Man, craft brewers are a fickle bunch. They don't want big beer to take over, but when one of the largest true "craft" breweries shakes things up with a new CEO and a small amount of layoffs to remain competitive, they turn their backs. They want the new and weird with the hype, not the ones that have grown to success over the years due to their merits as a brewer. As soon as a small brewer gets successful, they get shunned because they "sold-out" and "they aren't as good as they used to be." That kind of mindset of only wanting the trendy new small breweries will lead to the death of the craft scene more than ABInBev's tactics I feel. If not for Stone's distribution services, we likely wouldn't have a lot of the successful So Cal breweries make it as far (The Bruery took off much quicker once they got in on Stone's distribution network). In the current landscape of beer, the only way craft is going to survive is with a business savvy mindset including teamwork among craft breweries. Common ways I can think about that are diversifying (opening more and varied locations), teaming up with other craft breweries (distribution network, collaboration brews/spaces, etc), and running a lean business (layoffs when necessary). I can see Stone needing to "trim the fat" in their home territory where they built their business now that someone who has less emotional attachment to all the employees has taken the lead. Is that a tough mindset, sure, but again, if you want to keep from being forced out of the business, you have to get tough. As has been said, that SD/So Cal market is INSANELY rich in brewing jobs, I doubt anyone in the industry who's worth their salt is going to have a tough time finding a new job with Stone on their resume.
Now, a few dumb things i've read that need to be addressed:
- Opening their gastropub in Escondido means they need to sell a lot of beer to cover it. You must never have been there, because I'm pretty sure the place easily supports itself. I have never been able to eat there without waiting a considerable time, except for lunch on a weekday, and the place is big. It is always popular, they have good beer on tap, and a fantastic spot. I doubt they need their bottle sales to pay it off, it's paid for itself already I would venture to guess.
- Their beers suck, no wonder That's personal preference that I can't change, but as far as big craft goes, I'd say they are consistently a good offering that is found in many, many areas, and enjoyed by the masses. Is it the best/weirdest/newest? No, but you don't turn into a worldwide company by doing that, you mass produce beers that appeal to many, build brand recognition and make a decent beer that will sell reasonably well in many markets and make it consistently. You then use your earnings from this to make your experimental beers for local distribution while working to make that next big mass-accepted beer.
- They laid people off, so they must be doing poorly because of management, and only the good folks got let go. If they never hired this new a-hole, they could have paid those people for a lifetime Yikes.... In this bigger game of business, you need someone who knows how to make a brand successful on this new, bigger, tougher playing field. If someone was the best in their job, it's unlikely they were let go unless that position was unnecessary, meaning the ones that are laid off are usually the ones that are the lower-performing employees. In an area like SD, there's no room for that: It's like the job market in a college town - businesses have their pick of the litter, the less successful will be quickly weeded out.
- I can get XXXX beer for less here Who cares what you can get for what price, we aren't running a cost survey here. Local will likely be cheaper for comparable no matter what, that's what happens when you have to ship a beer across the country. If their sales aren't up to par, I'm pretty sure they'd adjust it to match the market. Enough people must be buying it at a higher price for them to be profitable.
There's plenty more silly trains of thought in here, but even this is far more than was necessary, but oh well.
They really do need to work on making more beers like 805 (as much as i hate to say it) to grow their business I feel, but they've always been hop heads, and that's where they want to make their mark. That's their business decision, and one they aren't really willing to bend on to grow their company for the reason of straying from their beliefs. With times getting more competitive, I wouldn't be surprised if that changes, just as Cantillon had to start making back-sweetened lambics to remain afloat back in their earlier days due to market demands, despite despising the style on principle.
/rant off/
