Drink Local! No thanks.

Local is a big issue on this side of the pond.
We have a "Locale" accreditation system here operated through local CAMRA branches in which pubs agree to stock at least one beer all the time from a local brewery. Local is defined from branch to branch because of geographical differences , in our branch it is up to 30 road miles from brewery to pub.In most areas this gives dozens of breweries to choose from and we are blessed with some excellent and complementary ones.It's a very effective system which is reported to boost sales.
http://www.camra.org.uk/locale

 

Slim pickings here in So Cal, especially for the hoppy variety. I typically tough it out though with locals...

 

My original reply was merely pointing out that East End offers an exceptional barleywine in OP's home town, not a line of exceptional beers. It appeared as if he was unaware of this. Maybe he likes barleywines. maybe not. But at least he's aware at this point.

 

Please fellas, best beef is to be found at Susie's on Montrose near the intersection with Keeler....if you haven't been, get there ASAP. Also, stand in front of the cameras and don't ask questions about the menu, that woman's as close to the Soup **** as I've ever seen.

 

Has no one brought up how ridiculous the concept of 'local' beer is? Although the end product may be crafted down the street, chances are it's made from ingredients from all over the country or all over the world. There are exceptions to this in NC, CA, & other places, but 'local' beer is a fallacy 99+% of the time.

That being said, I'm getting ready to head down to my local tasting room this afternoon.

 

The smaller breweries can't outprice their compeptitors BECAUSE they are smaller, i.e. it costs them more to make beer. There's no "savings" here - many small breweries are barely breaking as is.

The truth is though, that they do need to price competitively for the market. If they can't make a better product, they need to charge around the same price for comparable products. If they can make a better product, they may be able to charge more - but not so much that consumers view buying the beer as risking dollars on an unknown product. The best model, in my mind, is to charge a bit less at the outset, build trust amongst consumers, then increase the price (slowly) as the demand increases. Seems like a pretty safe way to go about it.

 

I live in Alabama, and as many of you may or may not know we recently relaxed a lot of our beer laws including restrictions on breweries. As such we are currently experiencing an explosion of new breweries and I am somewhat torn on just how much I should support them. Some of the breweries are putting out some pretty tasty offerings and I have no qualms about supporting those, but others I feel have been putting out average to below average products. I feel like the breweries that are putting out an inferior product are bound to fail, but I worry that with the conservative nature of the Alabama public that a few such failures could put the brakes on the growth of the movement here as a whole.

I would like all of them to do well to encourage growth and build a healthy craft beer community, but I am also still fairly new to the scene myself and as more and more great beers come into the state from other locations I feel compelled to sample those as well. For those of you that already live in areas with a healthy beer market/community, I think it is probably less important to support local, but for me I feel somewhat obligated to do so. At least if I'm out at a bar I will try to rotate something local in with other beers I may be drinking any given night.

 

Local *anything* is a great idea if the quality and price are also comparable. Much like I'm not going to spend more for local vegetables that taste the same, or go to a local business even though their service is inferior, I wouldn't drink beer primarily because its local.

What I will do is tend to patronize my local breweries that make beer I enjoy so that they continue to make fresh beer, employ people in the area, and put more money into the community.

 

Love it! The Beef ****! I'll check it out.

 

Good point. I wonder if Suzie, the Beef ****, has cattle grazing on Montrose.....or in Grant Park.

"NO local Beef for YOU!"

 

Yeah I had their Coke Oven Stout and stout it was not. Just northwest of Y-Town however is Cellar Rats in Madison and I really liked what I have had so far especially the Black Rat Imp. Stout.

 

I wish it was true that local beers were cheaper than those from far away. But, just yesterday, I found HopDevil from about 60 miles away a dollar cheaper than Weyerbacher Last Chance which is about 5 miles away. And Torpedo was another dollar cheaper from 3,000 miles away.
But I'm really enjoying the Imperial Pumpkin from Weyerbacher this year. But it's $12.99 for a 4 pack...

 

I may be stopping by the 21st as off the updated page

 

Local, in my area, means inferior(i.e. Appalachian Brewing, Troegs etc), so I much prefer top-shelf breweries like Stone, Founders, Sierra Nevada and especially West Coast breweries to almost anything made where I live. I fully agree with your analysis in that local does not always equal good, and neither does craft beer in general. I want nothing but the best.

 

When did Whole Foods start tapping beers? Haven't seen any near me and i live in L.A. They do have a decent selection of bottled beers although a bit overpriced.

 

In Denver we're pretty lucky to have breweries producing mostly pretty good beer. There are some duds clearly looking at it as a business opportunity and some that have more passion than skill, but overall things are good. A lot of them are really close friends, which helps them to actually push one another as part of a friendly competition.

Still, with new spots popping up almost every week, I've definitely had some total misses that should've never even gone on sale.

 

Ugh ... my pain resonates with your words, Hanzo. I used to be able to ride my bike or hop a cab to Founder's or Vivant in GR, but now live in a city that struggles to grasp the concept of beer culture. What I experience here in Salt Lake is very few breweries making a few decent beers. I want to be able to support the local brewers (Uinta, Squatters, Epic) but their product doesn't compare to the beers that I can find on the shelves of the local beer stores (yes, in Utah we have "beer stores" that are the only real places you can get anything over 4.0%) ... so I stray and find myself buying Lagunitas, Sierra Nevada, and some stuff from Oregon. I drink what I like.

P.S. - Send Founder's.... Send Founder's .... Send Founder's ....

 

Johnnie's Beef in Elmwood Park is better than both of them.

 

Alot of people think the words "quality" and "local." Im lucky enough to have some good breweries close to me, and I love supporting them, but Ill always buy the better beer if I can afford it (sometimes better stuff thats not local is even cheaper which blows my mind).

 

I happen to know more than a few local owners and brewers personally. They have variously supported me and helped me in my home brewing, judging, and competition-organizing efforts. So I will support them as they have supported me. I will favor those that make a better product, and I will try, though my support, to help them improve.

This is, at the end of the day, an artisanal movement. And Artisans are local. I wont forsake the greats for my locals, but I love the Movement, maybe even more than I love the greatest beers, as I think on it. And the Movement is, at the end, about local entrepreneurship and innovation.