whole tiered system of brewery, distributor, and retailer.I mean I guess if you tell Budweiser that they needed to brew local and cant distribute then thats one thing.... but I dont think they are necessarily refering to that.

I think the Craft beer industry is such a small percent, and even though its growing in popularity and market share, there are SO many more competitors in there that is becoming hard. Years ago a lot of the Craft Beer makers would band together and support each other against a common enemy (Big Beer such as coors, bud, etc) and now that its becoming a market they are cutting each others throats. Its sad, but Im afraid thats the US market.

 

Off topic a bit, but what is the deal with Lucette? Do they bottle or are they tap only? Very limited production?

I didn't even know they were in the state until I had their beer on tap once and that was at The Valley Tap House in Apple Valley. It was Shining Dawn and I really liked it. There other beers have solid ratings also. Surely they are in more bars if they made it all the way down here.

 

I had the Slow Hand Stout at Zest in Eagan a while back. Probably off the taplines now... sorry about the off topic reply!

 

I usually buy local beers wherever I am. They are usually fresher and I like supporting local brewers. There are still things from out of this region that I will try and chase down, but they are becoming fewer and fewer.

 

They are tap only right now, but have plans to start canning sometime "soon".

 

When I travel I try to seek out local beers that I cant get here. Variety is the spice of life! and it gives me some ideas of what I may want to try to brew on my own.

I can see why a brewery would want to limit it's competition, but if they get bigger and want to be distributed then how would they feel if others tried to stop them?

 

I try to support the local breweries, not only buying their beers at stores and bars but also picking up merch and growlers directly from the brewery. At the same time if a non local brewery is putting out a great product I don't think I should pass on it simply due to the fact that its not local, especially if a local brewery isn't putting out an equal great product in the style.

 

hmm after reading the actual article from their website I see some interesting points,

I think this would be interesting if there were local only bars and markets. Not just beer but food and other things too. But unfortunately there isnt (at this time) enough variety to do so. We have a restaurant up this way that they get just about everything locally, and they tell you were everything was sourced.... the mushrooms, the beef, the cheese, bread, even the lettuce and veggies. The location and name of the market, its pretty interesting. But with beer I see a different thing, back in 1810 there were about 120 active breweries in the US this rose to over 4,000 around 1873... flash forward to 1960 and there were only a little more than 200. back in 2009 there were just under 2,000.

At one point here in the US, just like in Germany there were breweries that would be a hub for the towns and cities. They brewed what people drank and a lot of people who were local drank that beer becuase its what they grew up with, what was available, and plentiful.

Ill spare you all the big beer take over story Im sure you all know it.


They also state:

I guess this is true if the beer you would be buying would be made just

I wonder how their article and views may chance when they do go to cans and potentially have a chance to be distributed beyond 500 miles....
for profit.... but most of the craft brewers that I have met and spoken to do it becuase its what they love doing, and many of them did it before the craft beer scene was big and potentially profitable.

 

When I can I try to buy local, and locally owned. I will gladly pay more for something if I know my money is staying locally and supporting those in my community, and even supporting a community that I believe in. However I will also buy a product that is imported if I I cant get the same thing locally, or if I want to try how someone else does it. To say you shouldnt import anything like this sounds a bit silly to me.... Do we start listening to only local music? do we decide that we shouldnt eat fish that was imported from another country? Do I decide not to buy this car becuase it wasnt built within so many miles of me? (which raises another point when I know VW and other companies now have factories in the US). Where was that iPod made?

 

I think we're in agreement, I don't think you should settle for a lesser product just because its local (not by any means saying local beers are not great). Like you said I'll pay a little more for a local product that is equal or superior to an import.

 

YES! Thats my one argument to people who always tell me that Im not patriotic becuase I have German and Japanese cars, I look at them and say, "Hey if I could get a dependable car, with the same features and mileage for a similar price that was local I would" And in fact i would pay MORE but I just havent seen one (note that my Datsun is a 77 and my VWs are '59 and '64. My fiance has a Honda Fit and she did a lot of research on other cars too, this one fit her needs the best.)

I think that having some competition is healthy and pushes to do a better job to remain competitive. I liken a lot of the local shopping pushers to Affirmative Action. I dont see that it being local is the reason that I should buy it... I DO think that they either offer better support, or ease of a local transaction where i can see the product up close, and the fact that the money that is exchanged has a higher chance of being re-invested in my community, thats why I buy local. I hope that nobody ever buys a product solely becuase it was local, just like I hope I never get a job or scholarship solely becuase of my ethnicity, it should be based on merits and ability, just like beer should be on taste and quality.

 

I like to buy 'locally' as much as possible. Summit, Surly, Founders, Great River, Brau, etc. I do however buy a lot of Sierra Nevada Torpedo and Rye. There is not currently a local option of an IPA at the price SN offers, and the quality is top notch. I would say there are as good/better IPA's available locally, but not for 13 bucks a 12pk, or 7 bucks a six. Hopefully once Saga from Summit comes out next month, that will change!

Its certainly a tough market to compte in for the smaller local breweries, to make quality beers and keep them price competitive. I simply cant afford to buy only local, and turn a blind eye to the price. It is good to see small breweries like Brau and Great River showing that you can have good beer at great prices.

 

I would never expect anyone to buy locally if the price is that off, and I definitely wouldnt either. Its like my homebrew equipment, I may be able to save a few bucks going to Northern Brewer or some other online place, but I would rather pay a little more (a little... not saying its a huge difference) and get it locally. I support other people who share my passion within my community, I can call him up almost any time if i have a question or concern, and I get it NOW (yes I am impatient.... which is not a good trait for a homebrewer), and when you actor in shipping it sometimes comes out the same.

 

I would start with ignoring BMC first, then worry about the craft breweries from other regions. As a restaurant and bar owner, I do as much shopping locally as possible, but how many dishes with root vegetables do my customers really want? How much Furious can one drink? A little over-the-top if you ask me, though I agree with the overall sentiment...

 

Why does it have to be so black and white? Local is great and certainly weighs in on my decision on a beer - how much I like it and how much I buy it. But so does price, taste, style, etc.

It seems to me that in general, the MN locals are getting the hometown boost they deserve, if not more than they deserve.

 

Lucette Is from WI. So what they are saying is we should stop drinking their beer because it is not local enough?

 

I like variety even if a lot of my purchases are local. I will say I don't care for places that have little to no local offerings on tap. As a lager lover, I was excited to hear that Bullfrog Minneapolis would be focusing on lagers. Upon looking at their taplist online, I see that they don't have one Minnesota beer on tap. I will never step foot in there until that changes.