I'll admit I do bash AB quite frequently, but it's not because of their beer - it's there predatory practices that bug me.....
When Old Dominion Brewery was becoming popular in the NOVA area - King Wholesalers was happily carrying their products, and Dominion benefitted from the distribution that came with being supplied by one of AB's 'big boys'. After awhile, though - it seemed that AB felt 'threatened' by this microbrewery, and started to lean on the Kings to discontinue carrying the Dominion product, or risk losing their franchise rights to "The King of Beers".
Mr. King though about it long and hard, and finally he went to AB and explained to them that he thought he could make a pretty comfortable living selling the many types of beers that Dominion was carrying - without having to distribute AB products...after all, he was delivering custom brews that Dominion had made for a lot of the local restaurants, and he was having a hard time keeping the Dominion products in the stores!! Old Dominion was, at that point, able to produce something like 30,000 barrells a year - so it was a pretty good supply for a local market.
AB gave in, but only because they had other plans...........
They went to Jerry Bailey - owner of Old Dominion Breweries - and convinced him they could increase his distribution if he partnered with them......his brewery was already brewing beers for some of the other micros to make best use of his capacity - so it seemed like a win-win for everybody.........private company like that can always benefit from a little extra cash-flow - so I can't fault him for accepting their offer......
So, now.....I hear that Old Dominion Breweries is now owned by AB. If AB keeps their brews intact and doesn't try to cheapen them...I say cool...Mr. Bailey's gotten himself a nice retirement that started from selling root beer at the local fairs, and I can't fault him for deciding it was time.....BUT!!!!
If AB starts messing with the recipes that made these beers what they are in order to cater to a mass market, then I'm afraid they've lost me....
When I was last at the OD brewpub, most of the brewers there had seen the handwriting on the wall, and were making their way out the door to greener pastures....these were guys/gals who had been given complete control over their beers, and were afraid that someone else was going to start telling them how to make them. These folks were also the ones who started me on the path to homebrewing (left the brewery many times with several growlers full of beer, and a flask full of yeast). I respect their craft, and if they felt threatened, than I have to feel there was something going on that the public was unaware of.
Why does AB feel that they have to kill all the small-town breweries in order to remain competitive? When I go into Harris Teeter, AB/Miller/Coors products inhabit 1/2 the beer section, while the micros are stuffed on the other side. Why are they so scared of a 10-15% market share that is priced out of the range of most of their most loyal customers?
Sorry for the novel, but this is an obsession...My dad and I used to go to the local restaurants and stores and tell them that when they started supporting local businesses and carry local beers - that we would start supporting them as well. My dad's told me stories about his travels overseas where local beers were a source of local pride..
I guess I feel that this is a kind of community thing, and that each community should be allowed to establish themselves with their own micros - and not have to worry about some world domination issue trying to steal their identity.....
Hippie.....
P.S. cliff notes are available for those who ask
