AB acquired Wicked Weed

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It's at the fuzzy edge of the line - there's things they can't do regarding competition, but they go right to the line and occasionally a toe over it.

Like any other big corporation that is trying to get as close to a monopoly as legally possible.

Either way, I don't think we're going to stop InBev by boycotting their craft beer lines. It only hurts the actual craft brewery and the people that work there. I believe WW and the others retained most of their operational staff after merging with AB, but I could be wrong.

AB makes enough off of their traditional stuff to do what they want anyways. Way more Bud-heavy drinkers than craft beer drinkers...Hell, I take a case with me down the river!
 
We can only hope for better distribution out of this whole thing.

Honestly, does this really bother all of you? Who cares?

If AB offered you $1 billion dollars for your brewery you wouldn't take it, because it would mean your "selling out!" Get real...

I would take the $1 billion, but not be hypocritical and dishonest by trying to contend that my brewery was still "craft" or obscuring the true ownership.
 
Like any other big corporation that is trying to get as close to a monopoly as legally possible.
Agreed - and I'm not faulting them for doing this, just some of their methods.

Either way, I don't think we're going to stop InBev by boycotting their craft beer lines. It only hurts the actual craft brewery and the people that work there. I believe WW and the others retained most of their operational staff after merging with AB, but I could be wrong.
Agreed as well. And I do feel bad for most of the employees, the guy who cleans out the mash tun, sets up the bottler, etc. They don't have much say in what happens with their company (neither does any other industry) but I wonder how many of them don't care who signs their paycheck, versus those who got into it with pride of working for a craft brewer, a small neighborhood company and all of a sudden they're working for the biggest beer conglomerate in the world, who is bent of squeezing the small guys off the shelves and taps of every place possible.
I also don't blame the owners - wave that big a check under my nose and I would have a really hard time saying no, no matter what else.
AB makes enough off of their traditional stuff to do what they want anyways. Way more Bud-heavy drinkers than craft beer drinkers...Hell, I take a case with me down the river!
Agreed also. I bet ABInbev makes more profit off Bud Light in a day versus what they are making in a year off the dozen craft brewers they've bought in the past 10years. But it's not just the profit that drives them, it's also getting their name out as far as it can go, not that anyone in the industrialized world hasn't heard of Budweiser.
 
I would take the $1 billion, but not be hypocritical and dishonest by trying to contend that my brewery was still "craft" or obscuring the true ownership.

But who gets to define what makes a brewery "craft" and in all honesty, what does it mean anyways?

Webster's defines craft as a "skill in planning, making, or executing" and "an occupation or trade requiring manual dexterity or artistic skill." Which could apply to every brewery, big and small.

Who started this craft beer paradigm?

If AB took your all-time favorite ever craft brew and renamed it Bud 2.0, you'd stop buying it?
 
That in no way makes all their anti-competitve illegal practices acceptable.

Illegal? What laws are they breaking?

I've yet to see any anti-competitve practices? Buying up a small percentage of the market is hardly anti-competitve, it's just business. No one is going out of business because AB bought another small brewery! Honestly, what is so unacceptable about expanding your business?

All I'm saying is that if WW beers don't change, and operational staff was given the option to stay. What harm is done? Seems like it's providing these breweries with greater resources/distribution/stablility.

Now if AB starts closing all these breweries that it's purchasing then I'll start to get upset. Maybe they'll buy Fuller's so I can get it cheaper than $13/4-pack. Or maybe they'll buy Pilsner Urquell and brew it here so I can get some of that fresh stuff out of the tank. I love that sh*t...

Maybe we should drop this misconception that craft breweries cannot remain "craft" breweries if they're owned by one of the big guys?
 
Illegal? What laws are they breaking?

Do some research. Busted in CA for pay-to-play. Busted in WA for pay-to-play.

http://goodbeerhunting.com/sightlin...es-anheuser-busch-wholesalers-for-pay-to-play

I've yet to see any anti-competitve practices?

Paying "indepenent" distributors to drop craft beer is anti-competitve. Buying "independent" distributors is anti-competitive. Lobbing for laws that make things difficult for small brewers is anti-competitive.

Watch Beer Wars sometime. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1326194/
 
Do some research. Busted in CA for pay-to-play. Busted in WA for pay-to-play.

http://goodbeerhunting.com/sightlin...es-anheuser-busch-wholesalers-for-pay-to-play



Paying "indepenent" distributors to drop craft beer is anti-competitve. Buying "independent" distributors is anti-competitive. Lobbing for laws that make things difficult for small brewers is anti-competitive.

Watch Beer Wars sometime. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1326194/

Arrrgghhh...you got me! I like a good debate. :mug: Yeah, they got fined but the SEC is like the EPA, an income source for the federal government. The real enemy. haha.

From what I read, the one in CA was for "paying for refrigeration units, television sets, and draft systems at Southern California retailers." Sounds like ensuring proper display of merchandise. Maybe to the extreme, but you see what I'm getting at. The other was for "paying two Seattle concert venues to exclusively sell products “supplied by a ‘Budweiser’ distributor." This seems like a stretch...Don't most venues go exclusively one brand or another depending on who pays the most? Kind of like advertising...I'm probably wrong again.

Maybe I'm just confused as to how so many craft breweries (the ones who even make bad beer and have distribution) continue to open when it is so hard to make it in an AB dominated market. The number of craft breweries only continues to grow.....I guess time will only tell. For now I will enjoy all of this delicious beer regardless whose truck it's being delivered by. RDWHAHB :tank:
 
Where are you getting "its so hard to make it in an AB dominated market" from??

When was that said?

What's been said is that InBev is trying to whatever they can to squash craft beer (however you define that). On the one hand, sure every company wants to crush their competition but on the other, they continue to try to do it illegally and they are trying to do everything they can to eliminate small breweries a lot of consumers are passionate about.

And sorry... the "whaaaaat? C'mmmmmon... it's only a little illegal" position is bullshti.
 
In fact, it makes it more difficult for new breweries to break into the market.

This!!! Kind of got this whole debate in motion....and then got twisted into legalese. But the pot-stirrer that I am couldn't stop. HAHAHA

Anyways, next you all are going to try to tell me to stop buying fuel because the EPA has fined all of the oil companies for one thing or another. Law is interpretive, and sure AB probably pushes their interpretation to the extreme.

These big companies are necessary evils, and I don't see a decline in the craft beer market due to their marketing or business tactics. The craft beer market only continues to grow...

EDIT: and I'm really just having fun here, no hard feelings I love you all!
 
I don't see a decline in the craft beer market due to their marketing or business tactics.

I sure do. Last trip I took, the only beer at the airport was InBev.

Another example, Deschutes dropped from distribution.

http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/...raft-brewers-concerned-over-new-a-b-nbev.html

Another example, 6 more breweries dropped from distribution.

http://www.stltoday.com/entertainme...cle_073584a8-4e2b-5662-a86b-932c4c5d850e.html

No big deal, right, they can just sign with another distributor. Unfortunately, Krey (owned by Busch) controls 70% of the market in that region. Switching to another distributor will massively damage sales for those breweries. Customer selection suffers.
 
I sure do. Last trip I took, the only beer at the airport was InBev.

Another example, Deschutes dropped from distribution.

http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/...raft-brewers-concerned-over-new-a-b-nbev.html

Another example, 6 more breweries dropped from distribution.

http://www.stltoday.com/entertainme...cle_073584a8-4e2b-5662-a86b-932c4c5d850e.html

No big deal, right, they can just sign with another distributor. Unfortunately, Krey (owned by Busch) controls 70% of the market in that region. Switching to another distributor will massively damage sales for those breweries. Customer selection suffers.


Dude, the airport? Really...hahahahaha

Excuse my lack of knowledge regarding behind the scenes activity, but are you saying that these craft breweries are using a Busch owned distributors in the first place? So without this distributor (owned by AB) they wouldn't be distributing anyways, right? Like I said, a necessary evil!
 
Can someone explain how ABI is able to control distributors? I always found that hard to understand given the three tier system we have.

It's a tough crowd. Good luck buddy! :mug:
 
I sure do. Last trip I took, the only beer at the airport was InBev.
.


Did you order a Coke or a Pepsi? Because you couldn't order one of each.

And I used to be a 100K a year flyer and could always find good beer in all but the smallest of airports so you may be exaggerating a wee bit. ;)
 
This!!! Kind of got this whole debate in motion....and then got twisted into legalese. But the pot-stirrer that I am couldn't stop. HAHAHA

Anyways, next you all are going to try to tell me to stop buying fuel because the EPA has fined all of the oil companies for one thing or another. Law is interpretive, and sure AB probably pushes their interpretation to the extreme.

These big companies are necessary evils, and I don't see a decline in the craft beer market due to their marketing or business tactics. The craft beer market only continues to grow...

EDIT: and I'm really just having fun here, no hard feelings I love you all!


How many of the 5,000+ current breweries have production levels below of 500 bbls? How many are below 1,500 bbls?

You keep equating "breaking into the market" with a level, legal, and fair playing field... which... I think is ignorant and naive at best.

Yes, there are a ton of breweries popping up everywhere so "getting into the market", isn't the problem. The problem is when these small breweries start to grow in any way and can't get into tap accounts or shelf space, which stunts their growth dramatically, because InBev is a "necessary evil" by breaking the law and doing everything they can to lock craft breweries out of the market.

You can stir the pot all you want... just try to have even a mildly intelligent position to bring to the conversation. This is a pretty open community regarding new ideas (hell, NEIPAs... the #2 value meal of beer is all the rage these days). If you state a position that has even a little intelligence behind it, folks will generally at least listen.
 
Can someone explain how ABI is able to control distributors? I always found that hard to understand given the three tier system we have.

They also kickback payments to distributors. The less non-InBev products they carry, the larger the kickback.
 
You can stir the pot all you want... just try to have even a mildly intelligent position to bring to the conversation

Not being a "craft beer" radical makes my position lack intelligent backing? How is that some newly established craft breweries take off and become successful, while others don't? That's because not all craft breweries make good beer (according to my palate, chill!), and I don't feel I need to support an inferior product simply because it's labeled a craft beer. Maybe some of you do!?

This all kind of started by me saying that I will still buy Wicked Weed beers, because they make good beer!!!! I don't care who owns them. Whatever...AB has shady business practices, but good luck stopping them so why get your feathers ruffled by it? I tend to reserve my worries for more important matters.

Some people probably want me to stop drinking Founder's, one of my favorite craft breweries, because they're technically no longer craft according to subjective arbitrary qualifiers.


If you state a position that has even a little intelligence behind it, folks will generally at least listen.

Your response alone implies listening. I'm not trying to rally people...

Go hit the wall again bro!

https://accessphilanthropy.com/funders/anheuser-busch-foundation/ You're right they're monsters...
 
Not being a "craft beer" radical makes my position lack intelligent backing?

No, you not having a basic understanding of the situation makes you position lack intelligent backing. You asked what laws they had broken as if making the point that none had been. You were then given several examples which you just simply dismissed. Again... you didn't have a basic understanding of the situation.

How is that some newly established craft breweries take off and become successful, while others don't? That's because not all craft breweries make good beer (according to my palate, chill!), and I don't feel I need to support an inferior product simply because it's labeled a craft beer. Maybe some of you do!? ?

Ok. Not sure what this has to do with InBev in anyway and I don't remember anyone telling you that you need to support inferior craft breweries. Not sure what your point is.

This all kind of started by me saying that I will still buy Wicked Weed beers, because they make good beer!!!! I don't care who owns them.

Buy em. A ton of people will still buy Wicked Weed. I might be wrong but I am willing to bet that if we polled the folks on this entire site (and this thread specifically), very few people would care what beer you buy.

Whatever...AB has shady business practices, but good luck stopping them so why get your feathers ruffled by it? I tend to reserve my worries for more important matters.

That's so ridiculous, and speaks volumes all on its own, that I don't even to provide the counterpoint.


Some people probably want me to stop drinking Founder's, one of my favorite craft breweries, because they're technically no longer craft according to subjective arbitrary qualifiers.
.

Like I said above, I don't really think there are a material number of people who care what beer you buy.


Your response alone implies listening. I'm not trying to rally people...

Go hit the wall again bro!

https://accessphilanthropy.com/funders/anheuser-busch-foundation/ You're right they're monsters...


So... as long as someone gives to charity, any other activity they are involved in becomes acceptable? Interesting concept. So I rob a bank and walk away with $500k.... if I give... what? $50k (c'mon, that's TEN percent) to local charity... it's all good?
 
Not being a "craft beer" radical makes my position lack intelligent backing?

No, you not having a basic understanding of the situation makes you position lack intelligent backing. You asked what laws they had broken as if making the point that none had been. You were then given several examples which you just simply dismissed. Again... you didn't have a basic understanding of the situation.

How is that some newly established craft breweries take off and become successful, while others don't? That's because not all craft breweries make good beer (according to my palate, chill!), and I don't feel I need to support an inferior product simply because it's labeled a craft beer. Maybe some of you do!? ?

Ok. Not sure what this has to do with InBev in anyway and I don't remember anyone telling you that you need to support inferior craft breweries. Not sure what your point is.

This all kind of started by me saying that I will still buy Wicked Weed beers, because they make good beer!!!! I don't care who owns them.

Buy em. A ton of people will still buy Wicked Weed. I might be wrong but I am willing to bet that if we polled the folks on this entire site (and this thread specifically), very few people would care what beer you buy.

Whatever...AB has shady business practices, but good luck stopping them so why get your feathers ruffled by it? I tend to reserve my worries for more important matters.

That's so ridiculous, and speaks volumes all on its own, that I don't even to provide the counterpoint.


Some people probably want me to stop drinking Founder's, one of my favorite craft breweries, because they're technically no longer craft according to subjective arbitrary qualifiers.
.

Like I said above, I don't really think there are a material number of people who care what beer you buy.


Your response alone implies listening. I'm not trying to rally people...

Go hit the wall again bro!

https://accessphilanthropy.com/funders/anheuser-busch-foundation/ You're right they're monsters...


So... as long as someone gives to charity, any other activity they are involved in becomes acceptable? Interesting concept. So I rob a bank and walk away with $500k.... if I give... what? $50k (c'mon, that's TEN percent) to local charity... it's all good?
 
No, you not having a basic understanding of the situation makes you position lack intelligent backing. You asked what laws they had broken as if making the point that none had been. You were then given several examples which you just simply dismissed. Again... you didn't have a basic understanding of the situation.



Ok. Not sure what this has to do with InBev in anyway and I don't remember anyone telling you that you need to support inferior craft breweries. Not sure what your point is.



Buy em. A ton of people will still buy Wicked Weed. I might be wrong but I am willing to bet that if we polled the folks on this entire site (and this thread specifically), very few people would care what beer you buy.



That's so ridiculous, and speaks volumes all on its own, that I don't even to provide the counterpoint.




Like I said above, I don't really think there are a material number of people who care what beer you buy.





So... as long as someone gives to charity, any other activity they are involved in becomes acceptable? Interesting concept. So I rob a bank and walk away with $500k.... if I give... what? $50k (c'mon, that's TEN percent) to local charity... it's all good?


This is getting hilarious. I dont even know what were talking about anymore...:drunk:

I guess if I had a brewery that was roughly the same age as Wicked Weed and I wasn't nearly as successful I'd be a little bitter about this topic too. Hell, i'd be frustrated and I'd probably blame someone for my own decision to enter this tough market as well. If you want to blame AB for your growth, then by all means.

The point I'm making is that Wicked Weed, and many others have gained tremendous success in this AB domintated market! Good beer and good business decisions can beat them!

Thanks for the education. I've learned a lot, honestly. You win. I just like getting people gased up sometimes, but I didn't mean to get your :goat: I apologize!

EDIT: I applaud your effort in the last post
 
You could have saved yourself the trouble and read the first 400 posts where basically, every issue had been discussed and argued to a Bitter End. I was going to send this when this discussion started again but I appreciate that there were some new glimmers of knowledge.
 
You could have saved yourself the trouble and read the first 400 posts where basically, every issue had been discussed and argued to a Bitter End. I was going to send this when this discussion started again but I appreciate that there were some new glimmers of knowledge.

It's just too fun tho :mug:
 
Well judging from my hour wait for a table last night, they haven't really lost business, just respect in the brewing community. It was completely packed, and their beer was as good as always, especially over in the Funkatorium.
 
Well judging from my hour wait for a table last night, they haven't really lost business, just respect in the brewing community. It was completely packed, and their beer was as good as always, especially over in the Funkatorium.

You went and DRANK beer at a place owned by the devil? Dude, you just lost your home brew card, your HBT account is banned, and all your beers will turn to vinegar!

;)
 
Awesome to hear madking. Man I can't wait for the distribution, here. Anyways, as always, we are all on the same side here and if there's a time to take action, I'm sure many of us will. Some already have claiming, when the future arrives it will be too late to take action. For me rdwahahb
 
How many of the 5,000+ current breweries have production levels below of 500 bbls? How many are below 1,500 bbls?

You keep equating "breaking into the market" with a level, legal, and fair playing field... which... I think is ignorant and naive at best.

Yes, there are a ton of breweries popping up everywhere so "getting into the market", isn't the problem. The problem is when these small breweries start to grow in any way and can't get into tap accounts or shelf space, which stunts their growth dramatically, because InBev is a "necessary evil" by breaking the law and doing everything they can to lock craft breweries out of the market.

Only one counterpoint here...

There's only so much shelf space and so many tap lines available.

5000 breweries can't ALL get on the shelves. No matter what ABI does. There's not enough room.

I mean, you look at San Diego, a county with 125 breweries. How are all those breweries going to get onto supermarket (or even liquor store) shelves? They're not.

And that's okay.

I spent the holiday weekend in Napa/Sonoma, and the wine industry is somewhat of a good example. There are >8,000 wineries in the US. The vast majority of the industry is controlled by the "big guys", but there's still enough room for 8,000 wineries. Do 7,000 of those wineries think they're going to be the next Mondavi? No, not really. They're small-scale operations producing maybe a few thousand cases of wine per year. And yet they succeed. I visited wineries I've never heard of before, and ended up bringing home a little over a case of assorted wine from my visits (and yes, a case of half Pliny and half Blind Pig :D )

We as craft beer fans need to stop assuming that all of these breweries are being locked out of being "the next Ballast" or "the next Stone". There's only so much room for breweries to exist at that scale. But the US market will undoubtedly support more breweries than wineries, because as the market develops, the market will support it. Maybe not on every supermarket shelf, but little neighborhood breweries or decent-sized brewpub restaurants can easily exist all over the nation alongside ABI and The High End without ANY difficulty.

We should fight where we need to fight. We should fight any attempt by ABI to create laws which benefit them at the expense of the small brewers. We should fight for self-distribution rights that bypass three-tier for small breweries (as we have in CA, one of the few states w/o the three-tier system and independent breweries are thriving). We should fight for a robust independent brewing scene.

But let's not delude ourselves into thinking that every 500-bbl brewery has the capability to become a 5,000-bbl brewery if only ABI would get out of the way. That's not going to happen. What we should do is cheer those 500-bbl breweries and continue visiting them and enjoying their beers even if Wicked Weed gets nationwide distribution.
 
Only one counterpoint here...



There's only so much shelf space and so many tap lines available.



5000 breweries can't ALL get on the shelves. No matter what ABI does. There's not enough room.



I mean, you look at San Diego, a county with 125 breweries. How are all those breweries going to get onto supermarket (or even liquor store) shelves? They're not.



And that's okay.



I spent the holiday weekend in Napa/Sonoma, and the wine industry is somewhat of a good example. There are >8,000 wineries in the US. The vast majority of the industry is controlled by the "big guys", but there's still enough room for 8,000 wineries. Do 7,000 of those wineries think they're going to be the next Mondavi? No, not really. They're small-scale operations producing maybe a few thousand cases of wine per year. And yet they succeed. I visited wineries I've never heard of before, and ended up bringing home a little over a case of assorted wine from my visits (and yes, a case of half Pliny and half Blind Pig :D )



We as craft beer fans need to stop assuming that all of these breweries are being locked out of being "the next Ballast" or "the next Stone". There's only so much room for breweries to exist at that scale. But the US market will undoubtedly support more breweries than wineries, because as the market develops, the market will support it. Maybe not on every supermarket shelf, but little neighborhood breweries or decent-sized brewpub restaurants can easily exist all over the nation alongside ABI and The High End without ANY difficulty.



We should fight where we need to fight. We should fight any attempt by ABI to create laws which benefit them at the expense of the small brewers. We should fight for self-distribution rights that bypass three-tier for small breweries (as we have in CA, one of the few states w/o the three-tier system and independent breweries are thriving). We should fight for a robust independent brewing scene.



But let's not delude ourselves into thinking that every 500-bbl brewery has the capability to become a 5,000-bbl brewery if only ABI would get out of the way. That's not going to happen. What we should do is cheer those 500-bbl breweries and continue visiting them and enjoying their beers even if Wicked Weed gets nationwide distribution.


All I'll add is thats we shouldn't delude ourselves into thinking the millions of dollars ABI had already racked up in fines (and continue to rack up), are for harmless little acts that don't have an effect on craft breweries. That, and this argument of "whatta ya mean? There are a ton of craft breweries. It can't be a big deal", is ridiculous.
 
I was watching a documentary on craft beer and they featured a group here in Colorado (Black Shirt Brewing) and they said you can self-distribute here in Colorado. I did not know that and it's pretty cool.

They were addressing sales to liquor stores but I'm going to assume it's the same rule(s) for bars and restaurants.
 
Massachusetts allows for self-distribution as well.

The issue is when there is a fight for the above-mentioned tight shelf-space and one competitor breaks the law by doing things like "donating" entire beer coolers which they then expect to have serious say as to what can and can not go into them. That's what ABI is facing charges for in Mass.
 
there's still enough room for 8,000 wineries. Do 7,000 of those wineries think they're going to be the next Mondavi? No, not really. They're small-scale operations producing maybe a few thousand cases of wine per year. And yet they succeed. I visited wineries I've never heard of before, and ended up bringing home a little over a case of assorted wine.

Nailed it! Replace wine with beer and you are describing my ultimate vision of craft beer.

I don't think most of those wineries go into business thinking they will take over the world or see a huge payday someday. I think they enjoy making a quality product and a living at the same time.
 
Hey guys, Its been a while since I've been active on the forums, but this made me think of you.

The WW buyout has been a huge topic where I live (only 45 min from Asheville). My friends had 2 of the owners on their podcast a few weeks ago.

You can listen to it here
http://www.citizenearthmedia.com/?p=1156

or search for Citizen Earth on your favorite pod-catching platform.

This isn't a plug for their podcast or anything, they just are not a beer podcast and I thought a lot of you may be interested in hearing what they had to say.
 
Ab stopped canning beer to can only water in Houston. They also apparently stock pile water cans which they have on the ready that they use for American emergencies. Not that anyone could tell the difference between their water and beer.
 

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