AB-InBev event with 'craft' beer available

I recently attended an AB-inBev event in STL. They had many beers from their own portfolio on tap to try from some of their American craft breweries that they bought out over the years (Breckenridge, Kona, Golden Road, Devil's Backbone, Goose Island, Elysian, Four Peaks, Karbach). I went to the event mostly because I wanted to try some beers that are not available for distribution in Missouri, but also because I wanted to judge how some of the beers in their portfolio--the styles I typically drink--stack up to the beers from independent craft breweries that are widely available in Missouri.

Below are my own judgements/perspectives about the event and the beers they had to offer and is based on my own experience. It's not anywhere near all inclusive of the beers they produce (over 400, I think).

I am glad AB-InBev had an event that was open to the general public (it was a free event, including free parking) and that makes good beer available to the general public. To their credit, they had a water station so you could quickly and easily fill up your glass with water. That impressed me, as I try my best to stay hydrated while drinking and not many events accommodate that need. Of the beers I sampled (including from the ones my significant other had), one was incredible (BCBS 2017), one was good, and the rest were, at best, mediocre.

The feel of the event itself was lacking in any sense of a passion in sharing good beer. "Oh, hey, you want a beer? Here you are. Next!" I appreciate free beer when I get it, and I am not knocking the workers. There simply seemed to be a lack of connection that I feel when visiting local breweries and local brewpubs.

Perhaps you are thinking, "Well, Duh!? Dude, it was an AB-InBev event, held at their monolithic brewing factory." I get that. After being at this somewhat industrialized event, I realize that while some may be willing to pay for good beer, and good beer is, well good beer, for me the quality of the interactions of the people that handle the beer matters to me as well. I realize it's a business like any other, and the brewers need to make a profit like any other business. Still, I don't think AB-InBev or any other large beer conglomerate can ever corner the market on meaningful interactions.

The good sides to the event? Folks that may not normally want to pay for a well-crafted and tasty beer were getting exposed to craft beer. Perhaps they will be willing to pay a little more for one in the future; perhaps they will be wiling to pay for beer brewed from an independent brewer. Who knows?

Your thoughts?

 

-- Well stated.

Yes, It was a well-planned event. And some of the interactions seemed genuine. Karbach Brewing, based in Texas, had an OK tasting IPA, and a decent tasting Radler, but I especially remember the enthusiasm of the employees, and how well they set up their tasting booth--it had lots of character (including having a working Ms. Pac-Man video game and a working juke box).

I guess I am a little surprised at how important the quality of the interactions vs the quality of beer was to me. Normally, when I got out to buy/drink beer, both are of quality, but when one is not, it really stands out. And, it's not like one is necessarily more important then the other. The quality of the beer, interactions, price, availability, etc. are all important. Yet, the more subtle differences in how heavily I weigh each of those can make a difference. Sometimes I don't even know those differences exist within myself until I am with faced making a choice.

 

No, not all of the domestic craft breweries they bought out were present. Still, it was impressive how many breweries/beers were represented: Devils Backbone, Four Peaks, Karbach, Kona, Golden Road, Elysian, Breckenridge, Goose Island, Virtue Cider, LandShark, Estrella Jalisco.

 

You bring up a good point that hadn't occurred to me. The hour of the day can make a difference in how we all interact with each other. We went at the end of the day on Sunday and stayed until near the end of the event (6PM). I wasn't very crowded after about 5PM, but I am sure many of the employees were tired from working all day (and it was hot if you were in the sun).

I agree that it was very kid friendly. And, yeah, I was shocked that they offered BSCS (with ice cream to boot). I would certainly go again as well.

I've been at a number of events like this one at a few of the smaller, local breweries in town (Schlafly, 2nd Shift, and Urban Chestnut, for example) and they had a more--I guess the word would be--intimate feel to them. I found myself wondering what an event like that would be at Stone, Founder's or one of the other larger craft breweries. Perhaps the quality of interactions would be no different that at AB-InBev. I clearly need to get my ass out to some of those other breweries and see for myself!

 

I see what you're saying. I hadn't quite thought of it like that, but I think that is the case here.

The way the booths were spread out--similar to a beer fest--was nice, in a way, in that there was plenty of room. Yet, the setup seemed disjointed: there was no real connection of one brewery to another (at least, not that I could see). And at a number of booths the staff didn't acknowledge us as we walked up--instead they often continued to talk to each other until I got their attention and asked for the beer I wanted. That was a little awkward.

I hear you. I stated in my original post that my experience in this case is limited, and so my 'conclusion' so-to-speak is tentative, as I certainly have also had similar experiences as you mentioned above. As I stated in another post, I would like to go to a similar type of event at a few other large breweries like Stone, Sierra Nevada, or Founders to get a better idea if it's just the size of the event, or if it's something about AB-InBev.

Thanks for offering up your perspective.