Cheers to Michelob

[rycov]

I wish it was legal to shoot hipsters.


_

this. also I think it should be legal to taser people who talk excessively loud on their cell phones in public places.

 

[Homercidal]

I like Michelob. They are one of the very few BMC beers that don't seem to pander to the young "adult" childish behaviour. And their craft line of beers is not that bad. I really like their Original Lager beer that is a light American Lager from way back before they started making diet beer. Yeah, it's a Light Lager, but its got some real flavor.

Not everything has to be extreme.

And why are we complaining when a macro company informs us what's in their beer? Isn't behaving like a craft brewer what we want them to do?

 

[JJL]

+1

Boo big beer. My friends probably get annoyed by how I start talking about the beer industry everytime I go to walmart and see the AB shrine in the beer aisle.

You do recognize the slight bit of hypocrisy in this statement, right?

 

[dnslater]

You do recognize the slight bit of hypocrisy in this statement, right?

Funny I was about to post the same thing.

 

[cfonnes]

I find the hatred towards BMC amusing.

Someone does not like the idea that they buy up smaller breweries and become huge companies. That is one of the first rules that you learn while taking business classes in college. Companies get bigger by purchasing other companies.

So how do you rate the best beer in the USA?

If you asked the average American what the best beer is the answer would undoubtedly be a BMC product.

In-Bev can sell beer for cheaper that I can buy bottles.

 

[Zamial]

I find the hatred towards BMC amusing.

So how are those imperial ales at your local stores? Not so funny anymore is it??? Think that BMC doesn't contribute the max to campaign contributions to keep their beer the most readily available in your state? Think again.

Miller/Coors just got done screwing ALL the local craft breweries in my state. I have no love for BMC and refuse to drink their products. If you choose to giggle and be amused while you suck down an ice cold BMC product that is your choice.

 

[downtown3641]

So how are those imperial ales at your local stores? Not so funny anymore is it??? Think that BMC doesn't contribute the max to campaign contributions to keep their beer the most readily available in your state? Think again.

Miller/Coors just got done screwing ALL the local craft breweries in my state. I have no love for BMC and refuse to drink their products. If you choose to giggle and be amused while you suck down an ice cold BMC product that is your choice.

This. Some of us don't support the business practices of AB-InBev and SabMC, so we don't buy their products. We also choose to share our reasons for boycotting when given the opportunity. I'm not sure what is so amusing about that.

 

[cfonnes]

I live in a 3.2 state.

If you want a beer stronger than 3.2 ABW then you have to go to a state owned liquor store.

So yes the grocery stores have mostly BMC products (there are 2 or 3 local breweries that make 3.2 brews).

If you want a micro you go to the state owned store, which to my knowledge has no BMC products.

You could always steal a few of there kegs to make keggles out of, that may make you feel better about the situation.

 

[Vance71975]

Can you tell me what they do that is illegal? I'm genuinely interested.

One article i seen on one of there illegal practices talked about a Rep that went into a bar, noticed that the bar had a craft brew on tap and proceeded to tell the bar owner that unless they removed the craft brew, they would not longer get ANY AB products. Apparently they considered that blackmail, which is illegal.

Also, the way the tier system is set up was SUPPOSE to be to protect the all the brewers, But the way it worked out, is that since Inbev makes so much money, they pretty much TELL the distributor what beers they can and cant carry, Or they flood the distributor with so much of their product that there isn't room in the warehouse for craft brews.


The AB reps tell the stores HOW and WHERE their beer AND their competitors beers are to be displayed, Pushing craft brews out of sight, and making sure that their beers are in all the PRIME display locations. This should be the STORES choice on Beer placement, NOT a Brewery Reps choice.

Shortly after Moonshot came out, which was the first Beer on the market with Caffeine in it, AB also produced a beer with Caffeine, and went about getting THEIR posters put up and Moonshots posters taken down.

They Sued Dogfish head, because of the name of Punkin ale, who btw was making that beer BEFORE AB decided to market a pumpkin beer.


Are all of these Illegal? No they are not. But are they very Shady and unethical Business practices? Yes, yes they are.

Why do they do this? Because they know that they cannot produce a product that is Superior to the craft brewers, So they use any means at their disposal to try to Impede the sale of QUALITY craft brew,Try their best to make it so their beer is the ONLY choice, and yes buy off politicians to vote they way they want on beer related laws.


If inbev produced a Product that was of Equal Quality or better quality, Using the Equal Quality Or better quality ingredients, and followed ethical business practices in the marketing of their beer you would not hear a word from me about it.But Hell Most of the BMC beers are not even made with real hops, they are made with a liquid hop extract of Iso-alpha acids. That isn't quality, and doesn't produce the same taste that real hops do.

But i can say this, I dont like light colored beers personally, but their ARE much higher quality Light colored beers out there, Many of the German Light beers blow any AB product out of the water as far as quality, and they do so without the unethically business practices.

 

[Vance71975]

Weren't you the guy on the corner with the sandwich board that read "Down with BMC"

I don't see them doing anything illegal.

Do you really think that they are going to announce their Illegal/Unethical practices? For that matter to you think any one in that corporate office has ANY CLUE what ethical business is?

 

[TheBrewinator]

So you just used the synopsis of a "documentary" (and I use that term loosely) that was designed to bash AB (IMO) as your supporting argument?

 

[JJL]

The AB reps tell the stores HOW and WHERE their beer AND their competitors beers are to be displayed, Pushing craft brews out of sight, and making sure that their beers are in all the PRIME display locations. This should be the STORES choice on Beer placement, NOT a Brewery Reps choice.

You need to take Beer Wars with a grain of salt. It's a biased view of the industry. While I admit the 3 tier system is a sham, the whole idea of AB telling all retailers what they are going to buy and how it's going to be displayed is actually a real stretch of the truth.

While this may be true for independent retailers and small regional chains, it's irrelevant because AB doesn't care about them anyway. AB cares about the big fish like Walmart, Kroger, Supervalu, the major c-store chains. I can tell you that AB doesn't tell any of these guys what to buy. However, they are the category captain, which does allow them to position their product where they want within a specific, pre-defined area of the shelf space in the store. AB doesn't pick the product or the amount space. The retailer decides these things, but may allow AB (as category captain) to arrange the shelves for them.

The same thing happens in every single aisle in a retail store. Every section, or product category, has a captain. One company I worked for sells to all of these retailers, and the captain is SC Johnson. If they introduced a product that competed with an SCJ product, it would get the worst possible placement in the category. It's just the way it works in retail.

 

[Vance71975]

So you just used the synopsis of a "documentary" (and I use that term loosely) that was designed to bash AB (IMO) as your supporting argument?

No, actually, I based my argument, in part on things i have read and in part on first hand knowledge. I was the Assistant manager of a gas station that sold beer, i was fired because i refused to let an AB rep re-arrange our beer cooler to suit HIS idea of where the beer should have been. When this happened i was a Coors Light drinker, I had NO clue what craft brew was and had only dabbled very slightly in making beer(i was a winemaker at that point). So i have seen FIRST HAND the effect of these reps not getting their way. 3 days after i told the AB rep, very politely i might add that he was not going to rearrange our cooler, my district manager came in and fired me, and told me it was because of a call he got from AB offices. So yes, THEY DO dictate placement.

 

[McGarnigle]

The same thing happens in every single aisle in a retail store. Every section, or product category, has a captain. One company I worked for sells to all of these retailers, and the captain is SC Johnson. If they introduced a product that competed with an SCJ product, it would get the worst possible placement in the category. It's just the way it works in retail.

That's true, but it doesn't make it right.

 

[doctorRobert]

That's true, but it doesn't make it right.

So blame the liquor stores then. Its a free market, nobody has to sell to bmc.

 

[McGarnigle]

So blame the liquor stores then. Its a free market, nobody has to sell to bmc.

The issue is whether it is a free market, or whether the big guys put up barriers to entry on their competitors.

 

[jonmohno]

Everywhere i go Bmc dominates all the resteraunts/ convenient stores etc.. ive been in most cases.I dont know how it is now cuz im pretty homely these days, but as ive known they have always been up front at ball parks and every resteraunt ive ever known, im also not a walmart fan.They have been somewhat of a monopoly in the past,but money talks i guess they are gonna be buying the little guys to make up for the loss.Seems goose island is a good example.

 

[doctorRobert]

The issue is whether it is a free market, or whether the big guys put up barriers to entry on their competitors.

The barriers are there to safe guard the free market. 100 years ago, bmc either owned the store or tavern, or had an exclusivity agreement. There was no other choice. People should be happy there are distributors. Without them, bmc would own your local bar or store.

So bmc bypasses the distributors and enforces good product placement? Maybe bmc sells better so the store makes that choice.

My liquor store actual promotes craft beer.

 

[rycov]

my local pub has several taps and about 100 different bottles (both change regularly). they do always have bud light on draft, but that's the only bmc on tap. they also have all the regular bmc's in bottles, but they are under the counter and you can't see them. I doubt AB picked that placement. i'm pretty sure the only reason they have any bmc is to not exclude customers that may want it.

 

[kandljensen]

The barriers are there to safe guard the free market. 100 years ago, bmc either owned the store or tavern, or had an exclusivity agreement. There was no other choice. People should be happy there are distributors. Without them, bmc would own your local bar or store.

So bmc bypasses the distributors and enforces good product placement? Maybe bmc sells better so the store makes that choice.

My liquor store actual promotes craft beer.

Nonsense. 100 years ago there were as many breweries as there are today.
http://www.brewersassociation.org/attachments/0000/5674/totalbreweries2010_download.jpg

 

[McGarnigle]

The barriers are there to safe guard the free market. 100 years ago, bmc either owned the store or tavern, or had an exclusivity agreement. There was no other choice. People should be happy there are distributors. Without them, bmc would own your local bar or store.

So bmc bypasses the distributors and enforces good product placement? Maybe bmc sells better so the store makes that choice.

My liquor store actual promotes craft beer.

My local liquor store is not allowed to sell craft beer, or any beer for that matter. But that's another issue.

The theory of free market economics assumes that a "perfectly competitive" marketplace is best, and that assumes limited barriers to entry. I'm not arguing that BMC is wrong to have more shelf space than Rogue or Stone, but there is legitimate concern when big companies focus less on creating better products than on stifling choice.

People seem to think free enterprise means anything goes. That's certainly not what Adam Smith thought.

 

[rocketk455]

I'm not a real big fan of BMC light beers just aren't really my thing since I've moved onto better tasting stuff. I don't really like their business practices but at the same time I can't really say I blame them they do basically the same thing every other big company in any other industry tries to do.

That being said I don't buy BMC products simply because I would rather give my money to craft brewers. Their beer tastes better and is what got me into home brewing so I return the favor. Also I need their bottles.

 

[gclay]

No, actually, I based my argument, in part on things i have read and in part on first hand knowledge. I was the Assistant manager of a gas station that sold beer, i was fired because i refused to let an AB rep re-arrange our beer cooler to suit HIS idea of where the beer should have been. When this happened i was a Coors Light drinker, I had NO clue what craft brew was and had only dabbled very slightly in making beer(i was a winemaker at that point). So i have seen FIRST HAND the effect of these reps not getting their way. 3 days after i told the AB rep, very politely i might add that he was not going to rearrange our cooler, my district manager came in and fired me, and told me it was because of a call he got from AB offices. So yes, THEY DO dictate placement.

I'd like to read the information you speak of. Did you ever hear of wrongful dismissal? I'm sure there must have been a little more than telling a rep he couldn't change a display.

 

[realjd]

I'd like to read the information you speak of. Did you ever hear of wrongful dismissal? I'm sure there must have been a little more than telling a rep he couldn't change a display.

Assuming Ohio is like most of the United States, employment is at-will. There's no concept of "wrongful dismissal" except for cases of discrimination. Employers can fire someone for any or no reason. Of course the employee is also free to leave for any or no reason.

 

[JJL]

That's true, but it doesn't make it right.

May not be right, but I guess the point is that it's not the manufacturers (ie AB) that are pushing this type of model, it's the retailers. It's less work for them. On the flip side, however, if AB makes a decision that hurts the retailer's sales, they are typically penalized in some way. This could be in the form of money or other types of incentives to the retailer, or they might lose shelf space for their product. In a worst case, they could lose their captain status.

 

[JJL]

No, actually, I based my argument, in part on things i have read and in part on first hand knowledge. I was the Assistant manager of a gas station that sold beer, i was fired because i refused to let an AB rep re-arrange our beer cooler to suit HIS idea of where the beer should have been. When this happened i was a Coors Light drinker, I had NO clue what craft brew was and had only dabbled very slightly in making beer(i was a winemaker at that point). So i have seen FIRST HAND the effect of these reps not getting their way. 3 days after i told the AB rep, very politely i might add that he was not going to rearrange our cooler, my district manager came in and fired me, and told me it was because of a call he got from AB offices. So yes, THEY DO dictate placement.

If you worked for a c-store chain, odds are it's not your call to decide where the beer goes. It's typically decided by someone way higher up in your company. Also, with food and beverage products, the inventory is typically managed by the manufacturer (or distributor in this case). They rotate out the old product and rotate in the fresh product. Retailers prefer this because they only pay for the product that sells and not product that goes stale on the shelf. The rep probably had every right to be in the cooler. He was probably given the authority to do so by someone in your company, which would explain why your DM came down on you.

 

[unionrdr]

Nonsense. 100 years ago there were as many breweries as there are today.
http://www.brewersassociation.org/attachments/0000/5674/totalbreweries2010_download.jpg

He wasn't talking about the number of breweries,but that saloons up to prohibition were "tied houses" built or owned by the brewery,& you had to buy & sell their beer.
This was before the law changed,& brought forth distributors. But there were a lot of small breweries before prohibition that disappeared when prohibition was in full swing that never re-opened their doors. Or went belly up shortly afterwards.
It took decades for the number of breweries to go up to pre-prohibition levels.
I'm just glad we have so many craft beers today that we're getting to be the beer capitol of the world.

 

[Vance71975]

Assuming Ohio is like most of the United States, employment is at-will. There's no concept of "wrongful dismissal" except for cases of discrimination. Employers can fire someone for any or no reason. Of course the employee is also free to leave for any or no reason.

Exactly, i was not a contracted employee And i am white, and the guy to fired me was white so the race card/discrimination idea wouldn't fly, and yes Ohio is at will employment.I did contact a lawyer about a wrongful termination suit, and was told not to waste my time or money that it wouldnt go anywhere.

 

[Vance71975]

If you worked for a c-store chain, odds are it's not your call to decide where the beer goes. It's typically decided by someone way higher up in your company. Also, with food and beverage products, the inventory is typically managed by the manufacturer (or distributor in this case). They rotate out the old product and rotate in the fresh product. Retailers prefer this because they only pay for the product that sells and not product that goes stale on the shelf. The rep probably had every right to be in the cooler. He was probably given the authority to do so by someone in your company, which would explain why your DM came down on you.

I worked for Clark, But my station was not chain owned, it was Owned by a Local guy but still had to answer to corporate on certain things, such as we could only sell Clark Gas, had to carry certain Clark specific products etc. The Distributor dropped off the beer order weekly, he just sat it in the back room it was the employees job to stock the cooler. That was the first time i had ever seen an AB rep in the store, and at that point i had worked there over a year.There was No lay out anywhere in the store to follow, We simply restocked what was there and had been there the whole time i worked there. The problem the AB rep had was the products of theirs that they wanted front and center were on the far left hand side of the cooler, and do to the store set up, pretty much out of sight unless you were looking. It was a very small store with only one beer cooler that had 3 doors and limited shelf space. Because i full part of it was Pop.

I Didn't not set it up like that, just how it was when i started, which tells me that a rep from AB had not been in the store in at least a year. Nor was i rude to him, I simply pointed out that it had been like that for a year, and unless the manager or District manager instructed me to change it, that it was going to stay the way it was, i pointed out that he was an AB employee, NOT a store employee and that he had no business attempting to change the display, without out the consent of owner or store management.

He became VERY hostile about the whole situation, even though i had been very polite, and finally had to be informed that if he did not leave, i would be forced to call the Police and let them handle it, because he was making quite a scene in front of many customers. Customers who later complained to the manager about the guys behavior, and praised how i handled it. These people are very much use to getting their way and become very hostile when they do not. Mind you in this town, at that time, which was a large number of years ago, BMC was the only game in town, and the closest thing to Craft Brew we had was Corona or Heineken, So it wasn't like i had Great Lakes Products front and center, all we had was BMC and Corona we didn't even carry Heineken, and the products that WERE front and center were also AB products, Just not the ones HE wanted front and center. Bush was our biggest seller so it was in front, he wanted Bud Light in front.

 

[ozzy1038]

i see they are selling a pale ale.couldnt say i seen this coming, still waiting to see what miller does. miller ipa triple hopped lager 12 ibu.

lmao!