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“Yeah, so like, what are the IBUs like on that porter? My palette is pretty sensitive.” You might want to take the growler out of their hands and spike them in the face with it breaking their rimmed glasses. Like, we get it, you don’t drink macro-brews like the rest of us.
Fact of the matter is that craft beer makes up a huge part of the industry and is much better to soothe an earth-shattering hangover when a light beer just won’t do the job.
Last night, everyone’s favorite business/sports try-hard Darren Rovell tweeted out the top selling craft beer brands over the past year. While he clarified that, yes, a lot of these have been sold off to larger companies, they were probably independent craft beer brands at some point over the last calendar year.
When I’m searching the menu for a craft beer at a gourmet pizza place or tap room, everyone knows that I scan the list for three breweries, in this order: Bells, Ballast Point, and New Belgium. People just know that about me and when I walk into a bar they’re like, “Hey man, can I interest you in a Bells, Ballast Point, or New Belgium beer?” I normally oblige and drink six or so because I’m a gentleman who ne’er turns down a drink.
But a word of advice? Be weary of those Christmas beers out there this weekend. Those spices and caramels will kick your ass the next morning. I think it has something to do with the IBUs or something. .
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Will
Will (Twitter / Instagram) is the host of The Sunday Scaries Podcast.
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Blue Moon is not craft beer.
About 6/7 of these beers are not craft.
Seriously, how many lawsuits will it take to make this clear?
Goose island is owned by AHB as well.
Yeah but Goose Island was around for over 20 years before being sold to AHB, and they still make good beer imo. Blue Moon has always been brewed by MillerCoors and is absolute trash.
What’s the science behind that, Bill? Genuinely curious.
American Brewers Association, a craft brewery is a small independent brewery producing beer by traditional methods, where ‘small’ means the produce fewer than 6 million American barrels of beer per annum (7,040,400 million hectolitres), ‘independent’ means they are not more than 25% owned by a brewing industry body that is not itself a craft brewery, and ‘traditional methods’ means having a flagship beer that is either all malt or only has adjuncts that enhance rather than lighten the flavour of the beer.
What he said. Also, it’s what you drink in college when you want to be sophisticated and take a break from drinking piss…err Natty Light.
New Glarus on the list and it only sells in Wisconsin!
Spotted cow is where its at!
I’m pretty much a strictly Miller Lite guy, but when I went up to Wisconsin last year I drank a solid amount of Spotted Cow. Really good stuff.
Every time my husband and I go visit his brother in Chicago, my sister-in-law’s mom gives us a couple cases of Spotted Cow from the stash she collects from her monthly trips to Wisconsin. She’s my favorite person in the family.
Question/Observation: It seems that there are two camps of “sell-outs”. First you have those that fully sell out with recipe, brewing rights, and distribution rights. Second, you have those that just lean on regional or national distribution to get their beer into broader areas. My issue is within the beer culture that just trashes people that were making money and the “look down the nose” mentality that someone is drinking a mass produced non-generic beer. Finally, there are a number of craft breweries who have ramped up production to meet demand (it’s called business) by opening east coast or west coast hubs (ex: Ballast Point, Green Flash, Stone).
If I owned a brewery and had the opportunity to make big bucks brewing beer (I.e dogfish head) you bet your ass I’m selling out. I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t. It’s called business – just keep the culture in tact.
Winter beers nearly killed me last year.
Because of your avi I read this as “Winter bears nearly killed me last year.” and wondered why the winter bears weren’t hibernating. I’ve had a long two days this week.
nah there’s a long lost hidden winter beer review out there somewhere.
If you go to Arbor Brewing Company and order a mix between a Bollywood Blonde and a Jackhammer, you get a Working Girl. That beverage is hands down the best (Michigan) craft brew out there.
Stone, Founders, and Lagunitas are my go to on this list. The big conglomerates are desperate to own most of the brands on this list, Ballast Point had 50M in revenues and sold out for a billion dollars, talk about a nice return for whoever owned that.
True that. I’m happy that my two favorite local breweries, Russian River Brewing Co. and North Coast Brewery, haven’t sold out (yet). Pliny the Elder and Old Rasputin are two of my favorite beers.
So what’s the downside of those breweries being bought out? That it becomes more widely sold and popular? That the families of the people who started them can enjoy the fruits of their labor? I don’t understand why you’d hope for something you love to remain small when they have so much to gain.
It’s the same problem as the scotch industry. It no longer becomes about the quality, it becomes about how much they’re selling. Look at Johnnie Walker, their green label is far worse than it was years ago. Reason being is that JW is a much sought after brand. If you posted my article about scotch, you’d know this.
It was actually my call not to publish the scotch article.
A little disappointed only because I worked for three days on it. But, I understand. I forgive you.
They’re a company trying to make money, of course it comes down to how much they’re selling. I understand being in on something at the ground level and how much it sucks for a product’s quality to slightly diminish, but hoping that something you like won’t become as successful as it can possibly be makes zero sense.
Yeah, but what about his article?
It’s because people develop a devotion to what they like and feel personally offended if the company does something they disagree with. If / when Grandex sells or evolves into something I don’t like in order to better position themselves to sell, I’ll be annoyed and a bit more bored at work each day if I stop coming to the site, but good on Madison, et al, for cashing in on all their hard work.
Also Read: “Will now has Grandex stock and really hopes he gets to cash it out one day.”
This is a good take. But with alcohol, it’s about the experience of the thing, so there is an emotional piece to it. It is unfortunate to see change occur, but it will happen, especially in a capitalistic industry.
Money is king. Nothing will ever change that.
I totally agree with you on that. But, I would favor more companies that desire to be successful and remain relatively true to the original flavor of what they were putting out. I may be wrong on this, but I think Sam Adams is doing a solid job with this. Their Octoberfest was shotty last year (my opinion) but the Ol Fezziwig Ale they put out each Christmas remains true to what they’ve done in the past. I wouldn’t call it “selling out” per se, but I’d call it “unfaithfulness to the customer.”
I think we can all agree that “Ol Fezziwig Ale” is a terrific name.
The same people do the same thing with bands they “discovered” in college.
I understand that business is business but I think the worry is that if companies are bought out, their new owners may change the ingredients to various beers in order to save cost and improve their much larger bottom line.
Like what AB did with Killians. Changed the ingredients to mass produce it, ruining the original.
The biggest concern with being bought our is where now your money is going. AB is actively lobbying against the craft beer industry. They’re trying to curb the market by controlling it and buying out breweries and then making noticeable changes. Look me straight in the eye and tell me that goose islands quality hasn’t gone down one bit since they were bought out…. so now instead of supporting the local brewery, your giving money to AB who is in turn paying lobbyist to kill the beer industry. More or less your paying for bud to take away good beer.
dude selling out means you’re a conformist!! lame!!!
Have you tried much Fort Point? Brewed right by the Bridge. Only just started canning their beers this year, so is now widely available in the Bay, but not selling out yet either. Great package designs and tasty brews. Villager IPA, their Kolsch, and the Park Hoppy Wheat are all pretty stellar.
Lagunitas “Lil Sumpin Sumpin” is delicious. Founders has a couple good stouts that I can appreciate.
If you like them a little stronger, Lil Sumpin Extra is pretty solid too.
So’s the Kronik (“Censored”).
Just throwing this out there, Founders and Laguanitas are both owned by larger breweries. Not that there’s a thing wrong with that, just interesting that it’s never mentioned.
Honestly didn’t know that. Thanks for the info.
Yuengling.
I’ve recently fallen in love with Yuengling. And I sucks because I can’t get it where I live.
They just recently started selling it in Louisiana, so I buy a case every time we go back!
Was looking for this in the comments. Thank you.
Blue moon is not craft beer. Neither is leinenkugals. Beyond that don’t drink half the stuff on this list, it’s all crap and all the profits are going to AB
Sam Adams, Lagunitas, and Goose Island are my go-tos when I feel too fancy to drink my normal Miller Lite. Sam Adams Octoberfest is hands-down my favorite beer.
How can you be wrong for having a favorite beer? I don’t get the down votes on this.
Probably cause he drinks Miller Lite which is basically the bottom tier of light beers.
He who hates Miller Lite hates fun.
There’s no better beer for patio or lake drinking.
If you ain’t living the High Life, you ain’t living.
Then don’t drink it and keep your mouth shut when Mr. Incredible orders one next to you at the bar this weekend. It’s a simple solution to a non-existent problem.
Yikes we have some strong opinions on board today. Must be a Wednesday or something.
We’re all crabby until TGDAG drops.
Founders and Lagunitas have played a HUGE part in upgrading me 1 pants size in the last year.
But would you have it any other way? No. No you wouldn’t.
-A fellow Founders over-indulger
I regret nothing and am now craving an All Day IPA