Boycotting 10 Barrel & Elysian

How so?

From Merriam-Webster: "to refuse to buy, use, or participate in (something) as a way of protesting"

"@Reidrover refuses to buy ... (the products of 10 Barrel and Elysian) as a way of protesting."

Edit: Since we've already cited several different sources just to establish the definition of "boycott," I think I agree with @draheim : This could be a long thread indeed.

 

All I'll say is that everyone is free to buy what they want, but every dollar you spend on AB InBev products helps support a company that is doing everything possible to try to hurt the small craft breweries.

 

Reidrover says: "No
10 Barrel, Elysian."
Sounds like a boycott.

 

I know. People interpret words differently, and bring their own context to them. I looked up the definition too and found nothing to de-legitimize OP's use of the word.

I guess my question is, what exactly is the protest? What does this boycott seek to achieve? OP admits he buys Busch Signature (a beer I had heretofore been unaware of) ... so not giving money to AB isn't his goal. Truth in marketing maybe? I'm just not really clear on what he seeks to accomplish here, aside from making it a little easier for me to get Space Dust.

 

No one knows who AB-InBev is. They don't market their name, they market their brands. Ask ten people who AB-InBev is and you'll likely get two people at most who know, especially outside of Seattle/Portland. Awareness is higher in these two markets, just because of the acquisition.

So AB-InBev will continue doing what they've always done - build brand awareness and equity. They've done a great job with Goose Island and BCBS in particular. And beer geeks don't seem to care BCBS is owned by AB-InBev. Demand has never been higher. And I suspect the same will be true of 10 Barrel and Elysian. People will grumble at first, but if they produce a good product at affordable price, expect them to do well. At the end of the day, that's what most people care about. If people really cared, then how many people would buy clothing made with slave child labor?

Go ahead and boycott - that's the great thing about America. No one is forcing you to drink their beer and there are a lot of others to choose from. But it's still not being dishonest. If every product had to list the various parties that have a ownership stake, it would looks worse that most ingredient lists.

 

This article has probably been posted before, but I think Sam Calagione from Dogfish Head really hit the nail on the head (pun intended). A couple of quotes from Sam:

"I do think the world's largest breweries are disingenuous in their intentions moving into the craft beer world. They’ll buy a once-independent brewery — not naming names — and suddenly its IPA's kegs are on the street for half as much as a true indie craft beer. It really shows they're using these once-craft brands as pawns in their game to knock the true indie breweries off the board."

"It seems like the strategy is to let the original brick and mortar of what once was a craft brewery make their esoteric and super weird beers so it still looks like an independent brewery. Then they take two or three flagship brands and make them in the giant, fully-automatic megabreweries to sell them super cheap. This really disrupts the market, but they'd rather shine a light on esoteric stuff from a once-independent brewer."

Read more: http://www.mensjournal.com/food-dri...-off-against-budweiser-20150218#ixzz3UckGYPUK

 

Whatever helps you sleep at night

 

We walked by 10 Barrel yesterday, 4:30ish and have to say that at that time place was packed with people. I know few people who work in beer industry, and whom I tought have told me before that will also boycott, might be just for work reason but who knows.
Brewery looks nice & roomy!

Also this per newschoolbeer:

Who now owns this and all rest of recipes?

 

I never bought a whole lot of Elysian in the first place, with the exception of hitting up Fields before M's games. So now my choices near the stadium are Fields or Pyramid, both ABI houses now. While I haven't decided to do a full-on, 100% boycott, I'm probably at 99+%. I just received a gift box that contained a 10 Barrel brew that I'm looking forward to, but I'm not sure if it was brewed pre or post sellout. I'm certain I'll enjoy it, as I've liked 10 Barrel all along.

I haven't had a Bear Republic beer since they made Central City change the name of Red Racer, so I'm certainly capable of carrying through with a boycott. In these cases, while I will no longer be actively seeking Elysian or 10 Barrel beers, it's probable that some will pas my lips on certain occasions.

 

No, you care and a very small segment of people care. But I still contend most do not. And the evidence is on my side. Just look at Goose Island. And you don't know the level of independence given to each of these new AB-InBev brands. In fact, they could be granted a great deal of independence based on the purchase agreement and legal structure. I haven't cared enough to read them.

We each have our reasons for what we buy or don't buy. I will never buy Anderson Valley beer, for example. Reason goes back nearly 10 years and I won't get into it. But it's my reason. You have your reasons for not drinking these brands. But not plastering AB-InBev all over the 10 Barrel and Elysian web sites isn't being dishonest. And saying they still operate independently isn't being dishonest, unless you can provide some direct evidence that they aren't operating independently. AB-InBev is building a portfolio of craft breweries, and for the strategy to work, they need to remain somewhat "craft". If you want to boycott these brands because profit is siphoned out of the local economy, that I would support. But if you start boycotting products because they are produced by companies owned by large multinationals, then you should be prepared to shop at farmers markets year round.

 

But before anything ever gets to ABI, my dollars spent at the 10 Barrel brewpub also support a brewer, bartender, server, and line cook, who are all my neighbors. Choosing to focus on the portion of profits sent upstream and ignoring the more direct local impact doesn't make sense to me.

 

That's a good point. Things are never as simple as they appear on the surface. What type of benefit package does AB-InBev provide? Do they provide living wages? How has/will the work culture change after the purchase. So much more to consider than just the top level owner.

 

If we are to break the record for longest thread in the NW forum, then you got to put away that type of stifling thinking and start explaining yourself in very long detail.

Go ahead, we are waiting for why you don't support Anderson Valley.

 

AV boiled his rabbit.

 

Things like this is what I'm more afraid of than anything with the big three (two) gobbling up smaller ones. I know in my market they've done things like buying all the local Colorado malt when they have no need for it to hamstring local brewers and lobby litigation that would in theory hurt smaller breweries (full strength beer in groceries, etc.) I'm not opposed to businesses that run solid operations to do well, but I think that some of their tactics smell funny.

 

I'm assuming @oregonskibum's reason is the same as mine: The cease and desist letter they sent to Fremont over the naming of Summer Solstice Ale. Fuck Anderson Valley.

 

They will still get paid by ABI and supported by all the uninformed beer drinkers who don't even know that 10 Barrel is owned by ABI.

 

Better get used to that. It's happening all the time now. The ugly side of this business.

 

The ugly side of any business that sees a need to protect intellectual property/trademarks?

Edit: Not necessarily trying to defend Anderson Valley in particular. (Matter of fact, it's been years since I've had any of their beers.) Just asking if you're against companies defending brands in any business, or just in the craft beer industry.