This post is being written over several days. To read new content, scroll down to where you haven’t read yet. Cheers!
It’s sort of bugged me for years now that a local restaurant has gotten a free ride on the tails of craft beer. There’s nothing wrong with the restaurant. In fact, I’ve had some great times there. It’s just that the public is under a misconception of who they are. It got me to thinking about some of the sleight-of-hand in the beer industry in this country today.
If you’ve followed the craft beer industry, you know two things.
- The craft beer industry is exploding. You can look just in Columbus to see it happening. About two years ago, there were no craft breweries in Dayton; next year there will be 18. And on and on and on. The Brewers Association says that, as of June of this year, there were 1,165 brewpub, 1,221 microbreweries and larger players that bring the total up to 2,538. Yowza! When I started doing this for a living, there were about 200 brewpubs in the country.
- Macro breweries continue to see their sales decline. If it wasn’t for craft beer, beer volume in the USA would actually be down in 2012.
One thing you may not be aware of is that there is a beer war going on right now. It’s a huge fight. The macros are doing everything they can to crowd the micros out of the market. Next time you’re in the supermarket, take a hard look at the beer aisle. You’ll see 90 percent of the aisle is macro beer. The macros buy shelf space to keep the little guys out. Maybe that’s just good business (we’ll leave that for you to decide) but there’s two things going on that are perhaps a little sinister.
- They make beers that appear as craft, but don’t mention the parent company behind the label; and
- They just buy up craft breweries and don’t tell you about it.
Again, that may just be good business. But what’s not cool is that they are doing everything they can to cover their tracks and to market their acquisitions as “mom and pop” breweries. They put a mask on these brands so you can’t tell that they are behind them.
While this is painfully obvious to those of us in the craft beer industry, it occurred to me that it may not be obvious to you. So, I present to you twelve beers that are more crafty than craft. I’ll post one today and then periodically add others.
I’ll end this multi-day post with the restaurant here in town that I wish would not imply they are part of our industry. But that’s for another day.
Today, I start with…
SHOCK TOP
This one you may actually know about. If you look at the label, it’s brewed by Shock Top Brewing Company of Saint Louis, Missouri. Cool, cool. Except Shock Top was created by the marketing department of Anheuser Busch, now a subsidiary of InBev.
Telltale signs from the beginning include as massive marketing campaign to launch. Craft brewers don’t have that kind of bank, nor is it the right vibe for a true artisan brewery. And nowhere does the label say AB is behind this beer. Crafty.
OK, I’ll do two today. Next we lift the veil on…
BLUE MOON
The Blue Moon Brewing Company was founded in Golden, Colorado. I think you see where this one’s headed.
Blue Moon Brewing Company was a marketing concept for Coors. Yes, it’s a real beer, but it was invented out of whole cloth to pretend it is a craft beer. Coors created it. Then they marketed it. Then they merged into MolsonCoors.
MolsonCoors then merged into SABMiller/MolsonCoors (I think.) Never along the way did the label say Coors. Or Molson. Or Miller.
Don’t get me wrong. Blue Moon is drinkable. It has been a gateway beer into the world of craft for many people. But it’s not craft. A South African conglomerate owns it. Oh, yeah, it’s sold in Canada as Ricard’s White. N-i-i-i-ce.
LEINENKUGEL’S
I visited Leinenkugel’s some time ago in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. It was a quaint brewery, founded in 1867, with a copper brewhouse. It appeared to have seen better days, but it was quaint, in a good way, a respite from day-to-day city life.
In 1988, it was purchased by Miller, now SABMiller. There’s no real problem here, since they let the beer stay pretty much what it was. (Well, until Shandy this and the rest.) The problem here is that now that the rest of the country can get it, people who never heard of Leinie’s see it on the shelf and say, “Cool! A new craft beer.” Except it isn’t. And it most certainly is not all brewed in Chippewa Falls. And it is owned by one of the major beer conglomerates.
OLDE SARATOGA BREWERY
It’s located in Saratoga Springs, New York and unavailable in Ohio. Consider this a head’s up in case it ever arrives here. You can pretty much guess that a brewery that considers itself “olde” isn’t.
They were founded in 1997 and almost immediately got bought up by Mendocino Brewing Company. Some of you may have heard of Mendocino Brewing and are asking yourselves, “Hey, that’s a craft brewery, so maybe this beer shouldn’t be on the list.”
Except…
MENDOCINO BREWING COMPANY
This craft brewery was founded way back in 1983. They were one of the first micros in California. These guys bought Saratoga to spread to the eastern part of the US, a reasonable move if you want to grow.
But in 2001 they in turn sold themselves to United Brewery Holdings, the Indian conglomerate that makes Kingfisher Beer. UBH now owns at least 70% of both Mendocino and Saratoga. You won’t find that information on either sub-breweries packaging. I’ve spotted Mendocino Brewing’s products at Trader Joes, rarely anywhere else. Crafty.
GOOSE ISLAND BREWING COMPANY
Goose Island began as a Chicago brewpub in 1988. Then they expanded with a production facility in 1995. In 1999, they added a second brewpub in Wrigleyville. Goose Island was the craft brewery in Chicago, making some memorable beers. I remember enjoying their barrel-conditioned Bourbon County Stout at the brewpub as if it were yesterday. 312 Urban Wheat is wildly popular in the summer. Their taphandles are distinctive.
Goose Island had it all. But maybe all wasn’t enough. They went and done it. They wanted to grow faster and get into more distribution channels. Who could do that for them? Why, Anheuser Busch, of course! Now AB-InBev, they bought 100% of the company, giving them a legitimate “craft beer label.” Only thing is, now it’s just another brand in their arsenal that puts a choke-hold on truly artisan craft breweries competing for shelf space. That, and the fact that GI’s packaging doesn’t mention AB-InBev anywhere. The beer’s still good, just apparently not good enough to say you own them, bitches.
What is AB-InBev afraid of? That the craft beer community won’t support a huge international macro brewer, led by a Brazilian known more for cost cutting than raising quality, and headquartered in Belgium? Hmmm.
PYRAMID BREWERIES
Founded in 1984 with the name Hart Brewing, this Washington brewer’s signature beer is Pyramid Pale Ale. In 2004, they acquired Portland Brewing Company. Still a craft brewer up to this point, just getting bigger. Nothing wrong with that.
In 2008, Pyramid was acquired by Independent Brewers United, the parent company of Magic Hat Brewing Company, Burlington, Vermont. In 2010, the joint company was acquired by North American Breweries (NAB,) headquartered in Rochester, New York, at the Genesee Brewing Company’s headquarters. A lot to follow, I know, but rather than tearing into the details of who’s who at this point, let’s cut to the chase.
In 2012, the entire organization was acquired by Cerveceria Costa Rica, a subsidiary of Florida Ice & Farm Company (FIFCO). Who are they? For starters, they’re not in Florida. FIFCO is a Costa Rican food and beverage company headquartered in Heredia, Costa Rica, with a catalog of over 2,000 products sold in 15 countries.
Did you follow all that? The point is that Pyramid is a small cog in the wheels of an international conglomerate. You can’t call that craft, no matter how tasty the beer.
MAGIC HAT
Magic Hat Brewing Company was founded in 1994, in Burlington, Vermont. It makes interesting beers with hipster labels that are works of art. They have all the trappings of a craft brewery, and until 2010, they were.
Until they too were purchased by NAB (see above.) Which means they too are another small cog in the FIFCO machine. With not indication on their packaging that this is so.
Now on to a trio of craft brewers (with a bonus brewery!) who are craftier than craft…
REDHOOK ALE BREWERY
Located in the Seattle area, I first visited this brewery and brewpub in 1991. It had a cool vibe and some really good ales. It was founded in 1981, making it one of the pioneer craft brewers in the industry.
On July 1, 2008, Redhook merged with Widmer Brothers Brewery, operating in Portland Oregon. The merged company called itself Craft Brewers Alliance. No doubt, the company was formed to gain production efficiencies in a capital intensive industry.
At this point, the merged company can still be considered a craft brewer. Then Anheuser Busch acquired a stake in this company. That’s not the whole story, though. Read on.
WIDMER BROTHERS BREWERY
Widmer was founded in 1984 in Portland by two actual brothers. At some point, they collaborated with Red Hook for several years through a licensing agreement whereby Redhook brewed and distributed their beers on the east coast. Still craft at this point.
Already with a stake in Redhook, AB took a stake in Widmer Brothers as well. AB at this time was quietly picking up stakes in craft brewers as a hedge against what turned out to happen: declining macro beer sales. During this time, AB simultaneously launched a marketing campaign poo pooing craft beer. Here’s a link to a summary of one such campaign.
OMISSION
Side note here. Widmer has a separate company called Omission. Omission brews all their beer gluten free. If you go to Omission’s website, this information is clearly stated.
What isn’t stated is that Omission is also part of Craft Beer Alliance, partially owned by InBev. Omission indeed.
KONA BREWING COMPANY
Kona was founded in 1994 and is supposedly the top-selling craft beer in Hawaii. Only thing is… they joined the Craft Brew Alliance, formerly Craft Brewers Alliance. Like Redhook and Widmer, they are now partially owned by AB. Does it make sense now how a Hawaiian beer can make it to Columbus store shelves?
AB owns 35% of Craft Brew Alliance. These breweries still operate independently, are capable of making good beer and can still control their destinies. So what’s the big deal?
For one, these beers, through AB’s distribution network, now help crowd out smaller craft beers on your store shelf. Think about that the next time you’re in the supermarket and you see Redhook, Widmer and Kona alongside Bud, Bud Light, Bud-a-Rita (or whatever it’s called,) Michelob, Natty Light and all the other InBev beers. Look how little space is left for craft beer. This is by design.
AB really doesn’t care if their crafty beers don’t sell well. They just want to make sure a competitor doesn’t get the sale. Got that?
For two, there’s no mention that ABInBev has a significant stake in these companies. It’s no coincidence that InBev does not support mandatory labeling to show alcohol percentage in beer. (Today, it’s optional.) If the casual beer drinker knew that his Bud Light was around 4%ABV and he could get a flavorful craft beer around 6-8%, well… InBev doesn’t want you to go there.
For three, with the world’s largest brewing conglomerate backing you, you can’t call yourself craft anymore.
CRAFT BEER ALLIANCE
If you find yourself thinking, “Hey, how can I get in on this action?” you’re in luck. CBA is a publicly traded company on the NASDAQ. Their ticker symbol is BREW. Thank goodness “craft” is five letters, or they may have gone for that ticker instead. In addition to InBev being a 35% partner, they also have two seats on the Board. I wonder what they drink at those meeting?
I don’t have anything against any of the beers I’ve mentioned (though I’d prefer to never drink many of them.) I’m just showing a little transparency. Openness and honesty is something you should associate with that pint of craft beer sitting in front of you. Right?
The last beer I’ll mention just about breaks my heart, because this brewery makes some fine, non-mainstream beers. I consider this brewery to have been a part of the American craft beer movement, even though it is our Canadian cousin. It can no longer be called be called craft, though.
UNIBROUE
Unibroue was founded by Andre Dion and Serge Racine in 1990. A hallmark of their beers is that they are bottled “on the lees.” South of the border here, we call it bottle-conditioning. Some yeast is left in the bottle to naturally carbonate the contents. Cool. Sierra Nevada used to do this. So did others. It’s just really hard to control on a large scale with distribution partners who may not treat the beer with kid gloves. So kudos to Unibroue for continuing to do this. Their beer ages nicely as a result.
One of their beers is called “La Fin du Monde.” It’s available locally, and I recommend you get a bottle or two for your cellar. The name translates to “End of the World.” I’d be OK leaving this planet with one of these.
Alas, They were bought by Canadian brewer, Sleeman Breweries, Ltd, in 2004. Sleeman is a macro brewer that’s slightly hipper than the US macros, but nothing a craft beer drinker would go out of her way for. In any case, in 2006 Sleeman was purchased by Sapporo. There you have it. As The Vapors wrote…
“I’ve got your picture of me and you
You wrote “I love you” I wrote “me too”
I sit there staring and there’s nothing else to do
Oh it’s in color
Your hair is brown
Your eyes are hazel
And soft as clouds
I often kiss you when there’s no one else around…
(and then)
…I’m turning Japanese
I think I’m turning Japanese
I really think so
Turning Japanese”
Don’t get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with the Japanese. But I have trouble wrapping my head around the fact that when I enjoy a Fin du Monde, I’m drinking Japanese. Especially when they don’t say so.
So that’s my rundown of beers that are more crafty than craft. One of them is great; some of them are good. I wish they’d stop making some of the others. That’s not the point of this post, though.
I wish that every brewery was transparent enough that we knew who’s behind them. I wish that the Big Boys didn’t make beer just to jam the beer aisle with beers just to keep really competition out and instead, let the marketplace decide. I wish brewers would list what’s in the bottle on the label. I wish for world peace too, but it is what it is.
Armed with a little information now, I mostly wish that you get the beer you deserve. There’s a whole craft industry waiting to serve you liquid art in a bottle. Don’t settle for crafty when you can have craft.
I promised I’d conclude with a local reference to crafty trumping craft. I don’t intend any malice here; I merely want to provide clarity. Because it’s bugged me. Since the start.
I’m calling you out…
COLUMBUS BREWING COMPANY RESTAURANT
First, go to their blog page and read what they say. OK, they present an abbreviated history of themselves. But. They state that, “we are the remaining brewery in Columbus’ Brewery District.” That is a bald-faced lie. They don’t brew anything.
If I may, allow me to elaborate on their history.
Some time in the late ’90s (I wish I knew the exact year) Cameron Mitchell (yes, THAT Cameron Mitchell) thought he’d get in on the craft beer craze. His organization put together an upscale pub menu, and had a contemporary joint designed for him. He also called it a brewpub. Only thing is…
THEY DON’T BREW BEER!
Here’s what happened. Cameron Mitchell made an agreement with the former owner of Columbus Brewing Company, Jeff Edwards, that he’d attach himself to the CBC brewery and also call himself CBC. CBC (the brewery) would supply their beer, and look! We can make everyone think it’s a brewpub! Only it’s not. It’s a pub. It’s a bar. It’s a beer bar. It’s a gastropub. There are countless terms that can be used to describe the restaurant.
Cameron Mitchell subsequently sold the restaurant to the current owners, and Jeff Edwards sold his stake in the brewery to Eric and Beth Bean. The original culprits are no longer involved. Yet the current owners seem happy to let our community think they brew beer in their setting. They don’t.
CBC Restaurant, please don’t call yourself a brewpub. Running a brewpub is really hard work. It’s like running two businesses. It’s having two staffs. It’s a mash up of two art forms.
And please don’t call yourself a brewery. Columbus Brewing Company is a brewery. You’re not. You don’t brew beer.
Just recently, CBC Restaurant has started putting some guest beers on tap. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. We do the same thing. There’s a lot of good craft beer out there, so why not?
But I’ve had people come up to me and ask “if I’d had the new beer from CBC.” Like Fat Julian. CBC doesn’t brew Fat Julian, Actual Brewing Company does. The confusion is getting worse. (Full disclosure: we had a firkin of Fat Julian at last year’s Mini Real Ale Fest and it was delicious!)
It’s time to blow the whistle on all this confusion. CBC is neither a brewery nor a brewpub, and it’s very crafty that they don’t do anything to clear the air. Great food. Great beer. Crafty marketing.
Do the right thing, CBC Restaurant. Stop the madness. It would be really cool if you took Brewing out of your name completely. It’s a chance to reinvent yourselves, while being more honest. There, I said it. I feel better.
Local Crafty Runner Up: BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse (two locations)… nice shiny tanks, guys. Too bad you ship your beer from out-0f-state, instead of merely using the tanks to make root beer. Brewhouse indeed.
Cheers!
Brewdood
Are you referencing CBC?
I guess you’ll have to wait to find out.
I was right! Now, do I get a free growler or something? Order of sauerkraut balls? :-))
John, this isn’t a contest bro.
if the bottle baerks or does not break, and if u hit them both at the same consitency, they will hurt the smae amount ..UNLESS the broken glass cutz u, which then i would say, the broken one .it all depends tho
“Some words, like, Micro, Regional, Macro, Multinational have some sense, as they sort of describe the size of the brrweey, but that, as with any other label, doesn’t automatically mean good beer….””Macro” and “Multinational” automatically mean bad beer, don’t they?I agree with the Filosof that terms roughly relating to size make a certain amount of sense, but I actually recognise only two categories – good and bad. And, like you, Ron, purchase accordingly.
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Gary -“Breweries whether big or small need to make flfovuraul, balanced, stable beers and that is not as easy a trick as one might imagine.”No, the depresing thing is that good beer isn’t that hard to make (every little farmhouse brewery in Franken manages very well) so long as your aim is to make good beer at a reasonable level of profit. It becomes difficult when accountants start running the show, and the whole aim is to maximise profit. The brewers lose control and the cart starts driving the horse.You say, correctly, that Pilsner Urquell is a good beer – well, it used to be a damn sight better than it is now. Being owned by a multi-national has done the beer no favours at all.”Numerous large breweries make excellent real ale in England.”The real big boys don’t produce cask ale anymore. The best producers of cask ale are (in global terms) small/medium concerns, still run by the original family in a lot of cases. Samuel Smith, Fullers and Timothy Taylor are good examples, and are not that big really. These, of course, are established breweries making tried and trusted products, loved by many drinkers, but IMHO the most exciting ranges of beers in Britain are being brewed by small breweries such as Brewdog, Dark Star and Meantime.
I got bottled last year by a 40 in the back of my head diurng an argument. It did not break due it was half full. but it did made me drop to the floor and pass out for at least 10 seconds since the Adrenaline Rush kicked in. I got back up but i was unconscious of what was going on. my friends came to carry me to a near park. i fell to the ground then and had a minor seizure and went into a panic mood. i was rushed to the hospital but got out the next day. Still today i have bad headaches in the back of my head. getting bottled is one of the WORST feelings.
Right! Brewery size has nothing to do with beer quliaty. I would certainly disagree that ‘macro’ automatically means bad…especially now that the macros are beginning to take note of the more adventurous consumer palate (and many micros seem obsessed with bombarding the palate to unheard of extremes). Some of the newer macro efforts are not bad at all. And let’s not forget the micros that have become macros and managed to keep making very good beer.Like Rod suggests above, there are only two kinds of beer–good and bad– and there’s plenty of both coming from brewers both big and small. It’s just a matter of wading through the glut of product on the retail shelves these days to find the ones one really likes. Ahhhh. the agony of choice.
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In the end personal taste must rule: I like a nmbeur of commercial (large-brewery) beers, and named some. I don’t like others, probably 90% of the total but amongst the 10% are beers that are truly excellent IMO. The same applies to the craft beer segment except there stability is more of an issue since these products are largely unpasteurized.But once again we are in the realm of personal taste, and as a bartender reminded me recently, “that is why there are so many beers out there”.I have been drinking Urquell since about 1975 and find it essentially the same as back then. Other beers strike me as different, e.g., Michelob (despite returning to all-malt some years ago), or Tuborg, say.The small craft breweries in the U.K. make great real ales in many cases, no question. But large breweries did the same for many years too, if they do not know, that is because the structure of the market changed. Director’s and Ind Coope Burton were great beers when I drank them about 15 years ago and were made by large concerns. I assume they are still available but am not sure who makes them today.Fuller’s is a great company and its family ownership does tend to encourage high quality, but of course it operates rather beyond a craft scale. Young’s beers were a similar example (I haven’t tried them under the Charles Wells aegis).GaryGary
Jeremy, Bush is very popular in plceas where people haven’t had freedom, but do now, or have better lives because of the principled stands he took while in office, or because of the help he sent when no one else would. Think Africa, where he made a tour to wide acclaim for his work against aids. Think Albania, or Georgia, where they lionize him for the help he provided when the rest of the world was willing to ignore them. And really, think Iraq, where in spite of all the difficulties, there have been multiple free elections, which people widely participated in, in spite of threats of death, and which have left those societies far better off than they were before. Think of the freedom movements in Lebanon, Ukraine and other plceas, which were at least inspired in part by Bush’s stand for freedom, and his willingness to advocate for it around the world. Think of his visit with Christians in China, a persecuted group, in order to show solidity and advocate for tolerance from the Communist government. All these widely divergent groups have benefited from Bush’s principles of freedom, and I believe they do appreciate him beyond any recent president. Finally, his low approval rating in the US is in large part due to the MSM, and their willingness to ignore his successes, and highlight his failures,and even make up derogatory things about him. Think Dan Rather. History will judge Mr. Bush far more fairly than you, Jeremy, as others all over the wide world already do.
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Inevitably there will be some blending of caireoetgs and Sierra Nevada is still a craft brewery in my view due to its relatively youth (30 years) and the very high quality of its products. By the same token, there are some reasonably large producers established in the same period whose products are styled to the mass taste and I would not call them craft brewers. An extreme example would be a brewery set up to produce price beers (low-cost or discount brews).I think in the North American context the term craft brewery retains meaning for most beer fans despite some blurring. For the U.K., I use the term, as did Jackson and some others, to denote more the new generation of brewers since the 1970’s. It’s terminology, inevitably not perfect but I find it useful.Gary
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You forgot Third Shift by Band of Brewers, Batch 19, and Redd’s Ales–all MillerCoors’ products (it is MillerCoors in the U.S., MolsonCoors in the rest of the world)….
You’re right. I guess I could have gone on and on and on. I never heard of Batch 19. You learn something new every day. Thanks for the comment!
Hello Oregonians! Getting very excited! The widdeng site looks perfect and I am imagining beautiful things about the bid day. We are getting ready to book our flights so it is official and I have been looking into B&B’s. One that has caught our eye is Clementine’s. Any thoughts on that place? Love you both.
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That’s the funky thing about CBC. Although they are two different companies, they are still brewed locally, just not at the restaurant. It takes very little digging to find out that they are two different companies. They even include a link to their brewers website under their beer link.
Is it underhanded? A little. But is it in the same class as the macrobrews attempting to take up all the store shelf space, or even BJ’s? I don’t believe so.
Personally, I’ll continue to purchase their product from the store shelves or growler filling locations, though I generally hit up Barley’s more frequently than the CBC restaurant.
Reverend, you say “they.” Only thing is one of them brews and the other doesn’t. “They” are not brewed locally. “It” is brewed locally.
Sorry, I should’ve been more clear.
The initial “they” being the two companies, while the second “they” being the beers.
I’m going to come to the partial defense of Goose Island and am going to take slight issue with the insinuation that Goose Island is no longer a “truly artisan craft brewer[y]”. I’ll be the first to agree that the last thing most of us want is a giant sea of 312 cases monopolizing craft beer shelves, but I just visited their brewery a couple weeks ago and can assure you their artisan spirit is still quite alive and well.
Now I’m far from a beer expert; I have nothing more than a layman’s appreciation but while my experience may be rather shallow, it’s also rather broad. I’ve been to 20-30 breweries over the past year(ish) ranging from Four Peaks in Arizona to Devil’s Backbone in Virginia. With the exception of Jolly Pumpkin (the brewers there are literally insane) many of the smaller outfits don’t tend to get too inventive with the beer they sell to their patrons on a daily basis. Not to say their beer isn’t delicious or that they don’t have their own unique twists to established styles…but its all minor gender bending. A raspberry wheat from Willoughby will surprise you no more than the one from Mad Anthony. Both are awesomely delicious but its essentially re-inventing the wheel with differently colored spokes. I understand why these small breweries can’t get too creative on a large scale and I think this is why Goose Island’s current situation is pretty neat. Not only can they offer a larger menu of different styles than most microbreweries, their deep pockets afford them access to unique ingredients and the freedom to go nuts with them. A belgian farmhouse ale with lactobacillus? Why not. Would a hefeweizen-porter hybrid work? Let’s find out.
Were they any good? No.
Do I, as a beer lover, rejoice in the fact that they had the balls and the means to try them out? Hell yes.
Will the relationship with AB-InBev eventually end in tears? Most definitely. At some point Daddy Anheuser will tighten the reins but please don’t write them off as nothing more than filthy sell-outs quite yet, I think they still have quite a bit to offer the craft beer community and deserve to be given the benefit of the doubt…for now.
Just my $0.02.
Cheeseman, I have no issues with the quality of GI’s beers. It’s just that it’s no longer craft. The Brewer’s Association defines a craft brewer as one that is small, independent and traditional. Let’s pick them apart one by one:
Small: Annual production of less than 6,000,000 barrels. Counting just Goose Island’s production, I’ll concede it passes this hurdle.
Independent: Less than 25% of the brewery is owned or controlled by an alcoholic beverage industry member who is not themselves a craft brewer. On this point, GI fails. ABInBev owns more than 25%.
Traditional: A brewer who brews an all-malt flagship, or has at tleast 50% of its volume in either all malt or uses adjuncts to enhance, rather than lighten flavor. GI is traditional.
So, on one count, Goose Island cannot be a craft brewer. There’s nothing wrong with that. It just isn’t in the craft business any longer.
Ahh, thanks for the info! I get that the “craft” in “craft beer” has nothing to do with quality but…I dunno…just seems a bit unfair. I can’t imagine walking into Goose Island’s brewpub and telling the bartender that, by official definition, all of their small-batch brewery exclusives should be classified on the same level as Genese or Coors simply because of the new owners and a production facility three states away that makes millions of barrels of a completely different brew.
Or maybe I’m just getting too hung up on labels. On a personal level it shouldn’t matter whether it gets classified as craft or not…if it’s good I’ll drink it and if not, I won’t.
Great instghi. Relieved I’m on the same side as you.
This is a great article, and it got me to think. Why does the Brewers Association support these “crafty” brands? Go look at the GABF’s sponsor list on their website. You’ll see many of those brands on there. So the Brewers Association creates a craft beer festival and a “craft” criteria yet allows all those brands to participate, essentially fooling the consumer at the largest “craft” beer fest in the world! They have absolutely no problem taking their money in private but completely throwing them under the bus in public? That’s not right.
COLUMBUS BREWING CO., 535 SHORT ST., COLUMBUS, OHIO 43215
When I go to eat at the CBC Restaurant I go to the above address so I assume the beer is brewed on site, in the same building, and not at some other location.
The above is the address at which the OBC has an OLCB permit to brew beer in Ohio. I believe that it is illegal to brew under that permit at ANY other address.
When I go to eat at the CBC Restaurant I go to that same address so I assume the beer is brewed on site, in the same building, and not at some other location.
Perhaps you mean that the CBC has “their beer” contract brewed elsewhere? If so, while legal, I’d agree that would be misleading!
While we’re splitting hairs, how about the Elevator B.C. Tap House, almost 100% of the beer that they sell, including “their own beer”, is not made on site. Are they a brewpub or not?
Cheers & Fresh Beers, Roger, Marietta, OH
“The above is the address at which the *OBC * has an OLCB permit …”
Oops, OBC should be CBC. Roger
/ This is getting a bit more suibjcteve, but I much prefer the Zune Marketplace. The interface is colorful, has more flair, and some cool features like Mixview’ that let you quickly see related albums, songs, or other users related to what you’re listening to. Clicking on one of those will center on that item, and another set of neighbors will come into view, allowing you to navigate around exploring by similar artists, songs, or users. Speaking of users, the Zune Social is also great fun, letting you find others with shared tastes and becoming friends with them. You then can listen to a playlist created based on an amalgamation of what all your friends are listening to, which is also enjoyable. Those concerned with privacy will be relieved to know you can prevent the public from seeing your personal listening habits if you so choose.
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Solid review guys, rlaley thorough job!! One comment though, there is no Street in the name if the beer. It is just St. Charles Porter. Great job other than that, I agree it’s an amazing beer!
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