Do you Seek the Seal?

In a word, no.

edit: I seek the quality.

 

Sometimes. Most of my favorites are Independents tho

 

I don’t seek the label out, but I do often search for independent brewers. I kinda like when I happen to see it, though. I’d also consider myself a fairly educated consumer (mostly from this site) in this regard, and the seal isn’t a learning device for me.

 

I don't. I'm in a market with pretty limited choices, and thanks to places like BA, I can pretty much keep up with who the players are in my market.

 

I can’t read “seek the seal”™ and not think of seal hunters. Doesn’t exactly give the warm fuzzies the BA was aiming for.

 

It catches my eye. But I don't seek it out.

 

When I clicked on the link "Seek the Seal" in Todd's entry above, I immediately recognized that I have enjoyed numerous beers with that "seal" but sadly I didn't really think anything about the label at the time. This forum and the attached article have given me a greater appreciation for independent craft brewers.

 

The Independent Craft Brewers Association is an industry association that pretty much any brewer can join - as long as you're small, you're not owned by somebody who's too big to qualify for membership, and you brew beer. Those criteria don't necessarily result in a good product.
I agree that we ought to support small craft brewers, but I buy beer I like. If it has the CBA seal on it, so much the better. But I don't browse the shelves looking for it.

 

F Budweiser

 

If they made it a requirement to put a "bottled/canned on date" in a box next to that logo there would be a reason for me to look at it.

 

Never really looked for the seal……but I bet 90% of the beer I buy probably has it because I almost always buy from smaller breweries

 

I feel like most people who are on this forum know what they're looking for in a store, or at least have an idea of which breweries are independent without needing to see the seal.

I like what it stands for, I just don't look for it.

 

Usually only if it is a new to me brewery. To be fair, there are plenty ICB brewers putting out middling stuff.

 

While I do support many local breweries, there are some I won't go into again because their beer was awful after several chances.

I don't care about the seal and pay no attention to it in my buying decisions.

I will be sampling several beers in the upcoming Oktoberfest online tasting that don't meet the qualifications for the seal. I expect most, maybe even all, of them will be excellent.

Not only do I not seek the seal, I consider the seal's requirements to be meaningless double-speak.

For example, being owned by external masters is still considered "independent" so long as those masters are not in the alcohol business. In what dictionary are they getting their definition from for the word "independent"?

And, another example, small brewers bought up by owners of multiple small brewers are still considered "independent." I wonder, what does John Reardon think about such "independence" as it relates to Deep Ellum Brewing (which still loudly proclaims itself to the "LARGEST INDEPENDENT BREWERY IN NORTH TEXAS." )

 

I didn’t know what it is until now. I will definitely make it a point to seek this out and have no problem prioritizing a B+ beer with the seal over an A- beer without it.

 

Some breweries who have the seal don't have good beers while others who don't have the seal have good beers so no, I do not seek the seal.

 

I do. Have been since the BA released it. Why? Beer is frivolous, it's my fun money, why wouldn't I want to spend it with another working stiff like myself? Big business already gets enough cash.