Boycotting and supporting

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by otispdriftwood, Aug 3, 2012.

?

Would you support a craft brewery who resisted a macro buy-out if you didn't like their beer?

Poll closed Aug 10, 2012.
  1. Yes

    31 vote(s)
    16.6%
  2. No

    159 vote(s)
    85.0%
Multiple votes are allowed.
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  1. Providence

    Providence Pooh-Bah (2,652) Feb 24, 2010 Rhode Island
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I will never understand why people get pissed at folks who refuse to buy beer that AB/Inbev owns. People go totally ape shit over it. "Stop being so high and mighty!" "Get off your high horse!" "Only the beer in the bottle matters!" "If you're going to boycott every company that does unethical stuff then you better be a hermit that lives totally off the grid!" etc, etc. It's like ab/inbev supporters think non ab/inbev supporters are passing judgement against them, or think less of them. Let it go. Stop projecting your insecurities.

    Some people don't want to support AB/Inbev. I am one of those people. I am not hating on you if you do support them. I won't try to dissuade you from buying them. I don't look down my noes at you for buying them. Buy what you want, the way you see fit, but please afford me the same courtesy and stop trying to convince me that it's ok to buy from AB/Inbev. I am not trying to convince you that you shouldn't.

    Everyone has their limits on what they will accept from a company. If a brewery made the best beer in the world, but in doing so their facility polluted the water supply where your grandmother lives, thus giving her cancer, you'd probably hesitate to buy their beer. That is an extreme example, I know, and I am not saying AB/inbev is killing people with cancer. However, I am saying that everyone has their limits of what they will tolerate from a company. For me, and others on BA, their limit of what they will tolerate is crossed when they learn of and know of incidences of AB/Inbev holding down the smaller craft breweries from succeeding. We all of our limits, some limits are different than yours.
     
  2. Pittsky

    Pittsky Initiate (0) May 28, 2009 Florida

    What if a brewery opposes gay marriage? :grimacing: Setup makeout sessions at the local pub? Who's in?!?
     
  3. Providence

    Providence Pooh-Bah (2,652) Feb 24, 2010 Rhode Island
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    If a brewer came out and specifically said they are against gay marriage I would totally help to organize a make out session at their brewery.
     
    robconoclast and JediMatt like this.
  4. VncentLIFE

    VncentLIFE Initiate (0) Feb 16, 2011 North Carolina

    If their beer is good and stays good after the buyout, who the hell cares.
     
    robconoclast likes this.
  5. Jnorton00

    Jnorton00 Maven (1,338) Apr 13, 2007 Massachusetts

    I'll buy you a 12 pack and you'll be drunk or at least have a solid buzz man!
     
  6. evilc

    evilc Initiate (0) Jan 27, 2012 California

    Lets double the ABV of CL to 8.4%, and divide the 12er to a 6er. You'd require a 6 pack of 8.4% beer to catch a buzz ? Damn.
     
    VncentLIFE and robinsmv like this.
  7. otispdriftwood

    otispdriftwood Initiate (0) Dec 9, 2011 Colorado

    You're right - especially your example, extreme as it is. People do become more vigilant when it affects them personally. And by the way - there's no 'e' in judgment. Sorry, but I was reamed by a professor about it and can't let it go.
     
  8. Providence

    Providence Pooh-Bah (2,652) Feb 24, 2010 Rhode Island
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I do. Some things are more important than beer (blasphemy, I know).
     
  9. VncentLIFE

    VncentLIFE Initiate (0) Feb 16, 2011 North Carolina

    i think the anger that I havent had BCBS yet showed through a bit.
     
  10. Providence

    Providence Pooh-Bah (2,652) Feb 24, 2010 Rhode Island
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Spelling has never been my strong suit. Nevertheless:

    It is stlil esay to undrestadn waht poeple are triyng to say evne whne they splle things wrogn.
     
    Inchay likes this.
  11. Providence

    Providence Pooh-Bah (2,652) Feb 24, 2010 Rhode Island
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Ha ha. Understandable.
     
  12. VncentLIFE

    VncentLIFE Initiate (0) Feb 16, 2011 North Carolina

    its me white whale. argh.
     
  13. 5thOhio

    5thOhio Pooh-Bah (1,571) May 13, 2007 South Carolina
    Pooh-Bah

    "bad beer, good business practices = no buy
    bad beer, bad business practices = no buy
    good beer, bad business practices = no buy
    good beer, good business practices = buy"

    This.

    Why is it my responsibility to support a bad product?
     
    Providence likes this.
  14. slangtruth

    slangtruth Initiate (0) Jan 8, 2012 Kentucky

    Trying to come up with examples where a craft brewer turned down a buyout approach from an international conglomerate and announced that fact to the world, making the scenario of this thread possible. Coming up blank.

    I carry grudges going back to the second grade, myself, and don't care whether or not they are rational or consistent or even sensible. My grudges my own, they belong to me.
     
  15. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,145) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Seems to me that both Jim Koch and Sam Caligione (among others) have been quoted as saying something to the effect that they get buy-out offers all the time, as has the non-craft brewer Dick Yuengling, Jr. Certainly the implication being those offers, however vague, are from AB or M-C. In the case of both BBC and Yuengling the rumors of a buyout have been so strong that they've showed up in industry publications/websites.

    The fact does remain that, given the 30+ history of "craft brewing" in the US, actual "total buy-outs" have been pretty rare- despite the current beer geek fascination with the topic.

    Goose Island-A-B and Miller's purchase of Celis in the '90's the two most notable. A-B has bought into CBA, Coastal (Fordham/Old Dominion brands) in Delaware and the small VA brewery Starr Hill. MillerCoor's Tenth and Blake likewise owns a small [under 35% - to stay within Brewers Association definition of a "craft brewer"] portion of Terrapin - but those are all minority investment deals.

    And Miller bought Leinenkugel in the '80's, before the brewery started concentrating on "craft" sorts of styles.

    The Big Two's "faux" craft brands, Blue Moon, Leinenkugel and ShockTop are probably all doing better than their acquisitions as far as total sales goes.
     
  16. sukwonee

    sukwonee Initiate (0) Dec 13, 2011 Washington

    My answer would have been very different if AB-Inbev didn't make BCBS
     
  17. mulder1010

    mulder1010 Initiate (0) Aug 29, 2008 Australia

    Have not bought James Squire in two years and now that the last batch of Little Creatures Single Batch has been released I will no longer buy them any more. Lion and CUB own appx 85% of the Australian beer market (lion owns Squire and soon to be owning LC) and then Coopers pretty much makes up the next 10% of the the market here.
    I can keep buying Sierra Nevada, Green Flash, Brooklyn, Murray's and Mountain Goat and be quite happy
     
  18. cevafm

    cevafm Initiate (0) Mar 30, 2008 Pennsylvania

    What small beer store owners are you talking to?

    I help run a store that does on average about $35,000 a week. Now I don't know if you are talking smaller that that or exactly how small you are talking about.

    Limited edition craft beer certainly generates very good margins but I can tell you this much, I get a better margin on Genny Cream 30 packs then Sam Adams.

    See, the larger stores, at least the good one, carry craft. And the big distributors have bulk discounts on craft just like they do on macro beer.

    So, the larger store will always have cheaper craft then the smaller store, and will be more likely to get allocation of limited supplies of beer, like how Total Wine always gets the most 120 Minute and I can only get 2 cases.
     
  19. KBrennan1000

    KBrennan1000 Initiate (0) Sep 20, 2010 Massachusetts

    Ah, someday my store will average $35,000/week. Hell, it'd be nice to average $25,000/week.
     
  20. azorie

    azorie Pooh-Bah (2,471) Mar 18, 2006 Florida
    Pooh-Bah

    and most likely very hungry.....
     
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