Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[Tom W]

AB/InBev's loss is Coors/Millers/Yuengling's gain. I do feel bad for the BL drivers, merchandisers, distributors etc...but people will always drink beer...the overall consumption has not changed...the marketplace rules...stop making your company political...follow Michael Jordan's stance...Republicans buy shoes too...

Right. The beer market has always been dynamic - for example, Schlitz was the #1 beer in the USA into the 1970's. It still exists, but I don't recall ever having one. The industry will be fine. But, the demise of Anchor is more upsetting than the decline of Bud Light. It was a decent beer that defined it's own style (they even trademarked "Steam Beer"). It was nationally distributed but wasn't really managed well (like Sierra Nevada or Sam Adams), especially after Fritz Maytag cashed out and retired.

[THE_WIZARD_]

Anchor Steam was an excellent beer. Unfortunately there are far more shit beers than good beers.

[iam416]

In a really tight market where there isn't a great deal of differentiation, the smallest things can matter a great deal. Bud Light learned that the very hard way.

But craft breweries are up against the same thing, now. The market responded to the intial wave by demanding more and more and more. And now you have so many quality options that you better be good. And you don't have the cover to get past mismanagement any more. Anchor was a good beer, but there are lots and lots of good options now -- as opposed to even 20 years ago.

I mean, fuck -- back when Schlitz was #1, the fucking banquet beer was considered a goddamn exotic speciality to anyone in the eastern time zone. And the earlies of the "microbrews" are now almost generic brands -- still way better than Bud (not Pabst, though).

Anyway, when your products is mostly fungible -- the margins matter and when you engage someone as detestable as Dylan Mulvaney that's going to hurt.

[THE_WIZARD_]

STFU...snowflake...

[iam416]

I used to drink Great Lakes religiously 15 years ago. I always had 6-8 in the fridge of varies makes. It was (and still is) a good option. But 15 years ago, it was pretty much the best option for someone in NE Ohio (or even Central). Now, I drink some of the varietals I like, but it's way less. I try different breweries, different beers and sort of end up with a melange of options in my fridge.

[THE_WIZARD_]

Buying craft beers today is like watching a Kamala speech...it's difficult to figure out just what the fuck it is...

[iam416]

Listening to Kamala is like reading crashcourse. You know it's most likely English, you suspect there's some sort of point somewhere. But, man, damn if you can figure it out.

[klondike]

Right. The beer market has always been dynamic - for example, Schlitz was the #1 beer in the USA into the 1970's. It still exists, but I don't recall ever having one. The industry will be fine. But, the demise of Anchor is more upsetting than the decline of Bud Light. It was a decent beer that defined it's own style (they even trademarked "Steam Beer"). It was nationally distributed but wasn't really managed well (like Sierra Nevada or Sam Adams), especially after Fritz Maytag cashed out and retired.

Schlitz is in the Stroh's area. Good and I picked one up recently at a little shop and it was expensive. The teller said it was a premium beer. Ok. Like Blatz actually.

[CGVT]

I *think* that all beer is losing market share to seltzers. The local grocery stores used to have an entire aisle devoted to different craft beers, but now about 75% of that aisle is taken up by seltzers instead.

That doesn't mean that AB didn't make a huge mistake by alienating their base consumers, but I think that they saw the writing on the wall and were/are trying to broaden their audience and failed miserably. They have a Bud Light commercial (the one with the 20 somethings at a festival) that is obviously targeting a different demographic.

[AlabamAlum]

Seltzers are taking some market share, a healthy chunk, but they are declining a bit. Still strong sales.

https://www.goodbeerhunting.com/sigh...eam%20scenario.

[Tom W]

I used to drink Great Lakes religiously 15 years ago. I always had 6-8 in the fridge of varies makes. It was (and still is) a good option. But 15 years ago, it was pretty much the best option for someone in NE Ohio (or even Central). Now, I drink some of the varietals I like, but it's way less. I try different breweries, different beers and sort of end up with a melange of options in my fridge.

Great Lakes makes some really good beers. I consider buying it 51 weeks out of the year. But, yes, there are lots of good options out there. Bells, Founders, Three Floyds and New Belgium (maybe toss in Rogue and Stone) come to mind of brews that are solid and national, but still kind of regional. Anchor missed the mark of these however. The real key that Sierra and Sam Adams excelled at is that they managed to make deals with national chains like BW3, Appleby's etc that mandated at least one tap per location.

There's also a lot of crap being served as "Craft" Everybody wants to be a brewer, but the best ones that I know are the guys who have other jobs to make a living. Just because it's "local" doesn't mean it's any good. It doesn't do the "Craft" any favors when your menu consists 40 citrus malted milkshakes (that taste like wet pressure treated sawdust), a overly yeast wheat and a mahogany barrel aged Ukranian Stout.

At the end of the day, it's just beer. There's no need to overthink it.

[Dr. Strangelove]

I used to drink Great Lakes religiously 15 years ago. I always had 6-8 in the fridge of varies makes. It was (and still is) a good option. But 15 years ago, it was pretty much the best option for someone in NE Ohio (or even Central). Now, I drink some of the varietals I like, but it's way less. I try different breweries, different beers and sort of end up with a melange of options in my fridge.

Same re: Great Lakes. They've become the "safe" option if someone's coming over that isn't a fan of IPAs. Edmund Fitzgerald is still a fave even if I don't buy it often. The Cleveland microbrew scene was so dominated by them that for a while Columbus had way more breweries. But I feel like they've caught up now. So I wonder how ol GLBC is doing with a lot more competition than a decade ago.

Craft is dominated by IPAs and sours right now. When I think of Anchor neither of those really comes to mind. I know they did do an IPA but it was more an English style one from what I recall. Not the more popular American styles.

FWIW Immigrant Son on the west side of Lakewood is really, really good. Only been there once but the food was really good too. They are still pretty new - opened last year I think.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Great Lakes makes some really good beers. I consider buying it 51 weeks out of the year. But, yes, there are lots of good options out there. Bells, Founders, Three Floyds and New Belgium (maybe toss in Rogue and Stone) come to mind of brews that are solid and national, but still kind of regional. Anchor missed the mark of these however. The real key that Sierra and Sam Adams excelled at is that they managed to make deals with national chains like BW3, Appleby's etc that mandated at least one tap per location.

There's also a lot of crap being served as "Craft" Everybody wants to be a brewer, but the best ones that I know are the guys who have other jobs to make a living. Just because it's "local" doesn't mean it's any good. It doesn't do the "Craft" any favors when your menu consists 40 citrus malted milkshakes (that taste like wet pressure treated sawdust), a overly yeast wheat and a mahogany barrel aged Ukranian Stout.

At the end of the day, it's just beer. There's no need to overthink it.

Heh there was a small brewery chain called Platform here in Ohio that went bust earlier this year. They seemed to make dozens of lactose-infused IPAs and sours. Their stuff used to be everywhere in stores. Budweiser bought them in 2018 or 2019 and mismanaged the hell out of the business. The Columbus location's entire staff walked out one day over working conditions.

We have an "Ale Trail" here in Columbus that at one point contained over 50 breweries. Visit every location, get a free tshirt/pint glass. That sort of thing. I did it 4 years. Eventually decided, hey, I know which ones of these suck at this point. Why keep spending weekends driving an hour for a flight of bad beer?

[AlabamAlum]

If I ever get y’all down here, Birmingham has become a decent stop for great restaurants and microbreweries.

[AlabamAlum]

Same re: Great Lakes. They've become the "safe" option if someone's coming over that isn't a fan of IPAs. Edmund Fitzgerald is still a fave even if I don't buy it often. The Cleveland microbrew scene was so dominated by them that for a while Columbus had way more breweries. But I feel like they've caught up now. So I wonder how ol GLBC is doing with a lot more competition than a decade ago.

Craft is dominated by IPAs and sours right now. When I think of Anchor neither of those really comes to mind. I know they did do an IPA but it was more an English style one from what I recall. Not the more popular American styles.

FWIW Immigrant Son on the west side of Lakewood is really, really good. Only been there once but the food was really good too. They are still pretty new - opened last year I think.

I like IPAs and sours, but I almost always go for a porter or a stout unless I’m eating, then I go for a mass-produced American light beer that I can guzzle without it overwhelming the taste of the food I’m eating.