re: AB Inbev purchases minority stake in Ratebeer

I feel like this is a pretty good response to the announcement:

LINK

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I feel like this is a pretty good response to the announcement:

LINK

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Inside there is this quote:

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We do not buy ABInBEV products, we do not attend festivals sponsored by ABInBEV, and we do not support businesses that benefit ABInBEV. We will also make every effort possible to make sure our brand and products do not contribute to their businesses in any way.

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IMO, that's a bit extreme to not attend events sponsored or affiliated with ABInBev. Assuming they also ban MillerCoors, applied locally, that would mean not attending Jazz Fest. While three are some issues to take with Jazz Fest, I'm not going to avoid supporting local musicians and food vendors because of a craft brewer's beef. I won't buy the beer at the festival, but its BS to avoid everything they touch.

In the end, despite all the talk of solidarity, craft breweries are still businesses competing with each other in local markets because the market of people who care what beer tastes like is only so big. This group of people who will switch away from Big Brewing on taste alone has probably been reached and craft breweries fight for market share off this limited slice. This is why the collaborations we see are not between local breweries but with breweries on the side of the country.

The next slice of the pie is the group of people who want better tasting beer but don't want to pay for it. A lot of what craft breweries put out is pretty homogenized and "meh" these days. If craft breweries would start leveraging themselves and merging to combine expertise in particular styles and scale up they'd be in a better position to fight against Big Brewing. Combine knowledge, cut out redundant beers, and gain distribution channels. Figuring out how to make a $6-7 6 pack will make breweries more money by capturing that next part of market that want to switch but don't based on cost. The concept is not difficult but will require breweries to swallow some pride. In the mean time, they'll continue to squabble amongst themselves and bring double dry hopped knives to a gun fight with Big Brewing.

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Hey Andrew

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