Do buyouts really impact the beer?

They were a hot craft Brewer in the 90s and got taken over by a larger company w/influence and goals/vision outside of the prior family business. OP didn't ask to include or not include the various organizational circumstances that big company takeovers of craft brewers can take. Point is -- they are still living in the 90s because of the big business influence and haven't changed or grown to a fault IMO. On the upside they do provide an affordable local alternative -- it's just not a beer I'm gonna seek out.

 

I hope they let us know when Bass gets tweaked again.

 

I think @Peter_Wolfe said that there wouldn't be any sort of announcement, that they would just start showing up one day. I hope he tells us here, at least .

 

To answer the OP question - I have had Elysian Brewing Co. beers well before In-Bev purchased them, and just last month I bought a sixer of their Space Dust IPA, still tasting just as good as before.

That is the only one I can comment on, will still buy Ballast & St. Archer, unless they change the quality. Then I'm out.

 

I think people often assume it is/will be for the worst--my humble view/take on the topic--an example or two:

Nelson--truly my longtime favorite. I have had it many, many times straight from the brewery. Now regularly getting it in NC and fresh. Comparing it is hard as taste varies but even if it is only "85%"--I'll take it. The impact for me is availability and it has been a good thing.

Goose IPA--never been one of my favorites but now available at places where BMC has contractually boxed out everyone but a solid alternative when I want to have one--not a GIIPA aficionado but seems to be pretty darn similar.

Seems like the "new" owners have tried to keep the quality up and even where not perfect-still trying. In this modern era--very little to be gained by dropping a fortune on it and then not trying to develop the market in contrast to some of the old days practices of buying a brand to kill it.

 

This thread is so weird, and illustrates the overall weirdness of the beer world today. Some argue that it is bad when a buyout results in changes to good, established brews...and then comments come along saying that a buyout of an established small brewer has resulted in the beers staying the same and not "moving forward".
Maybe it's just me, but I think that's just plain silly (and it's mighty contradictory too).

I'll second that. Bass is an example of a great classic beer going downhill long before the brand was acquired by a new company. Bass hasn't really tasted right since the late '70s...long before it came under the AB-InBev umbrella. The version sold in the USA in recent years is radically different than 40+ years ago far from terrible (I sometimes choose it on draft over locally made Pale Ales) but if any hint of the old character and balance of Bass could actually be recaptured, I could definitely see myself buying it more often.
The really funny thing is that I know for a fact that there are a LOT of actually people actually like the current Bass Ale exactly as it is. And how ironic it will be when those people start complaining that a newly retooled Bass tastes "changed".

 

All hail the great multi-national corporation for they are our our future. Why leave a dime on the counter for somebody else when there are share holders to please.

 

They may be yours, but they're not mine since those folks are losing ground in the battle for popular tastes and their purchases simply illustrate how desperate they are not to be left standing in the dust.

 

Nor did you make any mention of your evidece and/or data for the claim that they change.

 

One of the fundamental things about craft beer that I enjoy is getting truly unique and wonderful taste experiences. Things where some brewer was inspired to take a chance, try something different, or just make a bold tweek to an existing style. The other thing I enjoy is that experience of freshness, where you walk into a brewpub, or crack a bottle from a nearby brewer, and you get to have their beer at the very peak of quality. This experience can be ethereal, and for some styles the window can be tight. The harsh reality is that Big Beer ownership of craft beer will work against both of these experiences, without a doubt.

 

Even if the quality stays high, to me that's missing the point. I just don't want good beer to become like the retail clothing market. So, I will pay an extra $1-2 to keep a small-scale brewer in the game rather than just sending it to megabeerz,inc., as I don't want all our options being reduced to a single market of "Made in _____[you know where]" - it's hard to find clothing that is made by people who aren't in awful factory conditions (if not outright out-sourced slave conditions, not kidding here). I don't want beer to become like that... with no options. Or options where that sweater would be $500 if you want it produced fairly.

Yes, folks can go nuts on me (that's fine) and say "but you can't taste suffering or mega-recipes" - fair enough. But once you know about the market conditions, that's where YOU get to decide what you want to see in this world.
Sorry - sober at this moment - off the soapbox.

 

Well said!

 

I think I'd only like to change one word here and propose substituting the word "can" for the word "will." My reason for this suggestion is that on multiple visits to the UK I've found that the experiences you describe are alive and well even in the presence of big beer and lots of pubs being "tied houses" (i.e., owned by a big brewery). This is where we, the audience/consumers/lovers of such experiences as you describe need to be both aware and proactive. If we settle for less that is exactly what we'll get.

 

This thread and the beer industry are only as weird as people's perspectives. Let's face it -- buyouts and eventual consolidation will have many effects on people's drinking experience -- some good (better overall beer quality, affordability and availability) and some bad (classic/popular brews getting tweaked -- recipe/dist -- for reasons not necessarily in the best interest of the consumer, brewey stagnation/lack of innovation etc.)....and shockingly these are contradictory. My perspective -- I am fortunate to only drink brewery fresh beers -- and I love it. Anything else is degraded experience (taste/freshness wise). What's your perspective ? Where are you coming from on this topic?

 

Since Blue Point was taken over their beers are the same. What has changed is that Toasted Lager is showing up on tap in a lot a places it never was before.

 

Trust me I don't want them to be, but they will do what is needed to to either co-opt or crush the competition. I hope I'm wrong, but.....

 

Don't blame you brother, in fact I do too. Its just that I have actually stopped there on the way to San Diego and had it on draft as well as purchased bottles of their beer brewed and bottled there and I can tell a difference. Now hopefully it will be addressed with the centrifuge but my point was that anytime you increase production or go into another system there are likely to be changes. Not necessarily bad mind you, but changes none the less.

 

Were you able to buy 4pks of BCBS this year? Why not?

 

I think the buy-outs have the potential to affect the brewery's beers (or their operations) in three ways:

1. Improving the beer quality by providing expertise or capital funds for a QC lab, ability to absorb the cost of dumping experimental beers that don't work out, etc. But I suspect that the breweries that have been taken over so far have all been in the top 5-10 percent of the BA ratings, thus the beers are already very good quality and not so much in need of help for improvement.
2. Capital funds to expand operations, distribution, etc. I don't know how much this has happened yet.
3. Improve the profit margin for the brewery by providing access to large-scale purchasing power or other benefits like that. Again, I don't know how much this has happened.

Over time, these benefits will help these breweries to out compete and force some of the competition out of the game, but that hasn't really happened yet, has it?

 

One small example: AB has started brewing some of the 10 Barrel stuff in Ft Collins. I don't know if it's recipe changes, the shape of their fermenters, cheapening of ingredients, or what, but something has definitely changed, and not for the better. The beer (specifically Pray for Snow) is now somehow thinner, sweeter, and less hoppy than it used to be.