Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Dudweiser

The Anheuser-Busch InBev Super Bowl commercial mocking craft beer drinkers was more stereotypic and hypocritical than offensive.  A group of pompous, bearded hipsters taking notes huddled over their tasters - how original.  AB is in the midst of buying Seattle craft brewery Elysian Brewing, its fourth such acquisition, which proves AB has craft beer envy.  AB's commercial insulted its employees that work at its soon-to-be four breweries more than it did beer geeks.  Apparently, Eylsian's founder is not too happy about the commercial, and the deal has not even closed yet.  For a glimpse of Elysian's future, here is a post from the blog Total Ales detailing Goose Island IPA's decline under AB. 

Beer drinkers my around my age (turned twenty-one before the late '80's craft beer renaissance) probably started with Budweiser or something similar and moved to craft beer because they wanted something more - like flavor - from their beer.   Today's craft beer drinkers are not going to migrate back to a macro because they want something less from their beer.  (That is why session IPAs were created.)

There is a huge market for industrial pilsners - I get that and that is fine - but that market excludes the person seeking and buying craft beer.  The vast majority of regular Bud drinkers are never going to switch to craft beer.  I have made failed attempts to convert a few Bud lovers to the wonder of craft beer, but the flavors of even a mild klosch proved too much.  I've become more agnostic as I've aged, and if someone loves mass produced beer that means more craft beer for me.  So, AB, you can condescend, but the joke is on you.  The craft beer fan is left drinking good beer, unfazed by your ridicule, while you wasted $9 million insulting your own employees. 


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