PLEASE let the Northern Brewer buy-out be a hoax!

[skraeling]

Wow! We've always joked here at Farmhouse that NB was the "Evil Empire" but would have never fathomed this ever happening.

Let it be know, Farmhouse Brewing Supply was literally started on this site in the Home Brew Market section almost 6 years ago and this community has helped us become the shop we are today. Thank you all.

We are home brewers and we love home brewing and are really kinda sad to hear this news.

Welp, didnt even know about you guys (there are a LOT of brew sites). I have two brand new ball kegs sittin in my shopping cart just waiting to pull the trigger. Ill bookmark for future reference

 

[Ztup]

Per terms of AB-Inbev's deal with the government to buy SAB Miller, any brewery acquisitions now regardless of size have to be approved by the government. They probably are done acquiring breweries because of this and are turning to homebrew and other areas for acquisitions.

 

[Tribe Fan]

great what's next..., xxxxx and xxxxxx?

shhhhhh!

 

[Rush]

I wonder if they'll ever start running a better promotion than "spend $500, get a free refractometer".

To me, NB is like the really really fancy grocery store in town. You only go there to get a specialty ingredient that nobody else carries.

Huh? NB has some pretty significant sales throughout the year. They just recently had a 20% off everything sale, a handful of extract kits w/ grains for only $14.92 for Columbus day when most of them cost around $30 year round, and the IPA day sale where there were a handful of IPA kits for only $20 a piece.

I surely wouldn't say their normal pricing is the best, but they definitely have sales that are really hard to pass up.

 

[ImNoExpert]

Wow. I gotta admit, when I first posted in this thread, I was extremely skeptical. Sounded like goofy internet conspiracies.

I owe OP and anyone else confirming the tale an apology. Sorry for not taking you seriously, internet friends.

That said, this doesn't really change anything for me. I treated NB and MW like Walmart: generally avoided unless they could provide something that I needed or wanted that I could not get at my LHBS or for a better deal somewhere else. I like their PET fermentors and I bought a specialty grain and oak cubes that I couldn't get locally. I still like their PET fermentors, but the grain and cubes I can get locally now.

 

[camiller]

Wow. I gotta admit, when I first posted in this thread, I was extremely skeptical. Sounded like goofy internet conspiracies.

I owe OP and anyone else confirming the tale an apology. Sorry for not taking you seriously, internet friends.

...

Yeah, what he said. Sorry I doubted the op.

 

[TooDogly]

How funny.

"And judging by the doomsday scenarios and jokes about assimilation ("resistance is futile") already splattered across the Homebrew Talk forum thread, many homebrewers won't take kindly to news of ZX's investment."

Yay my post about assimilation got mentioned.

But it's not all fun and games, AB really stands for "Actually the Borg".

All we can do now is sit back, relax, and have a homebrew while we watch the world burn.

And maybe play the fiddle a little.

 

[JonM]

Ha! "Resistance is futile" was me.

But really, I don't give even the slightest of sh*ts about all this corporate boogeyman stuff. I'll continue to be a happy Northern Brewer customer, and I'll continue to enjoy Ballast Point, Goose Island, etc.

All the pearl-clutching makes me think of

 

[dallasdb]

NB was one of us. Flash some money and they're gone.

I'm sorry but I've owned a business before and I'm sure a vast majority of people, given the opportunity, would have taken this partnership. The chance for your years working your ass off to really pay you back, increase buying power, increase market share. It's a no-brainer... it's capitalism... it's 'Murica.

If NB didn't partner, AB/Inbev would've found somebody that would take the deal and the people at NB are smart enough to know that would have put them at a huge disadvantage and negatively impact their business.

So good for NB. Hopefully this helps them improve their business and service to the homebrew community.

All this holier than thou, I don't shop here blah blah blah

Shut up and have a home brew

 

[iioan]

I'm sorry but I've owned a business before and I'm sure a vast majority of people, given the opportunity, would have taken this partnership. The chance for your years working your ass off to really pay you back, increase buying power, increase market share. It's a no-brainer... it's capitalism... it's 'Murica.

If NB didn't partner, AB/Inbev would've found somebody that would take the deal and the people at NB are smart enough to know that would have put them at a huge disadvantage and negatively impact their business.

So good for NB. Hopefully this helps them improve their business and service to the homebrew community.

All this holier than thou, I don't shop here blah blah blah

Shut up and have a home brew

It seems like the people who started the company exited some awhile ago and a private equity like firm owns or owned them. So it seems more like a cash out from a buy out firm.

http://www.entrepreneurpartners.com/our_portfolio/companies.html

 

[jensek]

I'm sorry but I've owned a business before and I'm sure a vast majority of people, given the opportunity, would have taken this partnership. The chance for your years working your ass off to really pay you back, increase buying power, increase market share. It's a no-brainer... it's capitalism... it's 'Murica.

:

Exactly. This just gave a whole bunch of homebrew stores an incentive to up their game so that they can get a payout. Which is a good thing.

 

[JonM]

But CORPORATIONS!!!!

 

[dallasdb]

Who wants to work forever?

Hopefully the founders of the company are able to walk away and live comfortably the rest of their lives.

 

[dallasdb]

But CORPORATIONS!!!!

HAHAHA seriously

 

[popsicleian]

I'd rather support a family-owned place, and I'll probably lean towards looking elsewhere for my equipment, but it still doesn't make sense for me to buy my ingredients anywhere else. I do smaller batches, and I don't have my own mill so I can't buy in bulk. It would be silly of me to pay shipping when I can drive 4 miles and pick up a huge variety of hops & yeast, plus grain in whatever increments I want. Plus, the people there have always been very nice, helpful, and quick to rectify any issues with things I've purchased.

 

[JonM]

At NB I can walk in and walk out with exactly what I need. Golden Naked Oats? Right there. Fawcett Optic? Carafa III? Midnight wheat? pH buffers? Lactic acid? CO2 tank exchange? A single keg O-ring? Orange blossom honey? Some obscure yeast? All there.

 

[elimn8u]

At NB I can walk in and walk out with exactly what I need. Golden Naked Oats? Right there. Fawcett Optic? Carafa III? Midnight wheat? pH buffers? Lactic acid? CO2 tank exchange? A single keg O-ring? Orange blossom honey? Some obscure yeast? All there.

I have to agree, I love the Milwaukee location. The staff there are top-notch as well. Prices and quality can't be beat. My only (small) complaint is I've noticed some inventory out of stock lately when I need it, i.e. yeast and Belgian candy sugar. However, if that means they're having some small problems keeping up with demand, I'm glad for the sake of the hobby.

 

[murphyslaw]

Happy Homebrew Independence Day!


Like most others have said, these sites will be a last resort for me now. That's not to blame the owners for taking the cash--good for them--I just prefer not to support InBev. Midwest was my goto supplier for a while.

Who would have thought InBev would move on homebrewers?

Then again.....do you think they'd be interested in my homebrewery?

 

[gordon.e.maness]

Not a hoax, there is an article today from
http://mnbeeractivists.com/newsfeed/northern-brewer-midwest-supplies-acquired-ab-inbev

This kinda sucks, and will affect where my supplies come from.

 

[vanadaar]

InBev wants to own everything from grain to mouth for commercial and home. I don't trust them, and quite frankly I don't consider it good competition. So will be shopping elsewhere. Morebeer free shipping ships one day here.

I don't blame the owners, everyone has some greed in varying levels.

 

[bruteforce]

So, how do we feel about breweries using cargill malt? Is that bad too?

 

[JonM]

I don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don't want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don't want to do that.

 

[dallasdb]

I don't blame the owners, everyone has some greed in varying levels.

So anyone that sells or partners their business is greedy?

This is a ridiculous statement.

 

[singybrue]

But CORPORATIONS!!!!

Hey, corporations are people too!

 

[TooDogly]

It seems like the people who started the company exited some awhile ago and a private equity like firm owns or owned them. So it seems more like a cash out from a buy out firm.

http://www.entrepreneurpartners.com/our_portfolio/companies.html

This is a good point.

Private equity firms do not run the business or work to make it better, they simply buy low and sell high. The workers and managers in the store are the ones who make the business better through their efforts but are not the ones to benefit when the company sells.

In employee-owned cooperatives the employees share in the profits when the company is sold. However, private equity firms get to siphon off the "equity" that the workers create.

 

[singybrue]

So, how do we feel about breweries using cargill malt? Is that bad too?

But Cargill is privately owned, so that's good, right?

 

[UndeadFred]

a handful of extract kits w/ grains for only $14.92 for Columbus day when most of them cost around $30 year round, and the IPA day sale where there were a handful of IPA kits for only $20 a piece.

I surely wouldn't say their normal pricing is the best, but they definitely have sales that are really hard to pass up.

Yeah, I bite on the $14.92 kits every year too, but the bigger issue here is that a 5 gallon 1.044 OG kit is $30 + shipping normally from them...

The expensive grocery store that carries everything model is good, but our expensive store here in Iowa (HyVee, sorry loyal locals but they are worse than the expensive stores were in Chicago when I was growing up there, actually) has fantastic markdowns often and great sales a little less often.. so the analogy stands...

What doesn't is that there service was slipping.. ALTHOUGH, I did get my "I can wait!" extract kits very quickly THIS time. I got them just before the rumor was confirmed and that actually is what confirmed it for me...

 

[UndeadFred]

So, how do we feel about breweries using cargill malt? Is that bad too?

I've heard that Cargill malt is very high quality, actually.

The business of the USA is business. The business of business is business.

Only when there is cronyism (i.e. PC term for Fascism) does that become a problem.

You have plenty of other options. There are TOO many homebrew suppliers now, and the bubble is starting to burst. There are signs that my local shop is in trouble and I'll miss the family if it happens, but there is little any of us can do about it, really. The macro economy is so hosed up now and yet people want more of it...

 

[ericbw]

What is the issue with Cargill malts??

 

[JonM]

They're an evil corporation bent on getting profits rather than making malted grain simply for the love of the craft.