skadalajara

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Boycotts don't work.
You'd have to get the entire population of the world to boycott them to have any effect.
And I've never seen the entire population of the world agree on anything. So it won't happen.
I avoid Walmart because it's a depressing place. Anytime Ive walked into one in the past, my mood instantly drops. The people there are just so morose.
I generally also only buy used. But that's just not feasible with beer and food. Well, I suppose it is, but would you want to?

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-J

Making the world a bitter place, one IBU at a time.

Axé Cidery and Aleworks

Primary: Social Lubricant
Secondary: Tongue Oil
Lagering: Icy Paralyzer
Bottle conditioning: Liquid Courage
Drinking: Loud Mouth Soup

McKBrew

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I think that this whole idea is senseless.

While more than a few of us (in general) might drink a BMC product, many of us "boycott" them mostly because we just don't like the products. (Count me as one of those guys).

Fact is, even with the marketing issues, advertising, and whatever underhanded things the big three are involved in, the craft and microbrew industry continues to grow and flourish.

There will always be a place for BMC, and there is going to be a continuing and growing demand for alternatives.

Also consider than many of your craft and micro breweries have partial ownership by BMC. 25% of Redhook is owned by Anheuser-Busch, in turn RedHook owns 40% of Goose Island Brewing, and 20% of Kona Brewing. So to effectively boycott one of the big three, you'd have to give up at least three non-BMC beers. (And that's just one example.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redhook_Ale_Brewery

TexasSpartan

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Some of you must be able to see for miles from up on your high horse.

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Dead Felon Brewing

mithion

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I have nothing against big companies. I have nothing against BMC companies either. I just don't like the beers that made them big. I do drink off brand beers that they own like bass ale. So I don't boycott the companies, I just boycott the products I don't like. It also frustrates me they have all the equipment and capital to brew great beer, yet they don't. The american adjunct mash is actually a pretty complicated mash schedule. They've obviously poured a lot of money into perfecting this complex scheme yet they produce really boring beer at the end. Why not expand a bit and experiment. For example, Unibroue started out making the typical macro lager with the "U" and "U2". But then they started also producing some very fine belgian style ales which have received very high praises on the international scene. Why don't the BMC companies use a little of their capital to try something similar? They are trying a little bit. AB started brewing their American Ale and Coors has their blue moon brand. But they could do a lot better. Again, I don't have anything against BMC. I have something against them producing only mediocre beer.

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Primary:
Secondary: Chimay Tripel #1
Conditioning: The Day After Christmas Eve Old Ale, Phil's Classic English #2
Drinking: Irish Rebellion
Next Beer: Earthly Brown

niquejim

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I was just playing devil's advocate with my post, so I'll continue to. So it's OK to buy from a large company that has a psuedo-monopoly if they are selling big ticket item, when there are better options that just cost more.

All I'm saying is that while we don't have to buy the beers that we don't like, there is no need for a boycott or even the discussion about it

northernlad

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Its not our fault all there is down there is BMC.

SteveM

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No question. I'm not actively boycotting GM or Toyota, but I have not bought cars from either of them in years because they didn't meet my needs or taste.

Edit - the Superbowl would be a lot less fun if BMC didn't put those great commercials on. I have nothing particular against them, I just prefer other products. If this provokes them into attempting an American Ale or a Belgian Wit, that's not a bad thing.

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Black Diamond Brewery

Think global, drink local.

jkarp

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While the movie showed some dirty tricks by BMC, especially with shelf space, the fact is, there's over 1,500 breweries in the U.S. now, the highest total in 100 years. Something's working right...

SteveM

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I didn't see the movie (yet), so this might have been covered in it. Back in the 50s and 60s, the Big Three, especially AB, were buying up local breweries and just shutting them down as a means of eliminating competition. Somehow, they didn't get to all of them - Yeungling was privately owned and didn't sell. I always thought that the presence of Yeungling in the Philly market led to the folks here being pretty open-minded about good alternatives to BMC.

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Black Diamond Brewery

Think global, drink local.

dummkauf

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umm...no offense but I don't think this board is the best place to start a boycott of the major brewers. I'm guessing that less than 1% of the members of this board drink their stuff anyway, so starting a boycott here wouldn't have much of an impact. Also, while I would agree with you that the major producers beer tastes like ****, the majority of the population disagrees with you, which is why budweiser and miller all outsell the micro brews. People spend their money on what they like, and large corporations invest their money in what sells, if the majority of the population wanted better beer, they would be producing it, but the reality is most people who drink beer simply want a cheap beer that will give them a buzz and reduced calories to "try" to keep that beer gut in check.

Hate to be a buzz kill, but that's the way I see it, though I've already been boycotting the big commercial breweries for years if it makes you feel any better.....I spend my money on what I prefer, just like the rest of the country