The “Big 3” Struck out! So What’s Next?

They just need to barrel age & cram desserts into all stouts, put out more hazies, limit distribution, increase prices exorbitantly, hold “brewery only” releases with online tickets etc.

 

While we’re making requests, I’d welcome back Sublimely Self Righteous, Levitation and Vanilla Smoked Porter. That list reminds me that I used to love Stone. Sigh.

 

To be fair, all 3 of those brands are still on shelves around here, and stone certainly seems to move a fair volume.

But also, what about Sierra Nevada and North coast brewing? They have been around for decades and still seem to move a lot of beer. Oh and I should add Anchor still in there doing their thing. Who picked those as "the big 3" and when?

I guess I'm not sure what the point is? The beer scene will have less ballast point and green flash in it? Stone will be less of a golden child for beer nerds? The hundreds of local breweries will continue to deliver an increasing portion of community beer needs?

 

There it is right here

 

What's next? Concepts like Canarchy, but no more mega breweries.

 

Those three were the “big three” for the San Diego beer scene for a good chunk of the last decade (along with Karl Strauss, but I think a fair proportion of their sales were through their brewpubs so didn’t have the same kind of market saturation the other three did).

 

Almost forgot about Levitation. Used to buy tons of that stuff. I’d love to be able to drink some again

 

Yes, more Levitation! I'd welcome a return of the original Ruination recipe, even though I'm tiring of 8+% DIPAs.

 

I think Stone should just reverse it’s beer offerings by 6-8 years and stick with that... I want RuinTen, Double Bastard, Stone IRS, and OG Wootstout and Wootstout 2.0

 

So if you were at the top of your game for an extended period of time, like these three obviously were, and not so much now; that means you were never a giant?
10 years ago most people on here were sucking at the teet of these 3 and saying they were the greatest thing ever. Now they're trash? Were they trash then and now we are so much more enlightened drinking hazy ipa we know better?
It's like saying Shaq, Barkley, and Duncan are all old and tired so lets ignore their greatness when they played.
To each their own but maybe a little more respect should be paid and less shade should be thrown.
IDK. Guess I'm just the cranky old guy on here yelling at clouds.
Carry on.

 

Well I think you all in San Diego will make it, even if you don't like stone anymore

 

In the case of Stone, my complaint is that they’ve retired so many of the beers that made me love them. Much of the stuff they put out nowadays is mediocre. I just wish they would focus on the core products that made them great. Like someone said above, turn back the clock 6-8 years ago. A brewery like Russian River is a good example of a brewery that has found success with its core lineup.

 

That would be great, but unfortunately the public talks and they don't want those beers. While you and I love those beers and wish they would come back, BA members are the outliers for these beers. It's become clear the general public wants what is popular now; hazies, pastries, kettle sours with more fruit than beer, etc.. Beer flavored beer is in the minority now unfortunately. And breweries have to adapt to that, especially when you are as big as Stone is, or not survive. GF being a great example. They stuck to their mid '00's styles and paid for it. They didn't adapt and they will fade from memory soon enough. Circle of life I guess?

 

Ah man, I remember in like 2009ish when people stopped asking to trade for Pliny and started asking for Sculpin. It started to get really hard to find. That beer was dynamite then.

 

This is one of the leading factors I'm gravitating more to Rye whiskey these days. Most of the new beers don't appeal to my tastes, and its becoming more challenging to find new stuff that isn't sweet and actually has some bitterness.

The demise of GF isn't solely attributable to one thing. After multiple recipe changes, packaged format changes with no price adjustment, and the whole Alpine debacle, there's no shortage of reasons why they cratered. Honestly I think their original recipes and 12oz/6packs would probably still sell well right now, but they alienated their customers far too long ago. My $0.02

 

Stone Hard Seltzer

 

Stone - I still enjoy a lot of their stuff and they are still a go to supermarket beer for me. If I am going to a party and want to bring some beer, Stone is a top choice. Otherwise, the market is just so much more saturated with good beer now, I am much more likely to get something directly from a brewery.

Ballast Point - Used to be my favorite brewery and then they sold out and I noticed a pretty steep drop in quality. Haven't revisited since.

Green Flash - was never a big fan of them, even when they were popular.