Sam Adams to lose craft beer status

[COLObrewer]

I like boysenberry syrup on my pancakes.

 

[RDWHAHB]

The thing that I don't think all the free market, flat tax, "don't punish sucess" folks get is that a free market requires no entry barriers. I think tax breaks for small breweries can help reduce those.

Or maybe I am just a Liberal that despises success and profits

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

What really kills me about this taxation system is how arbitrary it is; the double standard also eats at. Rules regarding taxes or whatever else should apply to everyone or no one.

There is nothing arbitrary about it. It is deliberately designed to help out smaller companies and those just starting out. While, as a liberal, I have nothing against big corporations, I understand that the future entrepreneurs need a leg up in order to grow their business in order to create competition for the big boys. Without this, the corporations would make sure that the little guys never got off the ground.

It's a free market economy, but with incentives. Without this leg up, competition would be squashed, and the free market would be an economic dictatorship of big business.

 

[olllllo]

Well it's an excise tax for sinful things like alcohol. The tax that other industries don't have to pay. We can all feel free to get bent about that.

 

[babalu87]

Imagine the haters when they read about the Boston Lager steak?

It sounds great though

 

[dukerutledge]

I'm amazed at how long this thread has gotten (not really, but the same arguments keep coming up).

There seem to be a few camps:

1. This is a good thing! Cheaper Beer!
Not going to happen, just cheaper operational costs for the producer. Which is good for small breweries.

2. BBC is a craft brewery and I'm sticking to it, why can't we all just get along and call everyone a craft brewery unless they brew American Lager.
Call them what you may, they are a brewery and a business. Craft brew is just a marketing term used to downgrade BMC and other like minded brewers.

3. BBC is too big and shouldn't be called a craft brewery. Craft breweries are small businesses.
Again, craft brew is a marketing term.

4. They should pay their taxes like true patriots.
If you could get out of paying your taxes...wouldn't you?

5. Lobbying is wrong and smells of "big business"
Lobbying is what businesses do, and so do individuals, just on a smaller scale. Lobbying is not evil, it's a function of government and will always be.

6. Sam Adams isn't good beer and Jim Koch is an ass.
Thank you for your opinion, move along.

7. F$%#K the government taxes are the devil, free market forever!
Thank you for your opinion, now go wage this centuries old battle somewhere else.

or at least that's my take.

 

[kingwood-kid]

I think the problem is how the tax is structured. Selling more than 2 million units triggers a retroactive tax on the first 640k. This means that if a company is going to sell more than 2M, it needs to sell a lot more just to make up the 660k in taxes. Basically, the law says you can't sell between 2M and (fairly random number) 10M. The law doesn't help small brewers grow; it provides a very effective moat for BMC. BMC doesn't really care much one way or the other about craft brewers; it just wants to keep macrobrewing an exclusive club.
If you care about protecting BBC/small brewers, changing 2M to 6M merely delays the real issue. Tax the first however many units at 1 rate and anything over that at a higher rate. This would protect microbrewers but not discourage growth. I'm not really for government protection; but the current system represents the worst of both worlds.

 

[a10t2]

I think the problem is how the tax is structured. Selling more than 2 million units triggers a retroactive tax on the first 640k. This means that if a company is going to sell more than 2M, it needs to sell a lot more just to make up the 660k in taxes.

Not really. At $0.10 per bottle, you need to sell an additional 22,178 bbl (1.1% growth). At $0.50/bottle, which is typical for a micro, it's 4,436 bbl, or 0.22%.

 

[Alsace]

I'm shocked how many people want to bash SA and lump them in with BMC. Regardless of their size and production, anyone who has tasted a fresh boston lager on tap at the boston brewery would have to agree that they are indeed selling a finely crafted beer.

 

[curlyfat]

Damn. I thought this thread died.

 

[Bubba]

They'll call themselves whatever they want (craft), this is 100% about $.

Couldn't have said it better.

 

[Scooby_Brew]

I don't really care if someone wants to call Sam Adams pico, micro, craft or mega-giant. They can call them whatever they want. All I care about is the taste and quality of the beer, and Sam Adams got it IMHO. I like many of their beers and for some others I personaly don't care much, but I can acknowledge they are good beers. The only one Sam Adams that I think tastes like crap is Sam Adams Light. The rest of them are either good or very good beers and that's all I care about. I had a Boston Lager last night and that reminded me how well those beers are made.