Blue Moon Founder Retires From MillerCoors

Discussion in 'Beer News' started by reowin, Jan 3, 2018.

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  1. John_M

    John_M Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,275) Oct 25, 2003 Washington
    Super Mod Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I think we're saying the same thing, but looking at it differently. I agree with everything you just said, but in my book, that's cutting corners. However, cutting corners doesn't necessarily result in an inferior product, which I think is what we're both saying.
     
  2. EvenMoreJesus

    EvenMoreJesus Initiate (0) Jun 8, 2017 Pennsylvania

    I've never understood this sentiment. Who cares if other people drink BMC? We're not missionaries, for fuck's sake.
     
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  3. drtth

    drtth Initiate (0) Nov 25, 2007 Pennsylvania
    In Memoriam

    Yep, that was about three years ago and when I was going on some erroneous word of mouth information from someone who seemed credible so I did no fact checking on the information before saying that.

    Then later on in that same thread is when I, and several others, learned from a more knowledgeable person about the nature of the rice being used and that sushi grade rice isn’t a grade at all.

    Scroll down to find the post in that thread by Peter Wolfe, and my “Thank you for the correction” to his post.
     
    #63 drtth, Jan 9, 2018
    Last edited: Jan 9, 2018
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  4. Scott17Taylor

    Scott17Taylor Initiate (0) Oct 28, 2013 Iowa
    Trader

    People can drink what they enjoy, but beer is something I get a lot of enjoyment out of. I found something I enjoy and if other people can also enjoy a wider variety of beer styles I'm glad they found stuff they like.
     
  5. PorterPro125

    PorterPro125 Pooh-Bah (1,700) Jan 19, 2013 Canada (NB)

    Likely a good amount I would imagine! I personally started with a local blonde ale, Picaroons Blonde, but I bet a majority of people would have started with BMC "craft" brews like you said.
     
  6. John_M

    John_M Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,275) Oct 25, 2003 Washington
    Super Mod Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    That's what happens when I try to run an information verification check at work (too much of a hurry to do a very thorough job).

    What's odd, is that you, I and apparently someone else all made the same sort of mistake. I could swear at one time AB was touting the fact that they used some sort of special, highly polished, white sushi grade rice... but I can't find anything about it online, so I have to assume I was mistaken. Not that I think it really matters (as related to my OP), but I'm just surprised my memory is so far off about this.
     
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  7. drtth

    drtth Initiate (0) Nov 25, 2007 Pennsylvania
    In Memoriam

    Don't be. We all pretty much place a huge amount of trust in memory but it actually has a variety of flaws which many of us don't recognize.

    Saw this a few years back and if you look through it you'll see one or more of the "Sins" committed by my memory:

    http://www.apa.org/monitor/oct03/sins.aspx

    How often have we seen a thread in which someone is claiming that the seasonal beer they just had isn't the same beer they had last year and wonder if there's been a recipe change. :wink:
     
  8. Ranbot

    Ranbot Pooh-Bah (2,389) Nov 27, 2006 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society

    @John_M, I have nothing to add to your and @EvenMoreJesus' exchange except this caught my eye....
    Instead of blaming MillerCoors for "fooling customers" or you could also blame people for having biases and preconceptions that keep them from judging a product fairly on it's own merits.

    People like to feel like others appreciate their interests too... That is until too many people/companies get in on the thing and then it becomes passe, sell-out, corporate, etc. See also: indie music. :sunglasses:
     
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  9. Lesak87

    Lesak87 Aspirant (281) Mar 26, 2015 New Jersey


    I started off drinking Natty and Coors during the college years. Then I switched to Yuengling. Not long after I got turned on to Blue Moon.

    All these years later, I now work in the industry and sell craft beer. I'll always appreciate Blue Moon for opening my eyes to different styles of beer. A building block that I have no problem revisiting from time to time. It saddens me to think of any craft drinker looking down at someone drinking Blue Moon. It's a respectable product that has served as a gateway to many.
     
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  10. John_M

    John_M Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,275) Oct 25, 2003 Washington
    Super Mod Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Ummm... assuming you're not just pulling my leg, I'm not entirely sure I know what you're referring to. In my experience, we all come to the table with certain biases and preconceptions, so I guess I would say that complete objectivity is likely impossible. As for judging a product "on its own merits" as you put it, I'm not sure I know what you mean by that either. There are all kinds of reasons why a consumer might prefer one product over another, or might like one product and not like another.

    Who's to say that one person's reason for not liking a particular product is valid, while another person's isn't?
     
  11. Ranbot

    Ranbot Pooh-Bah (2,389) Nov 27, 2006 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I think we agree on all of that... MillerCoors would probably [privately] agree too. Where I think we differ is I don't blame MillerCoors for recognizing these biases in people too and then doing something about it (i.e. branding) to give their product a better opportunity for success, whereas you turn that negative and say they are fooling customers. Two ways of looking at the same thing.
     
  12. SunDevilBeer

    SunDevilBeer Pooh-Bah (1,945) May 9, 2003 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah

    The small-batch Blue Moon brewed @ Sandlot & the fantastic new-ish Blue Moon Brewpub in the RiNo section of Denver is sublime. I’d heard of the difference prior to trying it & was ready to cry BS, but that version of Blue Moon is really great. Something definitely gets lost in the mass production, it’s barely the same beer.

    Cheers to him as he goes into a wanted (or not) retirement. That ‘s an important beer in the evolution of better beer.
     
  13. John_M

    John_M Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,275) Oct 25, 2003 Washington
    Super Mod Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I would hope no one would ever do that (looking down at someone who is drinking a blue moon), and I have no idea what the justification would be for that.

    That being said...

    The last time I had any sort of discussion about Blue Moon with another beer consumer was some years ago at Max's in Baltimore. I was there enjoying a beer myself, and saw an individual come in and grab the daunting draft menu. I could tell he was a bit overwhelmed by what he saw (hardly unusual; I'm often daunted by the 100 draft selection at Max's as well), so I made conversation with him and asked him what he liked. He mentioned that he was from Arkansas, and that he'd never seen a taplist like the one at Max's. He told me that back home, he usually drank blue moon. I nodded, and told him that well, if he liked that style, maybe he should try a wit beer actually made back in Belgium (Max's had several on their tap list). He gave me an odd look, and asked what I meant by that. There was a pregnant pause, and then I quickly realized what the likely problem was. At that point I mentioned that I assumed he knew that the beer was brewed in Colorado, and was part of the MillerCoors umbrella. I think his exact response to my comment was "NO FUCKING WAY!!!!" We chatted for a bit, and he mentioned that back where he lived, the beer was always listed in the import section (and priced accordingly), and that it was actually kind of rare to ever see it on tap. So he had always just assumed the beer was from Belgium.

    Anyway, I think he went ahead and tried a couple of Belgian wits on tap at Max's, along with several other beers. As I was leaving I asked him what he thought of the authentic Belgian wits. He laughed and told me he enjoyed them, but even so, he indicated that he preferred Blue Moon. :sunglasses:
     
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  14. John_M

    John_M Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,275) Oct 25, 2003 Washington
    Super Mod Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    You really feel this is just marketing on their part, and that it's justified?

    The reason I ask (please don't take this the wrong way, I'm just surprised and bit puzzled by your post), is that I've never heard anyone say this before who didn't actually work for one of the big boys.

    Some years ago (I can't even remember the fictitious brewery name now), AB was trying to market some new label in the NW. They released the beer at some big beer event, and pretty clearly were trying to make people think this was some new craft brewery from back East (I think the label suggested it was made back in Vermont or New Hampshire). Somehow or another the local media found out about their little subterfuge, and confronted the local reps about it. They came clean once they realized the jig was up, but weren't the least bit apologetic. Their reasoning for the "subterfuge" is pretty similar to the response you posted... they mentioned that they felt their actions were justified, as the local craft consumers wouldn't have given them the time of day if they knew AB was involved in the "crafting" of the beer. Their feeling was that if they "misrepresented" the origin of their beer, at least consumers would give them a fair shake when they tasted it at the fest.

    While I agreed with their point, I still didn't feel the actions on the part of the AB reps were justified. However, I confess your post has made me take a fresh look at their actions in a different light.
     
  15. EvenMoreJesus

    EvenMoreJesus Initiate (0) Jun 8, 2017 Pennsylvania

    You've just opened Pandora's Box and it has revealed the following:

    All things being equal most people buy things because of how they make them feel, not because of the quality of the actual product.

    This doesn't give marketers carte blanche to lie or deceive, but it does give them a reason to lie by omission. Many not-so-savvy consumers of non-AAL types of beer see "Belgian" on the label and assume that said beer is actually from Belgium. This phenomenon has, undoubtedly, become less prevalent because non-AAL beer consumers aren't looking to imports as much any more, they are looking to local producers, but the fact remains that most people don't know where their beer is produced or by whom. It just matters how choosing that beer makes them feel from an emotional standpoint.
     
  16. dcw6363

    dcw6363 Zealot (528) Nov 11, 2009 Wisconsin
    Trader

    I get what you're saying and to a large extent I agree. Drink what you want, what do I care, no skin off my nose.

    However, compare the current decade to (say) the 1980s. Back then, most people drank Bud Miller etc. And so there were fewer choices in bars and stores. Now there are tons of choices! So for that reason I very much want people to drink things other than Bud/Miller/Coors, because people not drinking those beers, and choosing other beers, is what led to all these great choices.

    Edit: so I guess I want people to drink different beer, but I don't care what any particular person does.
     
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  17. EvenMoreJesus

    EvenMoreJesus Initiate (0) Jun 8, 2017 Pennsylvania

    I agree with this very much, as I feel as strongly about great food as I do about great beer. In the 80s you would be hard pressed to find certain ingredients or certain preparations outside of proper fine dining establishments that required a jacket and a reservation or a trip abroad. Now you find all different types of ingredients and preparations all over the place and it's because people demanded choice. Just like the people who demanded a greater choice in beer.
     
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  18. Ranbot

    Ranbot Pooh-Bah (2,389) Nov 27, 2006 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Short answer: Yes.

    Another way to say my point is if we recognize people have these inherent biases (positive or negative) and are justified in having them (which I think they are), but companies are not allowed to act on customer biases then that's a double-standard.
     
  19. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,071) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Looks like, as expected, Villa's "retirement" was short-lived:
    Blue Moon Creator Plans to Release Line of THC-Infused Non-Alcoholic Beers
     
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