AB acquired Wicked Weed

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Harry482

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Just read this from beer advocate. I was just at the brewery and fell in love with it. After seeing how successful it was, i cannot believe they would be so greedy to sell out like that! At least AB can't buy my home brewery.
 
After seeing how successful it was, i cannot believe they would be so greedy to sell out like that!

:rolleyes:

Or, maybe, this move is what they had in mind the beginning.

"We have chosen to partner with The High End to position ourselves to make Wicked Weed what we imagined it could be when we first sat at a craft beer bar and talked about opening a brewery. "
 
As much as it sucks it's whatever at this point. Cash in and start over. I still drink Elysian, GI and Breckenridge. Good for them. I also read on another page they started with Fortune 500 type capital, so not really shocking.
 
All this is true. The quality of the beer will suffer at some point - especially the sours. It's a big risk for them as well (locally anyway) - the hipsters in Asheville are not going to be happy.
 
Specific financial details haven't been released yet. Any guesses on the exact $$?
 
Not EVERY Craft Beer lover hates what has happened. Some are rational enough to understand, and applaud, the benefit.

The deal isn't done yet anyway. Still needs regulatory approval.

Can we NOT have 9 threads on this in one day?
 
I don't understand why people get so up in arms about this. Gives the brewery more capital for expansion, access to more and better ingredients and lets brewers focus on beer and not marketing, resource management and distribution. Most small breweries hate dealing with this stuff and are not good at it.
 
I don't understand why people get so up in arms about this. Gives the brewery more capitol for expansion, access to more and better ingredients and lets brewers focus on beer and not marketing, resource management and distribution. Most small breweries hate dealing with this stuff and are not good at it.

This. Most responses to this act are as petty as a 5th grader saying "I don't like you anymore because you like xxxx."

Boggles the mind.
 
My guess is the original investor (who were wealthy) wanted to cash out more than Luke and Walt wanted to but who knows. Kind of like Elysian where 2 of 3 wanted out. As long as quality doesn't change I am okay with seeing taps of theirs in the big chains.
 
I don't understand why people get so up in arms about this. Gives the brewery more capital for expansion, access to more and better ingredients and lets brewers focus on beer and not marketing, resource management and distribution. Most small breweries hate dealing with this stuff and are not good at it.


This tells me you don't know much about this brewery and their attention to detail and use of high quality locally sourced ingredients. Look at Goose Island for example and their 2015 BCBS. The fact is quality WILL suffer.
 
Not EVERY Craft Beer lover hates what has happened. Some are rational enough to understand, and applaud, the benefit.

And some are rational enough to understand, and lament, the downsides, even while they understand the benefits. ;)

Ultimately, whether the benefits outweigh the downsides, or vice versa, comes down to what said craft beer lover values, which means there is never a correct answer to if this is good or bad, no matter how rationally one looks at it.

:mug:
 
I never begrudge these people that "sell out." Running a brewery is incredibly hard work, long hours and modest pay. Think about it like this.... you have a job - maybe even a job you like - maybe even a job that other people appreciate you doing. Now, you are given two choices:
A.) Keep doing your job, every day for the pay you are getting.

or

B.) Sign a piece of paper and receive 10 (or 100) times more money than you could make working your job for the rest of your life. You can have the money now, and then go do whatever you want for the rest of your life..... including getting the same job you have now - just somewhere else.

Yeah - tough call.
 
Take your profit from the sale and use part of it to open the next craft brewery.

Call it 'Wild Weed'...
 
I have yet to see anywhere where this is a "sell out". At most, it appears to be a partnership. Allowing WW to utilize AB resources (marketing/distribution/capitol for expansion) to grow itself into a larger brand. The original owners don't appear to want "out", they want "in" for more. And AB is the vessel.
 
Look at Northern Brewer and Midwest Supplies. Just sayin'.

If it ends up anything like the Goose Island takeover, I don't feel quality has suffered there. In fact they have a huge barrel house and program now as a result. However I have noticed their marketing changed drastically, where now they trickle their supply out to market to create inflated demand. Take a look at their last Bourbon County Rare release as an example. Both one year and two years after its release they had it at my local grocery store. Must have been pretty rare to have a 3+ year supply on hand. Trickle it out, make people think it is the last time they can possibly get it, have a crowd wait in line for hours, then do it again later with the same supply you've been holding back on.
 
Look at Northern Brewer and Midwest Supplies. Just sayin'.

If it ends up anything like the Goose Island takeover, I don't feel quality has suffered there. In fact they have a huge barrel house and program now as a result. However I have noticed their marketing changed drastically, where now they trickle their supply out to market to create inflated demand. Take a look at their last Bourbon County Rare release as an example. Both one year and two years after its release they had it at my local grocery store. Must have been pretty rare to have a 3+ year supply on hand. Trickle it out, make people think it is the last time they can possibly get it, have a crowd wait in line for hours, then do it again later with the same supply you've been holding back on.
@Jaspass, where are you located? I would love to find GI Rare at my grocery store.
 
WW Funkatorium is my favorite place in Asheville NC. Darn I hope the causal visitor won't see or know the difference. I heard form a friend that the global home brew market created over one billion dollars in revenue. That is enough $$ for the big boys to want some of.
 
My guess is the original investor (who were wealthy) wanted to cash out more than Luke and Walt wanted to but who knows. Kind of like Elysian where 2 of 3 wanted out. As long as quality doesn't change I am okay with seeing taps of theirs in the big chains.

This would be my guess as well. I've met Luke a few times and really can't imagine this being in his business plan or something he would ever find necessary. They got a massive investment up front, along with several large scale expansions in just a few years. I assume the investor decided it was time to cash out. Fair play to them. Luke & his bro maybe should have bought them out before it got too big to afford. Or maybe they just had a total change in mentality and decided economies of scale and large distribution were key to future success. who knows.

I disagree with anyone who says the product will suffer. All their beers are fantastic, but they have really struggled with consistency in their sour/wild fermentations. A lot of my favorite beers were never made again simply because they couldn't replicate it. I think some of the lab technology that AB will bring it will help the consistency a lot.

Maybe their prices will get better too. I've never purchased their sour/wild beers outside of the brewpub or funkatorium just because of the price.

In the end, i'll always stop by when i'm in town. Luke is a great guy, their employees are fantastic, and this doesn't change that. I hate that they were sold, but like I said earlier, regardless of what press releases say, I'm guessing this was never Luke or Walt's goal. Imagine the backlash they are facing in a relatively small city in NC. Probably a crap day for them, no matter how fat their wallets are now.
 
Look at Goose Island for example and their 2015 BCBS. The fact is quality WILL suffer.

How is AB to blame for infected beer that was subsequently recalled?

AB is renowned for controlling and preventing such things. Are you suggesting they infected the beer intentionally?
 
I don't understand why people get so up in arms about this. Gives the brewery more capital for expansion, access to more and better ingredients and lets brewers focus on beer and not marketing, resource management and distribution. Most small breweries hate dealing with this stuff and are not good at it.

One major factor for me getting WW beer is their distribution network. I live a short 3 hour drive from Asheville NC, but my home state of SC seems to have a great issue allowing WW into SC. Not just WW but applies to many others as well. Maybe this merger will break down the distribution barrier. Remaining positive that they may even improve.
 
I don't see the issue at all. If AB came to a brewery I owned and wanted to become a strategic partner, I would jump at the chance. It means a massive distribution network, deeper R & D pockets and the stability that comes with a massive company like AB backing you. The line between what a micro and macro brewery is continues to blur. Case in point: Goose Island

Really who cares who owns who, as long as the beer is good. I say, good for them!!
 
haha, it's already on wiki. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anheuser-Busch_brands

I'd like to hear how the quality of the of the following beers changed after acquisition. I don't care at all (I've been there, got the glass and tshirt :) and loved it). I really don't understand why you guys get upset when these things happen.

9.1 Goose Island Brewery
9.2 Blue Point
9.3 10 Barrel
9.4 Elysian Brewing Company
9.5 Golden Road Brewing
9.6 Four Peaks Brewery
9.7 Breckenridge Brewery
9.8 Devils Backbone Brewing Company
9.9 Karbach Brewing Company
9.10 Wicked Weed Brewing
 
haha, it's already on wiki. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anheuser-Busch_brands

I'd like to hear how the quality of the of the following beers changed after acquisition. I don't care at all (I've been there, got the glass and tshirt :) and loved it). I really don't understand why you guys get upset when these things happen.

9.1 Goose Island Brewery
9.2 Blue Point
9.3 10 Barrel
9.4 Elysian Brewing Company
9.5 Golden Road Brewing
9.6 Four Peaks Brewery
9.7 Breckenridge Brewery
9.8 Devils Backbone Brewing Company
9.9 Karbach Brewing Company
9.10 Wicked Weed Brewing

The flavor changes because they "know". If they hadn't known it'd still be great "craft" beer.
 
For those that don't understand why people would be upset about this, I think Jester King said it best:

With that said, we have some core principles that define who we are as a brewery, and those principles must not be compromised. One of our core principles is that we do not sell beer from AB In-Bev or its affiliates. We’ve chosen this stance, not because of the quality of the beer, but because a portion of the money made off of selling it is used to oppose the interests of craft brewers. In Texas, large brewers (and their distributors) routinely oppose law changes that would help small, independent brewers. We choose not to support these large brewers because of their political stances, and in some cases, their economic practices as well.
 
I really don't understand why you guys get upset when these things happen.

Because the more AB-Inbev (and other mega brewers) are able to control the market (through deals with distributors, advertising, shelf space, tap handles etc), the harder it becomes for new breweries to get a foothold, and i want it to be easy for the next great brewery to get started, not harder. :)
 
The reason I have a bad taste in my mouth is because just less than a year ago when they opened their new production brewery, they claimed to all of their supporters that they did so to be able to produce more beer but still on a local level to keep the hard to get beers special and the quality high. They even mention this in this video.... It is now apparent that it was a complete lie to the people who made them what they are... A slap in the face.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/mone...brewing-anheuser-busch-partnership/309733001/

Quote from the horses mouth from a year ago when they opened the new facility: " We've never envisioned ourselves as a big brewery. We still want to keep the feel that makes our beer and vision intact."
 
It'll be interesting to see where all these craft beer brands end up under new ownership - thinking about british breweries and the way so many have been sucked up by regionals then the nationals, I can't think of any that have improved in the long run. Lots of previously great breweries getting closed and simply becoming another brand rebrewed elsewhere, with the beers themselves taking a nosedive
 
Because the more AB-Inbev (and other mega brewers) are able to control the market (through deals with distributors, advertising, shelf space, tap handles etc), the harder it becomes for new breweries to get a foothold, and i want it to be easy for the next great brewery to get started, not harder. :)
This is absolute hogwash LOL
Anyone can start a company in this great country we live in. All it takes is hard work...Start small and work your up the ladder....by the grace of god you'll be bought out for millions and enjoy the fruits of your labor.....or hold out and keep slaving away never spending time with the family....and that would make you the worst businessman in the history of business
 
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