Needed: List of Fake Craft Brews

Every purchase you make shifts the direction of beer culture a little.

 

This thread is what makes the "craft" beer world and the "hipster" world so close. Who cares if the brewery is "mainstream", just because its not made In a micro brewery doesn't mean it's not a good tasty beer.

 

This post is a fantastic way to make sure everyone knows you don't understand the issues here.

 

Must make grocery shopping an all day event.

 

I understand the non issue just fine thank you =)

 

Can you imagine that? He could just go the farmers market to make it a bit easier though if there is one in his city.

 

Well, I didn't say the morally bankrupt line, that was Sammy. Although in his explanation of why he said that I think he did a solid job of persenting why a person who buys items without any care whatsoever of where or how they are produced does have some questionable morals (again, the Taliban BBA Stout example, ha ha). But to answer your other point....the difference between the BMC behaviors and the behaviors of a huge oil company is we, as consumers, are more in control. So we can take issue with BMC, especially at a place dedicted to dicsussing beer related issues. I'd love to buy gas from the small mom and pop oil producer, but it doesn't exist.

 

Why not spend a week thinking about what you are buying and where you are buying it.
Try and buy American.
Think about the ramifications of shopping at Walmart and Home Depot instead of your local stores.
Think about using your local merchants instead of national chain stores.
Maybe you will decide that some battles are worth fighting.

 

You could really go so much further with this...where the ink on the labels is manufactured, how the bauxite for the aluminum is mined and by who, etc.

 

I wonder why people think A-B acquired GI instead of, say, Stone or Dogfish. I've never heard GI mentioned as a brand with top of the line beers across their lineup, but they were the biggest, most popular brand available. And A-B distributors have conformed to me that it is a tool to attack their biggest weakness: popular local beers on draft.

 

Actually, it sort of does.

http://www.frybrid.com/

 

Are LLPs and LLCs okay with you? Also, are you comfortable drinking craft beer from an S corporation or is that also a bad corporation? I assume 101 shareholders would be abhorrent to you so that rules out C corporations.

 

Your smiley face indicates otherwise.

Read my post again, if you'd care to have an actual conversation. It's a hell of a lot more complicated then a reactionary, reductionist "All corporations are evil!"

 

Completely agree! Which is why this is such a difficult and complex issue that, to me, is worth looking into and being mindful of.

 

It's business practice, not sheer size. I happily buy, New Belgium, Sam Adams, Stone etc.

 

Farmers market-most of those guys are posers.
Go right to the farm

 

"buy American" HAH! There is no such thing anymore. Check a Ford monroney sticker.

Local merchants generally have prices 1.5x higher. No thanks. Hmm - BR Racer X for $10.99 at dirtbag local bottleshop or $6.99 at BevMo. National chain it is - giving me value.

BevMo also employs 20 people at my local store, the bottleshop employs 2 and the owner rolls a BMW 750. Seems "local merchants" aren't exactly different from corporations.

 

Only read the first post, shame on me!!

 

I'll be looking into this!

 

I'm still unsure what these so called corrupt business practices are that ABI undertake to push everyone else out of the market. We have seen an explosion of craft options in the area I live over the past 4 years, with the ABI distributor I work for bringing many of said brands to the area. Taking taps from competition and securing display and shelf space isn't evil, it's competition. I go into accounts just like the MC guy as well as every other beer salesman and brewery rep with the intent to get more distribution and sales for my brands, just like everyone else. I don't even bring a weapon, I usually just offer suggestions.

Say I walk into a bar with bud, bud light, miller lite, coors lite, and a couple of non trash options. First thing I recommend is diversifying the options by keeping one or two American lagers and swapping the rest out for higher margin craft or import beers. Usually with a bit of explanation we can make some headway, maybe get some local craft on line or a larger brand, a la Sierra Nevada.

Beer salesmen aren't monsters or anything, generally just regular guys that got stuck working here because it pays well and it's reasonably interesting from time to time.