So today i'm in my local craft brew store, its a saturday, so apparently they have some tastings and other stuff going on, that's fine. So one of the tastings was from AB/InBev slinging their Budweiser Black Crown and Becks Sapphire garbage. So i tasted some local, DuClaw, mediocre at best, then i went about my merry old way. Expressing no interest at all as i walked by, the budweiser spokesman asks me if i'd like to sample some of their products. Maybe I should've just plainly said no, but instead i said "no, i don't support Anheuser Busch products".....so instead of just realizing that i obviously know more than the average consumer, he further's the matter by saying "why?". ok, so whatever, i was honest, i said "b/c they're trying to kill craft brews" so he says, "no, actually we're in alliance with them". (oh really? are you? AB/In-bev is just totally cool w/DFH, Stone, SN, Lagunitas, etc, just eating into their market share by the millions of dollars, not to mention they don't like you?) So I said "no you're not". he says "yes, actually we're in alliance with CBA (Craft Brew Allinace)".........which is true, u know why it's true, b/c InBev owns a stake in all of the "craft"/crafty brews (redhook, kona, widmer) that are a part of it. So instead of destroying this a-hole and embarrassing him in front of everyone, i just threw up my hand and walked away. Long, long story short....i dont appreciate AB/Inbev pretending that they're the same as craft breweries, i really really don't like them tricking American's into thinking their beers are craft beers, when they're really "crafty". I saw a lot of people buying Black Crown as direct result of this bs, and these are people that came to buy craft beer but don't realize the difference, they think something different from Bud is craft b/c of the bs they've been sold. What's my point? i don't know, it just pisses me off, b/c we're just a demographic to bmc, they don't care about the love of brewing, they care about profit. and sure, everyone wants to make money, but these guys dont do it to make the best beer possible, they do it to sell a subpar product that is universally acceptable. I hate you BMC. EFF you and all of your lackies, you're a poison to America. Don't know how i want anyone to respond about this, that's just how I feel.
Anheuser Busch and their deceptive marketing
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I'm glad Ken Grossman, Jim Koch, Sam Calgione and others aren't worried about growing their businesses and making money, and instead haven't expanded their operations at all and also sell their beer at a loss because they don't care about the bottom line.
If In-Bev is trying to destroy craft breweries, they're doing it wrong. Craft breweries are at an all time high in this country.
If In-Bev is trying to destroy craft breweries, they're doing it wrong. Craft breweries are at an all time high in this country.
nasty_rabbit
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You showed 'em
Seedly
Well-Known Member
They showed their faces at Big Beers, Belgians, and Barleywines this year:
...course they bailed about halfway through the tasting. Worst presentation of the lot. One guy with some bottles that were poorly labeled with some goofy "Not for resale" verbage on them. Nothing special...just a porter and a barleywine. Couldnt tell if he left from embarrassment or being poorly stocked.
Sorry for the blurry picture. As I said, it was halfway through the event, and nothing at BBBB is under 7%
...course they bailed about halfway through the tasting. Worst presentation of the lot. One guy with some bottles that were poorly labeled with some goofy "Not for resale" verbage on them. Nothing special...just a porter and a barleywine. Couldnt tell if he left from embarrassment or being poorly stocked.
Sorry for the blurry picture. As I said, it was halfway through the event, and nothing at BBBB is under 7%
Ostomo517
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Maybe im missing something but I just dont get this attitude of the OP. Last I checked craft brews were not a endangered species. I get not buying something cause you dont like it, but cmon....really?
Yes, they are at an all time high, but still less than 10% of the market share. so what does that say? 90% of Americans are still being influenced by the marketing and are too brand loyal to open their eyes to better beer. ie. "i'm a coors light man" ........really? well ur effing stupid coors light man. uve been tricked into liking only ONE brand of ONE style and you've more or less committed yourself to it for life. For what??? What does drinking the same exact beer for your whole life get you? do they send you a fanny pack to put your cigarettes in? No, they dont care, as long as you're drinking the "coldest tasting beer" thats all you care about, right? but guess what? "Cold" isn't a flavor....and furthermore it dulls ur taste buds. I'd think 90% of America would be smart enough to rely on their actual taste buds to tell them if something is good or not, but no, BMC marketing and brand loyalty is trying to destroy the craft of brewing.
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Or there's a helluva lot of people that like Light Lagers, myself included?
Yeah and I can find more craft beer in my grocery store or even drug store than I can find an AHB-inbev product. They're really squezing out the craft breweries. 
Funny, but where I live even our chain grocery stores carry more craft beer than they do macro beers. kroger's, Meijer's, even the local IGAs carry a huge selection of craft and imported beers, and devote more shelf space to said beers. Than they do to domestic light lagers these day. Even the most "Ghetto" of the liquor stores in Detroit have some alternatives to those beers.
My first "special" beer was Double Diamond Burton ale, bought in the kind of inner-city party store where the also kept the "chore boy" scrubbies and sold plastic roses in little glass test tubes at the front counter (if you don't know chore boy and little glass test tubes can be used to smoke crack with, they're quite popular in inner city stores.)
We also have 100 micro breweries in Michigan.
In fact I've been trying to find the Budweiser Brew Masters series that we've been talking about in other threads, and I JUST CAN'T FIND IT ANYWHERE.....I can find any craft, imported and micro beer that are distributed in my state, especially those brewed in Michigan easier than I can find the Budweiser product.
I've been buying imported and craft beers since 1986, and more of it every year. I just don't buy that they have as much power as you think they do. The genie is out of the bottle, the distributors, and the store owners know which side the bread is buttered, they have the real power. They know beer culture is here to stay and they know that a decent amount of the population nowadays is more interested in pay 17 dollars for a bottle of x craft beer. They know that they have to nowadays sell 2 cases of budlight, for every 12 dollar 4 pack of Founder's Breakfast Stout that a large segment of the population is clamoring for.
Or 1 Utopias for every 12 cases of Bush lite?
They're not going to allow the macro breweries to dictate to them how they have to make their money these days.....they're going to cover all bases.
The market drives things, not the producers.
So, from where I'm looking, where I can buy more craft beers, and attend beer tastings everyweek in my local pharmacy I find those "beerwars" arguments about how much power the "evil empire" has over beer distribution anymore about as believable as most 9-11 conspiracies.
This is a DRUGSTORE, where I buy my condoms and heart medication, not one of the dozen beer stores in a mile radious from there that have great beer selections, this is my PHARMACY.....They have three "Beer experts" on staff.
Here's a list....
You might notice they list 8 BMC type beers, and 70 craft, micros, imported, ciders, and meads.
And that's just one store.....If this is the result of a three tier system, than it's fine by me.
I think those arguments are just more looking for a reason to hate, than they're having that much of a stanglehold these days. There's room for it all.
These beersnob arguments are so tiring..... And just silly. Craft beer an endangered species, and bmc the evil empire...*yawn*
Funny, but where I live even our chain grocery stores carry more craft beer than they do macro beers. kroger's, Meijer's, even the local IGAs carry a huge selection of craft and imported beers, and devote more shelf space to said beers. Than they do to domestic light lagers these day. Even the most "Ghetto" of the liquor stores in Detroit have some alternatives to those beers.
My first "special" beer was Double Diamond Burton ale, bought in the kind of inner-city party store where the also kept the "chore boy" scrubbies and sold plastic roses in little glass test tubes at the front counter (if you don't know chore boy and little glass test tubes can be used to smoke crack with, they're quite popular in inner city stores.)
We also have 100 micro breweries in Michigan.
In fact I've been trying to find the Budweiser Brew Masters series that we've been talking about in other threads, and I JUST CAN'T FIND IT ANYWHERE.....I can find any craft, imported and micro beer that are distributed in my state, especially those brewed in Michigan easier than I can find the Budweiser product.
I've been buying imported and craft beers since 1986, and more of it every year. I just don't buy that they have as much power as you think they do. The genie is out of the bottle, the distributors, and the store owners know which side the bread is buttered, they have the real power. They know beer culture is here to stay and they know that a decent amount of the population nowadays is more interested in pay 17 dollars for a bottle of x craft beer. They know that they have to nowadays sell 2 cases of budlight, for every 12 dollar 4 pack of Founder's Breakfast Stout that a large segment of the population is clamoring for.
Or 1 Utopias for every 12 cases of Bush lite?
They're not going to allow the macro breweries to dictate to them how they have to make their money these days.....they're going to cover all bases.
The market drives things, not the producers.
So, from where I'm looking, where I can buy more craft beers, and attend beer tastings everyweek in my local pharmacy I find those "beerwars" arguments about how much power the "evil empire" has over beer distribution anymore about as believable as most 9-11 conspiracies.
This is a DRUGSTORE, where I buy my condoms and heart medication, not one of the dozen beer stores in a mile radious from there that have great beer selections, this is my PHARMACY.....They have three "Beer experts" on staff.
Here's a list....
You might notice they list 8 BMC type beers, and 70 craft, micros, imported, ciders, and meads.
And that's just one store.....If this is the result of a three tier system, than it's fine by me.
I think those arguments are just more looking for a reason to hate, than they're having that much of a stanglehold these days. There's room for it all.
These beersnob arguments are so tiring..... And just silly. Craft beer an endangered species, and bmc the evil empire...*yawn*
Funny you mention that. Me too.....I just posted this in the "What beers have you changed your mind about since you started brewing?" thread. And I think I killed the thread.
I'd love to get me some of that Black Crown. Seriously.
CityOChampBrew
Well-Known Member
If you want to make more of a mark next time try his beer and then tell him how it tastes like monkey piss, who knows you make like it. Whats free is free, it's not like you are giving them money if you are that hard against them.
Ostomo517
Well-Known Member
I agree Revvy the whole argument is a pitiful deal. Makes no real sense, I experience the same at my grocery store as far as selection, way more crafts than BMC beers. And when im gonna make a day of drinking its Labatt Blue for me......hopefully my Labatt doesnt drive craft beer out of existence.....ugh please.
I really don't care who makes the beer. If its good ill drink it, which is the reason why I don't enjoy any Inbev beers. They are a business and the reason you open a business is to make money. Some people love doing it also but if their is no profit there is no business. I do hate the fact that there are people out there that think beer is only light lagers but they haven't been exposed to the other side of things. I fell like its my job to try to educate those that are less fortunate and discover how amazing beer can be. Also loosen up man its just beer.
If you don't get my attitude, let me make it clearer for you. BMC HATES craft brews. They'll do anything in their power to put them under. Ok, so what u say. Well the problem is that they have a lot of effing money. They are continually buying craft breweries and making substandard products from what were once proud home-grown establishments. Take Goose Island for example, just follow beerpulse.com and see how many of the goose island guys have quit to work for real craft brewers. why? b/c InBev doesnt care about you AT ALL. Maybe thats fine with you, but it's not fine with me. If you follow Tony Magee, the founder of Lagunitas, u'll realize quickly what i'm talking about. BMC is trying to poison the craft brew culture, and frankly i don't like it. If they want to make american light lagers, fine, do it. but if they want to pass off substandard "crafty" products that they can distribute nationwide, i have a problem with that. None of those products proudly boast "Product of BMC". Why not? B/c they want to trick consumers into thinking it's homegrown and not mass produced by them. Wouldn't u want ur name on ur products? Sure you would, unless you were ashamed of them or trying to hide something. Maybe i'm over-reacting a bit, but when i saw it first hand today, it lit a fire under my @$$ and pissed me off. yeah im on a soap box, sorry, its a forum
I bought a 6 pack the other day that I thought was "craft" and it ended up being a coors product. I buy bud light because $12 an 18 pack is nice when I'm around pool putting em back. I think it's more a sign that they realize craft beer is becoming more popular and they want in on it. Not a bad business move, and then again I'm not anti big biz. If the craft breweries continue to put out good brews they won't have a problem. Guys like us will buy it.
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I'm pissed Bell's, Dogfishhead and others have expanded their distribution to Arizona. I wish they'd just stay small and local and not sell out with nationwide distribution, increased production, and increased profits. Greedy bastids.
Ostomo517
Well-Known Member
Still.at the end of the day the owners of those breweries are the ones selling out so maybe you should take your argument to them
CityOChampBrew
Well-Known Member
I'm with you, I'll try anything once... I'm just not rushing out to the store to buy it to try it..
Black Crown is one of the Project 12 beers, right? Have you tried the sampler? They're pretty good. They have a vanilla oaked on in there that's pretty tasty. Actually all three of the winners were worth trying. It's actually nice to see AHB doing something geared more to us craft beer drinkers.
I don't see the problem with MBC trying to squeeze in on the craft market, and anyone who would not give them the benefit of the doubt is as ignorant as someone who'd only drink BMC.
"No thanks, I don't like dark beers." - How often have you heard that from someone who simply refuses to even taste something different?
And now you're doing the same - MBC is trying to offer something different from that bland thing they call beer, and you dismiss it without even trying FOR FREE?!
What did you have to lose, except that stuck up pride?
"No thanks, I don't like dark beers." - How often have you heard that from someone who simply refuses to even taste something different?
And now you're doing the same - MBC is trying to offer something different from that bland thing they call beer, and you dismiss it without even trying FOR FREE?!
What did you have to lose, except that stuck up pride?
porky_pine
Well-Known Member
I wouldn't bother tasting any AB crap. I don't know anyone that drinks it either. There is a huge grocery store right across the street from my house and lucky for me I think they only carry craft beer. I don't remember the last time I saw BMC beer.
alright, maybe I didn't mention this in the beginning b/c i was ranting, but for me there's an actual point to buying from craft brewers rather than BMC. ....and this is earnest, I really really support American small(esque) businesses. NONE of BMC is American owned, but 99% of craft brews that I buy are. I like supporting the small guy, i want our economy to grow, that matters to me. So it may seem like i'm being a d!ck to BMC, but i don't care about Canada or Belgium's profit, and certainly not for a substandard product.
And furthermore, many states are different, but in Maryland, the ONLY place i can buy beer is in a liquor store. I dont have the luxury of having 70+ craft brews at my local drug store or grocery store, instead I there's no alcohol aside from listerine and rubbing alcohol. So you'll have to pardon me if i cannot just stumble to any random store to pick up booze, its one of the things that really sux about this state, but i'll deal with it, whatever.
The point I'm trying to make is that BMC is silently staging a war on craft breweries. maybe it will amount to nothing, but all im saying is that there's a reason that the rich kid always seems to be alright in the end.
And furthermore, many states are different, but in Maryland, the ONLY place i can buy beer is in a liquor store. I dont have the luxury of having 70+ craft brews at my local drug store or grocery store, instead I there's no alcohol aside from listerine and rubbing alcohol. So you'll have to pardon me if i cannot just stumble to any random store to pick up booze, its one of the things that really sux about this state, but i'll deal with it, whatever.
The point I'm trying to make is that BMC is silently staging a war on craft breweries. maybe it will amount to nothing, but all im saying is that there's a reason that the rich kid always seems to be alright in the end.
I have no "stuck up pride". its about quality craftsmanship and brewers that care about their consumers. Do you like buying from a corporation who does 't give a damn about you or would you rather buy from people who are just like you, who make beer because they love it. Maybe you don't care, but i do, thats all i'm saying.
Read it yourself if you want to:
http://beerpulse.com/2012/11/lagunitas-owner-calls-out-millercoors-a-b-inbev-on-twitter/
Varmintman
Well-Known Member
I get tired and I mean really tired of defending the BMC folks and honestly these threads show up fairly often.
I like Bud Light and often drink it. That is my choice and I am not going to change it. Other folks do not like BMC and that is fine as well. But for petes sake folks stop bashing the beer because YOU do not like it. I do not like IPAs at all and you will not hear me bashing it.
Now go and have a beer be it a BMC or a craft beer and while drinking it remember IT IS JUST BEER.
I like Bud Light and often drink it. That is my choice and I am not going to change it. Other folks do not like BMC and that is fine as well. But for petes sake folks stop bashing the beer because YOU do not like it. I do not like IPAs at all and you will not hear me bashing it.
Now go and have a beer be it a BMC or a craft beer and while drinking it remember IT IS JUST BEER.
Ostomo517
Well-Known Member
CityOChampBrew
Well-Known Member
Have not had the chance to try em yet... I am always up for something new though.
@Mcmalty
Drinking free beer from ahb would be cutting into their profits as they are giving away that sample with no hopes of winning you as a customer so I would see it as sticking it to them and drink their free beer
Hogarthe
Well-Known Member
I think the Black Crown is the amber lager from the Project 12 pack.... it is pretty good. I hate Budwieser, just never have liked it. But all 3 in the variety pack were drinkable. Not exceptional, for my tastes, but good. I think they really did put in some effort into them. And the Black Crown is sold as Budweiser Black Crown, so there is no attempt to hide it or pretend it is a craft beer. That does happen, I've bought a couple beers at the store that I then looked up online and found they were really a Pabst product.
and the whole argument of people only drinking BMC because of marketing, or because they haven't ever tried anything else. I work with a guy who has tried just about every beer sold in town, but his favorites are Bud, Bud Light and Busch. He honestly likes the flavor of those beers. Another friend, I've gotten him to try tons of beer Everything from stout to belgians to ipa. He likes Coors Light, because in his words "it has the least flavor". He doesn't want a lot of flavor in a beer. every time he tries one I give him, he hates it. just because you don't like BMC doesn't mean other people don't really like it.
maybe instead of bashing BMC all the time, appreciate the fact they bothered to come out with a beer that has a little flavor and might be enjoyable to more craft drinkers.
and the whole argument of people only drinking BMC because of marketing, or because they haven't ever tried anything else. I work with a guy who has tried just about every beer sold in town, but his favorites are Bud, Bud Light and Busch. He honestly likes the flavor of those beers. Another friend, I've gotten him to try tons of beer Everything from stout to belgians to ipa. He likes Coors Light, because in his words "it has the least flavor". He doesn't want a lot of flavor in a beer. every time he tries one I give him, he hates it. just because you don't like BMC doesn't mean other people don't really like it.
maybe instead of bashing BMC all the time, appreciate the fact they bothered to come out with a beer that has a little flavor and might be enjoyable to more craft drinkers.
bobbrewedit
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This is the part I agree with wholeheartedly...I enjoy bud light on a hot a$$ day, but have stopped buying it since they got bought up...its just my thing. I buy Red Wing boots and anything else I can prove to myself is somehow going to benefit another American...hell, I still only buy American cars and lord knows what a stretch it is to still call them American made.
CityOChampBrew
Well-Known Member
Can someone PLEASE Define an american made car to me?? You buy ford or GM or whatever... and what you get is components that are built in China or Mexico and just assembled here?? Nothing is truely american made... it sucks..
i'm not hating on people who like BMC, that's fine. I appreciate people like your buddy who has tried them and prefers beer with "less flavor", that's totally fine, i wouldn't try to dictate anyone's personal preference. And it's not that I have a problem with BMC making beers with more flavor. I'm not bashing them for that. What i have a problem with is them claiming they are "in partnership with craft breweries" when they actually own the "craft" breweries they are referring to, but refuse to put their name on. Why? b/c it damages that product. Sure, that may make business sense, but if simply associating your name with something is damaging....there's something wrong with what you're doing in the first place. And I am bashing them for all their efforts to abolish their craft competition and their overall condescending attitude towards craft as merely a fad. I may be speaking rashly, but i'm well informed.
Yeah and I can find more craft beer in my grocery store or even drug store than I can find an AHB-inbev product. They're really squezing out the craft breweries.
Funny, but where I live even our chain grocery stores carry more craft beer than they do macro beers. kroger's, Meijer's, even the local IGAs carry a huge selection of craft and imported beers, and devote more shelf space to said beers. Than they do to domestic light lagers these day. Even the most "Ghetto" of the liquor stores in Detroit have some alternatives to those beers.
My first "special" beer was Double Diamond Burton ale, bought in the kind of inner-city party store where the also kept the "chore boy" scrubbies and sold plastic roses in little glass test tubes at the front counter (if you don't know chore boy and little glass test tubes can be used to smoke crack with, they're quite popular in inner city stores.)
We also have 100 micro breweries in Michigan.
In fact I've been trying to find the Budweiser Brew Masters series that we've been talking about in other threads, and I JUST CAN'T FIND IT ANYWHERE.....I can find any craft, imported and micro beer that are distributed in my state, especially those brewed in Michigan easier than I can find the Budweiser product.
I've been buying imported and craft beers since 1986, and more of it every year. I just don't buy that they have as much power as you think they do. The genie is out of the bottle, the distributors, and the store owners know which side the bread is buttered, they have the real power. They know beer culture is here to stay and they know that a decent amount of the population nowadays is more interested in pay 17 dollars for a bottle of x craft beer. They know that they have to nowadays sell 2 cases of budlight, for every 12 dollar 4 pack of Founder's Breakfast Stout that a large segment of the population is clamoring for.
Or 1 Utopias for every 12 cases of Bush lite?
They're not going to allow the macro breweries to dictate to them how they have to make their money these days.....they're going to cover all bases.
The market drives things, not the producers.
So, from where I'm looking, where I can buy more craft beers, and attend beer tastings everyweek in my local pharmacy I find those "beerwars" arguments about how much power the "evil empire" has over beer distribution anymore about as believable as most 9-11 conspiracies.
This is a DRUGSTORE, where I buy my condoms and heart medication, not one of the dozen beer stores in a mile radious from there that have great beer selections, this is my PHARMACY.....They have three "Beer experts" on staff.
Here's a list....
You might notice they list 8 BMC type beers, and 70 craft, micros, imported, ciders, and meads.
And that's just one store.....If this is the result of a three tier system, than it's fine by me.
I think those arguments are just more looking for a reason to hate, than they're having that much of a stanglehold these days. There's room for it all.
These beersnob arguments are so tiring..... And just silly. Craft beer an endangered species, and bmc the evil empire...*yawn*
revvy i respect you but what you see up there is not the norm (atleast not dow here...unfortunately)
at the store i work at BMC has 1/2 the aisle for beer because of selling purposes.
I love craft beer and have tried everything we offer which is why i dont buy beer from my store anymore
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Think of the 10s of thousands of jobs InBev provides to American citizens, either directly or indirectly. Farmers, maltsters, brewers, aluminium companies, truck drivers, sales reps, distributors, promotors, regulators, bar/restaurant owners, etc.
InBev is good for the American economy.
What, say it ain't so???
thank you
SpentGrains
Well-Known Member
I'm glad people like OP are passionate about beer, without people like him there would be no craft beer, no beer movement. Hell if we all loved light lager so much when why are we homebrewing everything but?
BMC is the fast food joints of beer and operate on the same principles. They are available, reasonably priced, and taste the same everywhere you buy it. McDonalds sells more burgers than any other joint; can anyone in this thread honestly tell me that they make the best hamburger? Market share doesn't mean they sell the best product, only that they are the best at selling product.
I eat McDonalds more than I care to admit, but I don't go out of my way to try their new fancy pants burger, or try to tell people that they have a stick up their hole if they don't eat it. I also don't blame someone for boycotting McDonalds because of their ingredients or poor wages.
BMC is the fast food joints of beer and operate on the same principles. They are available, reasonably priced, and taste the same everywhere you buy it. McDonalds sells more burgers than any other joint; can anyone in this thread honestly tell me that they make the best hamburger? Market share doesn't mean they sell the best product, only that they are the best at selling product.
I eat McDonalds more than I care to admit, but I don't go out of my way to try their new fancy pants burger, or try to tell people that they have a stick up their hole if they don't eat it. I also don't blame someone for boycotting McDonalds because of their ingredients or poor wages.
you are welcome....? lol
yea it sucks having to go support a competitor rather than my employer because they want profits
so it comes down to convience rather than quality? cause CA has some quality FFburger joints
CityOChampBrew
Well-Known Member
I wouldn't be caught dead eating McD's but if you handed me a free bud I would drink the h@@@ out of it.. Difference is I love beer, but I'm not going to poison myself with some cr@ppy tasting burger or whatever. Would I buy bud.. no but I'm not going to turn a free one down.
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