More on Faux Craft Beer

[limulus]

This is why distributors in 3-tier states such as Georgia are fighting hard to keep the 3-tier status. With companies like Molson Coors launching their "Craft Collection", they will be able to dominate the shelves and fool people with their Faux Craft Beer. Beware Ireland and UK, they are also trying to pull a fast one on you too:

http://www.independent.ie/business/...launch-of-its-latest-collection-29173233.html

http://www.stitchandbear.com/2013/04/news-molson-coors-launches-craft.html

They even tried to pull one over on the NY Yankee faithful, but that one backfired. That is another reason to not be a Yankee fan
http://www.brandchannel.com/home/post/2013/04/15/Craft-Beer-Fights-Back-041513.aspx

 

[Homercidal]

Well, by definition, they aren't Craft Beers. That in itself makes their marketing false advertising.

Still, I like a Blue Moon as much as the next guy. But calling a wheat beer with orange peel a Belgian Wit, when it doesn't use a Belgian yeast, is also kind of a misnomer...

 

[JeepDiver]

Well, by definition, they aren't Craft Beers. That in itself makes their marketing false advertising.

Still, I like a Blue Moon as much as the next guy. But calling a wheat beer with orange peel a Belgian Wit, when it doesn't use a Belgian yeast, is also kind of a misnomer...

Technically it does say "Belgian Style Wheat", so I think that gets them a pass.

While there are issues with the marketing, the good thing about all of the Faux craft beers, is the resturants (i.e. chains) that use to carry just Bud, Coors, Miller, and Blue Moon and maybe Sam Adams, now have Batch 19, Shock Top, and other beers to choose from. Sure it's not as good as having your local brewery on tap (One good thing about CO, it seems that every bar has at least one CO beer besides Coors), but it's better than having American Light Lager, or Blue Moon to choose from.

 

[Clonefan94]

I can't really blame them, they are seeing a market emerge that isn't just attracting new beer drinkers, it's taking market share from them. So, they are trying to get in on the game. In the end, I guess the positive to take from it is that BMC are realizing that just pouring money into a marketing budget isn't going to work like it used to. They aren't just competing with each other, they are competing with every brewery in the US now. Hopefully they will step up their game and start giving us beer that reflects the tastes that lead people into the craft beer market and not just some fancy labelling.

 

[AlmostWitty]

From the BrandChannel Article: "However, there are pro ballparks that actually do serve up craft beers. Detroit’s Comerica Park serves up the fine work of at least seven Michigan craft brewers."

I can attest to having a lot of options up there. I usually go up for about 3 games a year, and I don't think I've had the same beer in a season yet.

Contributing factors may include: price of beer, tailgating

 

[limulus]

I can't really blame them, they are seeing a market emerge that isn't just attracting new beer drinkers, it's taking market share from them. So, they are trying to get in on the game. In the end, I guess the positive to take from it is that BMC are realizing that just pouring money into a marketing budget isn't going to work like it used to. They aren't just competing with each other, they are competing with every brewery in the US now. Hopefully they will step up their game and start giving us beer that reflects the tastes that lead people into the craft beer market and not just some fancy labelling.

You do make a good point. They would be stupid to not pay attention to the market.

 

[LandoLincoln]

There is no standard definition of "craft beer" so they can't really be "faux craft beers" now can they?

Are you more concerned about how good a beer tastes, or are you more concerned about who makes the beer?

If it's the latter, you're now traveling in beer snob land.

 

[limulus]

There is no standard definition of "craft beer" so they can't really be "faux craft beers" now can they?

Are you more concerned about how good a beer tastes, or are you more concerned about who makes the beer?

If it's the latter, you're now traveling in beer snob land.

Actually, there is a definition set by the Brewers Association:
http://www.brewersassociation.org/pages/business-tools/craft-brewing-statistics/craft-brewer-defined

The problem most have with the traditional Big 3 brewers is that they try to pass their "craft beers" as little small breweries. No doubt they can make a fine product, but they are not mom and pop brewers. My biggest issues with these guys is they have gigantic distributors who influence politicians. In turn they beat down the small brewer...at least in some states by not allowing self distribution or on-site sales. I'm a business person. I have 8-figure contracts with my customers and I like to beat down my competition and I do it fairly.

 

[LandoLincoln]

Actually, there is a definition set by the Brewers Association:

That's a pretty lame definition. The "traditional" part is fine. But why must a brewer be "small" and "independent?" How does that influence the "crafting" of a beer? Call them "indie beers" instead of "craft beers" then.

 

[b-boy]

I got burned by this a few times.

I like a Bud now and again. I've tried every attempt they've made at producing a better product. I liked American Ale when it came out, and I'd probably buy it now if it were available. I even have some Budweiser-themed swag hanging in my basement.

I don't mind BMC producing new products, but I don't like it when they try to hide their origins. Especially if they're charging a premium for the product. They can put 'Budweiser' on the label, or 'brewed by Anheuser-Busch' - that's fine. Just don't make up a fictitious brewery with a fake address, add cool-looking label, and create a catchy 'crafty-sounding' name and try to pretend someone else made it. That's just deceptive advertising.

If a product is good, people will try it and come back for more. It's as simple as that.

 

[Johnnyhitch1]

That's a pretty lame definition. The "traditional" part is fine. But why must a brewer be "small" and "independent?" How does that influence the "crafting" of a beer? Call them "indie beers" instead of "craft beers" then.

Production over 6MIL BBL a year is A LOT.
Just as an idea, Stone produced 115,000 in 2011
Budweiser produced 26MIL
Keeping the limit small(in this case still a large number) allows the "craft brewer" to keep a hold of there product, quality control and appeal, not just 'mass produce"

Same thing goes for the independent aspect. We all know when a company is owned by entitys having nothing to do with the industry, how much the quality of final product suffers. *cough* ABinBEV *cough*

 

[Spintab]

There is no standard definition of "craft beer" so they can't really be "faux craft beers" now can they?

Are you more concerned about how good a beer tastes, or are you more concerned about who makes the beer?

If it's the latter, you're now traveling in beer snob land.

Seriously? You don't care who makes your beer? You have no concern whatsoever of the person who busts their a$$ to make beer for you? No concern for the fact that the people who suffer the most from a three tier system are the people who invest the most love and labor into making beer for you? I don't think having an interest in small business and personal venture make someone a beer snob. In fact, the beer snobs I know have no clue of any of the brewers' names that make their beer. They buy it because other people have said it's cool to have it or because it's rare or the label is pretty or something.

Here's the thing. If I was to make say pizza, and people loved it, I could start a pizza joint and sell it to whoever come in. I can't do that with beer in Georgia and I'd like to. I can do it in Alabama now, the one remaining state that doesn't even allow you to brew at home (also a big beer issue). But not in Georgia. I don't know that I can afford to start a brewery large enough to sustain itself on the 40% of each keg that I'd be left with after the three tiers. It really saddens me knowing that I could make the beer I love for an entire city but it may not be feasible because big beer has a strong arm on the tier system. They take advantage of history and ignorance to make sure guys like me can't come into the market. What is a million bucks to those guys? Nothing. What's a million to me? Years of planning, lots of investor begging, and a huge huge risk.

So, you see. There is more to it than the way the beer tastes. There is pride. There is supporting local business and being part of a community. There is the healthy mix of competition as well as collaboration that occurs between "craft" sized breweries.

 

[Evan_L]

To play devil's advocate for a minute...could we not make the case that the BMC "craft" beer will help us overall? If they convert hardcore BMC to the faux craft, and those people now have branched out taste wise, it seem be inevitable that one of two things would happen. One, BMC would eventually give up market share to truly craft beer. Two, BMC would be forced into producing a better product that is truer to the craft beer name than the current ones (BM, ST, B19 etc)

This fake "craft" beer may steal a few customers looking to try the real thing, but they will eventually find the real thing. They are though, helping to take people who might never otherwise try "real" beer and introducing them to it...which would be better for the craft beer industry and all of us.

Personally, I see "big beer" (as we know it today) losing serious market share in the next decade or two as the beer revolution of the 90's continues to spread and the craft beer business model becomes more viable. Of course, crappy distribution schemes may hurt craft beer short-term, I don't see the big boys winning the fight anytime soon.

 

[weirdboy]

To play devil's advocate for a minute...could we not make the case that the BMC "craft" beer will help us overall? If they convert hardcore BMC to the faux craft

The reason it's called faux craft is because they conceal the fact it's made by BMC. You can go to a grocery store now and see typically several shelves filled with BMC, sitting next to one or two shelves of craft beer from actual smaller breweries. The reason for faux craft from BMC is to fill up those one or two shelves with their own product, thereby preventing the actual small craft beers from having shelf space. There is a similar analogy for taps in a bar. In a typical (non craft) bar around here, you might have 5-6 taps of BMC beers, and then one or two craft beers. A faux craft beer is going to occupy the spot that is usually occupied by (at least around here) Fat Tire, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Lagunitas IPA, or Stone Pale/IPA in those types of bars. I suppose in CT it might be more like DFH 60 or 90 minute IPA.

A BMC drinker isn't going to notice the difference between the faux craft beers and the actual small craft beers. Either they will choose to branch out and drink "craft" beer or not, but that shelf being occupied by BMC faux craft isn't going to sway them one way or another.

 

[Weezy]

A BMC drinker isn't going to notice the difference between the faux craft beers and the actual small craft beers. Either they will choose to branch out and drink "craft" beer or not, but that shelf being occupied by BMC faux craft isn't going to sway them one way or another.

well said.

The people buying BMC craft beer instead of a six pack from the local brewer are buying it because of the pretty label, not because they know what good craft beer is.

 

[bob1852]

Production over 6MIL BBL a year is A LOT.
Just as an idea, Stone produced 115,000 in 2011
Budweiser produced 26MIL
Keeping the limit small(in this case still a large number) allows the "craft brewer" to keep a hold of there product, quality control and appeal, not just 'mass produce"

The problem is, though, when breweries like Sam Adams out produced the old definition of "craft" they just changed the definition so that those bigger breweries still met the definition of craft.

It's been done before.

http://beerpulse.com/2011/01/brewer...m-adams-provision-as-brewery-nears-threshold/

 

[bob1852]

well said.

The people buying BMC craft beer instead of a six pack from the local brewer are buying it because of the pretty label, not because they know what good craft beer is.

There's lots of people that buy beer based on label design and/or clever name without knowing anything about the brewery producing it.

 

[limulus]

The reason it's called faux craft is because they conceal the fact it's made by BMC. You can go to a grocery store now and see typically several shelves filled with BMC, sitting next to one or two shelves of craft beer from actual smaller breweries. The reason for faux craft from BMC is to fill up those one or two shelves with their own product, thereby preventing the actual small craft beers from having shelf space. There is a similar analogy for taps in a bar. In a typical (non craft) bar around here, you might have 5-6 taps of BMC beers, and then one or two craft beers. A faux craft beer is going to occupy the spot that is usually occupied by (at least around here) Fat Tire, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Lagunitas IPA, or Stone Pale/IPA in those types of bars. I suppose in CT it might be more like DFH 60 or 90 minute IPA.

A BMC drinker isn't going to notice the difference between the faux craft beers and the actual small craft beers. Either they will choose to branch out and drink "craft" beer or not, but that shelf being occupied by BMC faux craft isn't going to sway them one way or another.

Bingo. That is why the remaining three tier states have the major distributors and their supporting BMC breweries fighting like hell to keep the 3 tier system in place. Then they sneak in their faux craft brews to fill the shelves and it's back to 1980. Ahh, 1980 was a good year. I was in college: young, dumb and full of whatever rhymes with dumb...and drinking lots of Natural Light

 

[Spintab]

The problem is, though, when breweries like Sam Adams out produced the old definition of "craft" they just changed the definition so that those bigger breweries still met the definition of craft.

It's been done before.

http://beerpulse.com/2011/01/brewer...m-adams-provision-as-brewery-nears-threshold/

I don't know if it's having grown up in New England with a Sammy in my hand or what, but I'm willing to give Jim Koch a pass this one time. Sam Adams is where Dogfish Head and Stone will be in 10 years. Still craft beer but wildly successful and not sure what to do with all the success.

 

[Battles4Seattle]

I'm not a fan of the large companies trying to fool buyers. I have zero issue with them making something other than a corn lager distributed under their own name to try and influence the american consumer to drink other beers other than said corn lager.

But there's a problem with that. Take for example American Ale, beer enthusiast wouldn't buy and not enough BMC drinkers bought it either, they almost have to distribute under another name just to get into the craft market. That way they aren't doing anything to advance american beer consumers and just stealing a share of the craft market which I'm also not a fan of.

I just want good beer lol

 

[bob1852]

Still craft beer but wildly successful

So much so that they had to change the definition of craft beer.

 

[LandoLincoln]

Seriously? You don't care who makes your beer? You have no concern whatsoever of the person who busts their a$$ to make beer for you? No concern for the fact that the people who suffer the most from a three tier system are the people who invest the most love and labor into making beer for you? I don't think having an interest in small business and personal venture make someone a beer snob. In fact, the beer snobs I know have no clue of any of the brewers' names that make their beer. They buy it because other people have said it's cool to have it or because it's rare or the label is pretty or something.

Here's the thing. If I was to make say pizza, and people loved it, I could start a pizza joint and sell it to whoever come in. I can't do that with beer in Georgia and I'd like to. I can do it in Alabama now, the one remaining state that doesn't even allow you to brew at home (also a big beer issue). But not in Georgia. I don't know that I can afford to start a brewery large enough to sustain itself on the 40% of each keg that I'd be left with after the three tiers. It really saddens me knowing that I could make the beer I love for an entire city but it may not be feasible because big beer has a strong arm on the tier system. They take advantage of history and ignorance to make sure guys like me can't come into the market. What is a million bucks to those guys? Nothing. What's a million to me? Years of planning, lots of investor begging, and a huge huge risk.

So, you see. There is more to it than the way the beer tastes. There is pride. There is supporting local business and being part of a community. There is the healthy mix of competition as well as collaboration that occurs between "craft" sized breweries.

I care, but I care about what the beer tastes like more. If a little brewing company can't make beer that tastes better than what BMC can produce, do they still belong in the business just because they're local? No.

Yes, dissing a beer just because of who makes it makes one a beer snob.

 

[JeepDiver]

to keep a hold of there product, quality control and appeal, not just 'mass produce"

So your trying to tell me that the little breweries, pay more attention to quality control than BMC?

oooookkkk

 

[LandoLincoln]

I see what some of you are saying. You're boycotting BMC over their stranglehold on the 3-tier system, and that's understandable. But let's just make it clear that quality of product is a lesser factor in this boycott than is your desire to see more actual indie brewers getting more shelf space.

 

[GASoline71]

Watch the documentary "Beer Wars".



Gary

 

[feinbera]

I see what some of you are saying. You're boycotting BMC over their stranglehold on the 3-tier system, and that's understandable. But let's just make it clear that quality of product is a lesser factor in this boycott than is your desire to see more actual indie brewers getting more shelf space.

Are the two mutually exclusive? I mean, apart from cases where they've bought out existing craft operations, they're not really doing anything very adventurous -- "let's try a neutrally-colored, neutrally-flavored beer with a little suspended yeast" or "let's try a clear, neutrally-flavored beer with a little crystal malt color," etc.

Even if they did start cranking out IPA's and barleywines that rivaled my favorite craft offerings, I would still gleefully boycott those beers in moral opposition to BMC's monopolistic behavior and various misinformation campaigns. But, by and large, I don't think any such beers exist to boycott.

 

[bob1852]

I mean, apart from cases where they've bought out existing craft operations,

Don't you mean where the "craft" beer owners willfully sold their businesses for a lot of money?

Doesn't that make the craft beer owners greedy thugs?

 

[BeastMaster]

Does it taste good?

 

[amandabab]

Seriously? You don't care who makes your beer? You have no concern whatsoever of the person who busts their a$$ to make beer for you? No concern for the fact that the people who suffer the most from a three tier system are the people who invest the most love and labor into making beer for you?

not really. they are in it for the money too.

 

[Spintab]

I see what some of you are saying. You're boycotting BMC over their stranglehold on the 3-tier system, and that's understandable. But let's just make it clear that quality of product is a lesser factor in this boycott than is your desire to see more actual indie brewers getting more shelf space.

No, their beer sucks. I would drink it occasionally if it was good but it's not.

not really. they are in it for the money too.

People don't become brewers for the money. If they do their in for a surprise. There are much higher paying jobs that require far less manual labor.

 

[LandoLincoln]

Are the two mutually exclusive? I mean, apart from cases where they've bought out existing craft operations, they're not really doing anything very adventurous -- "let's try a neutrally-colored, neutrally-flavored beer with a little suspended yeast" or "let's try a clear, neutrally-flavored beer with a little crystal malt color," etc.

Even if they did start cranking out IPA's and barleywines that rivaled my favorite craft offerings, I would still gleefully boycott those beers in moral opposition to BMC's monopolistic behavior and various misinformation campaigns. But, by and large, I don't think any such beers exist to boycott.

No, they aren't mutually exclusive ideas. They're just not equally reasonable.

"Dang! This beer that I bought is actually a BMC beer in disguise! I'm boycotting those beers because Big Beer is using their financial muscle to keep the little guy down and my accidentally giving them money ticks me off!"

"Dang! This beer that I bought and think is tasty but not outstanding is actually a BMC beer in disguise! If this moderately flavorful beer were being made by a 'real' craft brewer I would still buy more of their beer, because I like it, but since it's made by Big Beer then I no longer like it as much as I thought I did!"

 

[faithfull44]

I think BMC has the capabilities of making decent beer, I actually dont mind Blue Moon if its one of the few draft choices up there. They tend not to make beer in the styles I like though and even if I did I would probably support the little guy over the big. I worked for a smaller beer distributor in NYC and its amazing what BMC gets away with. Just an example.... Worked the lower east side where PBR is huge and my best selling beer. At times we would not get the beer shipped to us on time(its contract brewed by miller) and the coors distributor went around handing out 10 free cases to bars to get them lower the price and compete with PBR cans. Highly illegal but the big companies do it all the time and nothing is ever done about it. Thats a big personal reason I try to stay away from BMC even for my adjunct lagers. Plus local breweries provide for the local economy which I always try to support not just in beer

 

[JeepDiver]

Plus local breweries provide for the local economy which I always try to support not just in beer

Bud is brewed about 1.5 hours from my house and Coors about45 min, and they hire more people than most of the smaller guys combined

 

[Spintab]

Bud is brewed about 1.5 hours from my house and Coors about45 min, and they hire more people than most of the smaller guys combined

Well of course. That's like saying Walfart is better for the local community because it employs more people. More product = more employees. I'd be curious though, how many employees there are per barrel of beer produced. Not that is makes a difference, just curious.

Sure, they are brewed by your house then shipped to who knows where. Then people buy it from who knows where and the money goes back to the corp. When a brewery sells it's beer locally, the money stays within the community and any taxes involved are paid to the same state and local as the state it's sold.

For being a HOME brewing forum, there are an interestingly large number of big beer supporters on here. I always thought that if you home brewed, you were by nature disappointed with the selection of beers available to you. That or you just like doing things yourself which lends itself to more of a community based mentality. I can understand being annoyed by people who trash big beer at any chance but to turn that into support for it, it doesn't make sense in my head.

 

[b-boy]

For being a HOME brewing forum, there are an interestingly large number of big beer supporters on here. I always thought that if you home brewed, you were by nature disappointed with the selection of beers available to you. That or you just like doing things yourself which lends itself to more of a community based mentality. I can understand being annoyed by people who trash big beer at any chance but to turn that into support for it, it doesn't make sense in my head.

I'm completely ambivalent about it. I don't understand the venom people have toward BMC. They are in business to sell a product like every other company out there. It's no different than Chevy or Proctor and Gamble.

If they make a good product, I'll buy it. If they dont, I won't. It's not like anyone is forcing me to drink Miller High Life. I'm not annoyed by the fact that BMC exists like some people seem to be.

People talk about small brweries and how much better they are. I agree that many of them make a much better product. However, I can guarantee that 99% of the small breweries out there would jump at the chance to get as big as any of the large producers. It's kinda the reason you're in business - to grow and make money.

That being said, 50% of what I drink is from small craft breweries and the rest is what I make at home. I rarely buy BMC products, but if someone offers one to me I'll gladly take it.

 

[IffyG]

I always thought that if you home brewed, you were by nature disappointed with the selection of beers available to you.

Really? I don't think there could be a statement further from the truth. Lots of things drive people towards home brewing (being a DIY type that enjoys getting their hands dirty, people that like crafting a recipe, people in in strictly for competition reason, etc etc).

 

[azmark]

I see what some of you are saying. You're boycotting BMC over their stranglehold on the 3-tier system, and that's understandable. But let's just make it clear that quality of product is a lesser factor in this boycott than is your desire to see more actual indie brewers getting more shelf space.

You think these are good beers?

 

[MotorcycleMatt]

You think these are good beers?

Personally I find some of their other stuff like blue moon tasty for what it is. I think their main beers already have enough space but I don't have any issues with blue moon or any of the smaller breweries they own.

 

[faithfull44]

Its not the quality I have an issue of. Its the same across pretty much every industry. A handful of companies release items under different names to try to fool people into thinking it isnt the big company. Im not sure anyones try to argue that BMC doesnt make product exactly as they want it to be. The genius behind blue moon is its way better then a traditional BMC but still not being overly flavorful in any direction to turn off drinkers who dont want to much taste.

If they were around the corner from my house I might feel differently about them as well. Craft beer employees more per barrel. Plus the beer they make is usually shipped pretty local and continues the cycle of keeping the money in the community!

 

[HerbieHowells]

Bingo. That is why the remaining three tier states have the major distributors and their supporting BMC breweries fighting like hell to keep the 3 tier system in place. Then they sneak in their faux craft brews to fill the shelves and it's back to 1980. Ahh, 1980 was a good year. I was in college: young, dumb and full of whatever rhymes with dumb...and drinking lots of Natural Light

I will say that it is slightly better than their other strategy for filling up shelf space- putting the same stuff in a slightly different can and selling it side by side with your regular cans and bottles. If you are going to use your muscle to bogart shelf space, at least put something other than your light lager on the shelf.