Do you Seek the Seal?

"A local beer is a better beer" isn't necessarily true unless the locals can actually brew a better beer, consistently.

 

I don't search for the seal, but most of the beers I purchase are from independent breweries. There are a couple of breweries that come to mind when thinking of the seal or lack thereof, those are Goose Island and Wicked Weed. Wicked Weed has lost so much momentum in my opinion with the sale of their brewery as for Goose Island their stouts are still popular, because they are world class. My point being, most of us know who is independent or not without looking for the seal and if you are producing world class beer we'll purchase your product, otherwise we'll go independent.

 

Same here, I occasionally notice the seal but don't actually look for it.

 

Actively look for it - no. Notice it as a plus in general - yes. I know the breweries I buy from. There are brewers I buy from who are completely independent yet don't use the marker. And there are breweries I buy from that blur the line on the other side (kinda sorta mostly independent like Monty Python's mostly dead). It seems fairly arbitrary with a lot of wiggle room in how the term/label is applied.

 

I don't actively seek it out. I generally know what I'm looking for and I'm educated enough to know which ones are part of the 'big brands'. Sometimes, those companies part of the 'big brands' still make good beer (Bourbon County for example). Other times, I am looking for a certain region and style internationally (this month it's all about the German beers). I mostly buy from breweries so I already know they're independent locally around me.

 

Ugh . . ."Seek the Seal" is so sing-songy, 90s-era marketing that it almost makes me want to actively not look for it.

 

You could ask this question another way - do Independent Craft Brewers promote their seal, and does it mean anything to them? I checked the websites of my four most-frequently purchased brewers (Allagash, Jack's Abby, Night Shift, and Notch), and could find the ICB seal on only one (Allagash). I don't know what that means - are the others not independent, or don't they care?

 

Seal hasn't been too important. Purchasing beer I'm taking a chance on something new or have heard about it or even tried it somewhere else and want more. I do support local as long as the beer is (to me) good and the people who make it are as well. Beware of shelf turds and check that date! But because of this thread I'll keep more of an eye out for the seal.

 

This response x1000

 

@SFACRKnight - I’m not trying to be nit-picky or invalidate your goal (I know nothing is perfect), but the seal doesn’t necessarily mean that your money isn’t going to “big business,” and if you did buy beer from a gigantic brewing company, your money would still be indirectly going to many, many “working stiffs.”

 

I'm not sure if they use that seal in Canada. Never heard of it until now.

 

I voted no. I don't know where I got this perception but I think 95% of craft breweries are members of the Brewers Association, and most of the other 5% are small enough that they don't package their beers, thus they're not on store shelves and I don't need to look for a seal. (But they are still independent breweries to support if I can.)

So most beers on store shelves without the seal are macros, 'craft' breweries that are partly owned by conglomerates, or imports. I won't give up buying imports and 'big crafters,' and I don't buy macros other than the cheap ones to use for slug bait when needed in the garden.

 

“Quality” as in if I’m familiar with a brewer and I know they produce beer that I consider a quality product, I’m buying with or without the seal. Of course quality is subjective, as is any other term used to describe a beer.

Obviously Founders and Bells labels their beer. That’s a pretty dim view of Michigan beer though. I wish you would expand on which other “regional” selections you’re talking about because Transient being one of our most widely distributed beers, doesn’t label anything. I’m sure some do but point being, as is the case in most other states; the more new breweries springing up that one wants to try, the more unlabeled beers you come by.

cheers.

 

I don't seek the seal. More than 60% of the beer I drink now is purchased at small local breweries or brew pubs. The rest of it is from well known national breweries such as Sierra Nevada, Brooklyn, Bells ect. I'll buy Bud at a bar or club if it's the best choice or to bring to events when asked by the host.

 

Aw c'mon, lets sing along: "Look for the ....

Cheers!

 

I always seek Red Seal but it’s never a fresh beer. This is the first thing I thought when I read the title.

I never seek the seal. I notice it sometimes on a beer I drink but it means nothing to me as I drink what I like and can afford.

Enjoy

 

I was unaware of the seal until after joining Beer Advocate in 2018, several months after the campaign was launched. Looking for the seal became a small part of the search that didn’t last more than a couple months. Local/regional gets my money more often than not (maybe 80%....just a guess), but I haven’t consciously checked for the seal in a long time.

This thread will likely make me more apt to look for it.
However, it’s more likely that seeing (or not seeing) the seal won’t sway me to buy or not. Since it won’t be a substantial factor, I suspect looking for it will again become a thing of the past…….until the subject is raised again.

 

The independent seal is not perfect, but it's a start. It acts as a good point of reference to begin discerning if a brewery is part of the BA, an organization I do support. From there I can do my part and educate myself as to whether or not the brewery fits into my standard for "good business practices". Most breweries do. However there are some independent breweries I do not buy from due to their moral views. I won't name names, but @BBThunderbolt knows about the handsy brewer and the company's half assed response and you probably do too. Haven't bought from them since. And I loved their beers.

 

Me either, but it doesn't offend me. It is an extra step at proof of provenance.