Another one gets snapped up:
http://beerstreetjournal.com/anheuser-busch-acquires-blue-point/
http://beerstreetjournal.com/anheuser-busch-acquires-blue-point/
AB buys Blue Point
- Thread starter blakelyc
- Start date
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TopherM
Well-Known Member
I have to say it....don't be a beer snob.
Why? InBev has been pretty good about acquiring these craft breweries and letting them do business as usual. It's not like Goose Island now produces ten million barrels a year. They are pretty much unchanged.
The physical owner of the brewery doesn't determine if it's a craft beer or not, it's pretty accepted that it's a matter of their output size. In fact, as long as they output less than Sam Adams, they are a craft brewery, that's the accepted definition at this point. And Blue Point beers will still be craft beers after this acquisition, just like they are today (and Goose Island is)!
Consider can of worms OPEN FOR BUSINESS!
I'm not a beer snob. Just stating a fact. They will be excluded based on the independent clause in the definition I believe because they are now solely owned by a non-craft alcoholic beverage industry member. I hope it doesn't hurt them. I happen to love Blue Point Toasted Lager and this won't stop me from drinking it.
I'm in complete agreement with this. If you want to limit your beer choices based on some arbitrary definition of "craft beer" that the BA came up with that has very little to do with the quality of a brewery's beer, you're only cheating yourself. Maybe try thinking for yourself instead of being brainwashed into believing what others are telling you.
I'm not a beer snob. Just stating a fact. They will be excluded based on the independent clause in the definition I believe because they are now solely owned by a non-craft alcoholic beverage industry member. I hope it doesn't hurt them. I happen to love Blue Point Toasted Lager and this won't stop me from drinking it.
Well, that pretty much negates my previous post (as directed at you). Wish you'd have explained your stance a little better in your first post. I still stand behind my post in a general sense.
Agreed. I should have elaborated a bit.
TopherM
Well-Known Member
FYI, Goose Island was acquired by InBev in 2011, yet that "Brewer's Association" that provided the craft beer definition you quoted still lists Goose Island as a craft brewery on their site.
Just sayin!
They seem to be pretty lenient with their own "definition."
Just sayin!
They seem to be pretty lenient with their own "definition."FYI, Goose Island was acquired by InBev in 2011, yet that "Brewer's Association" that provided the craft beer definition you quoted still lists Goose Island as a craft brewery on their site.
Just sayin!
That's strange because a BA person is quoted in an article about the acquisition saying they aren't:
From this article... http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-03-28/business/ct-biz-0329-goose-ab-20110328_1_chicago-s-goose-island-craft-beer-craft-brewers
But you are correct I see them in the 2012 Craft Brewery List on the BA site.
http://www.brewersassociation.org/pages/business-tools/craft-brewing-statistics/craft-brewer-defined
I think the whole BA thing is a little phony in it's distinctions personally but others take it seriously and the brewery may see some decreased sales because of it.
uh... didn't expect a craft-vs-non debate. Just pointing out some interesting industry news
hoppyhoppyhippo
Well-Known Member
It's always a bummer to see a brewery or any small business get bought out by big business. I wasn't overly in love with blue point but hopefully Bud doesn't change anything.
Blue Point Toasted Lager has become a bit of a mainstay for me on ski weekends, so I will surely notice if anything gets sideways
hoppyhoppyhippo
Well-Known Member
Blue point is solid, but there are so many better breweries out there that I generally go to them. Like I would much rather have Victory, Weyerbacher, Allagash, Brookyln, Dogfish, Six Point, etc. if I'm getting a sixer, and when I'm at bars in NJ I try to always get Carton or Kane.
Not to get too far off topic, but you are lucky to get those NJ beers. Up here, Andy's corner bar is the only place that may occasionally have Kane. Northern jersey is a real beer wasteland unless you head to Defiant or Captain Lawrence. That's what has me looking into bar/pub options. I really wish Nj had a more powerful craft beer culture.
Epimetheus
Well-Known Member
But WHY is ABInbev acquiring small craft breweries?
ABInbev is all about lowering costs and increasing profit. Their previous actions indicate they don't worry about product history or quality.
So, why?
ABInbev is all about lowering costs and increasing profit. Their previous actions indicate they don't worry about product history or quality.
- A small brewery cannot possibly add significantly to their profits.
- It does not have enough fat to trim off or employees to fire.
- They can't change the product to be cheaper because their audience would notice it and drop it like a rock.
- It does not significantly expand their shelf-space exposure. This is a critical market tool. More craft brewerys are taking up shelf-space and crowding out Bud so it is less visible.
So, why?
it helps get their name out there. the more they own, the more their name is waved around. even though the brewery is small, it still adds capital to there account. nearly every big company does it. buy up your competition so when you go and buy that "craft beer" you are buying it from them. still money in there pockets.
Where's do you draw the line between craft and macro? I believe the current legal limit to be a craft brewery is still less than 6 million barrels per year (correct me if am wrong) so I am obviously not talking about the legal line, but your personal line. Is something like Sierra Nevada still a craft brewery to you? Is Sam Adams?
And more importantly, is there any real difference except the fact that the macro breweries usually have a few more light beer options compared to craft breweries?
And more importantly, is there any real difference except the fact that the macro breweries usually have a few more light beer options compared to craft breweries?
This is nitpicking, but there is no "legal" limit on the definition of craft beer. Craft Beer is a marketing term from the Brewers Association.
It's true they define it as 6M BBL. It used to be 2M, but Sam Adams got too big so they raised it.
But the idea that there is truly some hard and fast line that everyone accepts between what is and what is not "craft" is simply not true. The Brewers Association has drawn a line, but it's not universally accepted by any means.
To me, Goose Island is still craft beer.
If its your prerogative to nip pick then thats ok, but thats why I asked where "you" draw the line
Well, the nitpicking was about the term "legal limit", not about where we as individuals draw the line... There is no "legal" limit.
thatjonguy
Now with 57.93% more awesome!
Are you referring to tax rate per barrel?
That is 60k or less per year, from what I recall.
yeahfairly
Well-Known Member
Clonefan94
Senior Member
If you can't brew good beer...... Buy a company that can!
This isn't that far off base. Although, I don't think it's that AB can't brew "good" beer, i think it's more that if some craft beer drinkers saw, "Budweiser Imperial Stout" on a shelf, they'd probably go ahead and choose something else, just because it has Budweiser's name on it. This gives them another in into the craft beer market, where they can use their large quantity knowledge and expand the brand.
I don't really know weather it's good or bad over all, but in my opinion, it at least says that the craft beer market is good enough and open enough that giant corps are looking to get into the ring. I'm a lot bigger fan of "Can't beat em, buy em." than I am of the Big companies throwing their weight around to just put a small brewery out of business.
