Beer Boycott

abracadabra said:

Call it what you will in our system it's officially called a contribution.

And I'm not saying "oh well" I am saying if you don't like it DO something to change it. If you don't have money you may have time. There is some contribution anyone and everyone can make to effect change even if it is only to vote.

But in our current system a corporation is simply an entity comprised of people organized to make money. And anyone can lobby for legislation they deem desirable or against what they consider harmful. It's as easy to write your congressman as it is to post on this site.

I wrote the governor of my fair state and asked him to veto a bill passed by the Georgia legislature. And he did! Was it on the force of my agrument alone, I seriouly doubt it. But I may have contributed in some small way in effectively blocking a harmful bill from becoming law.

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Hmm... a letter from me, or millions of dollars from big business...

I guess you simply have more faith in politicians than I do.

lunchbox said:

Who is "we"? I sure hope you aren't lumping me in that category.

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Pretty much everyone but big business. In real free trade, there's no anti-monopoly laws. There's no unions. There's no workers rights.

springer said:

Pepsi and Coke do the same thing with marketing,distribution and shelf space. Why not boycott them? Ooooh ya not many of make our own sodas . I will drink a Miller or a Coors product without shame at times they fit the activity. I don't like Bud so I don't drink it.

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I don't like Miller so I don't drink it. Good call. Oh Love the avatar.:rockin:

Everyone is right, just about all the Big brewers here in the states are no longer American owned. If I'm on a budget, I'll get Miller Lite, but when i have the money to spend, you will find me drinking Guinness or some craft beer.

I'm drinking an Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout from North Coast Brewing Co. and i dont think i could drink a better beer!. Next, I'll pour a pint glass on Great Lakes Brewing Co., Edmund Fitzgerald. Does it get any better then porters and stouts?

gunner65 said:

If that movie twists your knickers then watch these:

King Corn
Food Inc.

I was pissed and sick after food Inc.

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I'll add, watch the movie Fresh. It's a fantastic discussion of where agriculture is in this country.

As for the OP. I would give up drinking bier before drinking anything made by Anheuser Busch. Never again unless by accident will AB products cross my lips. I do purchase stuff that they have a stock in/distribute such as Redhook but may eventually stop that practice. I find AB to be a morally bankrupt company, I can not in good conscious support them or other similarly immoral corporations.

I also read somewhere that someone stated that not all craft bier is good and not all macro beer is bad. In general I agree with this, certainly on the microbrewery side. Many micros simply can't make good bier, and many have to make marginally decent biers to stay in the black. For example our bier culture in Misisipi is non-existant. Our only microbrewery, Lazy Magnolia, contracted their offerings close to 3 years ago paring it down to 5 biers in an attempt to bottle their full line-up. In doing so they like any good business kept 5 of the 6 top sellers. They eliminated what I and most bier enthusiast think were 3 of their top biers Amberjack, Par 3, and Blue Heron and wound up keeping some of their more bland offerings. Yet I still support them as they are making some decent bier and fighting to change bier culture in this miserable bier state.

Schlante,
Phillip

Synovia said:

Pretty much everyone but big business. In real free trade, there's no anti-monopoly laws. There's no unions. There's no workers rights.

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Unions do not equal workers rights.

South African Breweries has become a monster. Now SABMiller, they own Pilsner Urquell, Gambrinus, Grolsch etc etc.
SAB has killed virtually all forms of competition in South Africa. We have Namibian Breweries and a couple of others but not many can compete with the might of SABMiller.
Lately a couple of micros have sprung up but my fear is as soon as they start doing well they will be pressured out.

An example of how they do this is - they pay for pub fridges, bar counters etc on condition the bar only sells their products. Same for the liquor stores.
Unfortunately, to most people, SABMiller beers represents good beer and there is no appreciation for anything else.

Of Hansa "Pilsener" a well known beer critic said : "this beer has virtually no flavour, which, for a South African beer is somewhat of a moral victory."

A boycott of anything SAB is a good call. Trouble is they're so big and powerfull it wouldn't help.

All I remember from the early 80's in Cape Town was Castle, Lion, or Hansa.......Luckily, SA has a LOT of excellent wine in the Cape province.

I drank one hell of a lot of wine in my time there.

Munsoned said:

American companies? Miller/Coors/AB?

South African/Canadian/Belgian?

I understand that they still employ some folks in the US, and generally give a pretty decent wage though...

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Wow, I can't believe it took to the 13th post for someone to point this out.

I would boycot this, but when a keg of bud light costs $100 just imagine what a keg of something good costs. I don't have the time to brew enough beer to throw a party with, and dont have the money to buy the good stuff. BUT it gets me drunk, so it works.

Going back to my post. If you are true to your boycott, make sure you research every beer brand that BMC owns a part of.

I'm willing to bet it's going to knock out many of your favorite craft/micros.

I have been doing this for a long time now, but recently I moved to Dallas TX. Around here I almost have to boycott entire bars, because the big 3 are all that is served. Thank god for the flying saucer....

I don't mind BMC. They fill their role just fine. I don't really drink any because I'm not a fan, but I won't turn one down if offered (Let's not forget the best beer is free beer!). They're filling the demand of what the majority of beer drinkers want, you can't fault them for that. And as someone else said there's over 1500 breweries in the US now, I'd hardly say BMC is suffocating the market too bad.

If you don't like BMC, then don't drink it. But don't knock em for what they do - that is fulfilling the demand of their consumers.

As for Wal-Mart. I shop there all the time. Sorry, low prices are just too good. Call me a curmudgeon all you want.

McKBrew said:

Going back to my post. If you are true to your boycott, make sure you research every beer brand that BMC owns a part of.

I'm willing to bet it's going to knock out many of your favorite craft/micros.

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That's a good point. I knew that AB owned part of Red Hook, but I didn't know they owned part of Kona and Goose Island. Even if AB does indirectly own part of them, I won't be boycotting Kona anytime soon.

BKmyWAY said:

I have been doing this for a long time now, but recently I moved to Dallas TX. Around here I almost have to boycott entire bars, because the big 3 are all that is served. Thank god for the flying saucer....

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Yeah, Texas kicks ass at a lot of things, but beer selection is not one of them. At least you're in a major city. It's really rough out here in the middle of nowhere.