re: New Budweiser Products based on Different Zip Codes

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So Bud makes these beers. They turn out really good for what they are, which no reason to think otherwise since Bud knows what they are doing even if they make crappy beer. Bud convinces some of their drinkers to try these new styles from their favorite brand. All of a sudden these new interesting beers (to Bud drinkers) excites their palates and they start to look at other more interesting beers, thus drinking less Bud. Thoughts? Seems to be an interesting outcome to kill some more time this afternoon.

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That could happen. It may be a "gateway" to better beers for some people. I think at this point, they are trying to do whatever they can to gobble up some of the craft market.

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So Bud makes these beers. They turn out really good for what they are, which no reason to think otherwise since Bud knows what they are doing even if they make crappy beer. Bud convinces some of their drinkers to try these new styles from their favorite brand. All of a sudden these new interesting beers (to Bud drinkers) excites their palates and they start to look at other more interesting beers, thus drinking less Bud. Thoughts? Seems to be an interesting outcome to kill some more time this afternoon.

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Bud has probably already faced some of this with them carrying Leffe/Hoegaarden/Stella/ZiegenBock as well as many other labels. Some will always be dedicated to their flagship lines so they are probably safe for a while.

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when AB pressured Discovery to take the Dogfish Head show Brewmasters off the air

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That is more of a screw up on Discovery's part. Hell McDonalds did that to LSU and the NFL did the same to ESPN. It is business.

90% of the craft beer I have tried didn't have any advertising so it is a market that AB will have to work to break into. They likely can't saturate the market with advertising and win over craft beer customers. They may convert their own followers, but they are just competing with themselves.

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It is business.

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You are correct. It is business. If I worked for a BMC affiliated company(I assume you do), I would be saying the same thing. Bud is interested in picking up a half a point in market share if possible, plain and simple. If they can convince local bars to dump a regional craft brew in favor of a Bud branded "local" brew, its a win for them.

Say if they had a 225 beer, that is similar to Abita Amber. If Mockler can convince bars to buy the "225" beer that is similar to Abita, and locally branded at a lower price, they can tell the restaurant/bar that they can keep the difference. Hard deal for a small business or profit driven chain to turn down.

Its business

I think all of this discussion goes away if we didn't have to deal with the 3 tier system. If small breweries were able to sell directly to a store, bar, or me no one would find issue with Bud trying to break into a new market share.

However, InBev/SAB Miller have the ability to muscle stores and bars to carrying their beer and make it much more difficult for smaller breweries to find shelf or tap space. InBev/SAB Miller flood their distributors warehouse spaces which inhibits the distributors from having space to bring in other breweries as well.

So now Bud has more variety of fake craft beer, that they can push out other breweries with. It has little to do with the supposed quality of the beer. Hell I don't find Blue Moon to be a terrible beer at all. However, Blue Moon on the shelves means less space for breweries producing better "Belgian White Ales". Not that it doesn't deserve to be on the shelves but rather let the free market decide what should be on the shelves, not antiquated laws.

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I read the second article linked. Better explanation. Sucks that they're all lagers but good job by Budweiser for at least trying to do something different. Although I'm sure this is just a push to try and squeeze grassroots craft breweries out of the market.

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For a while they've bought small interests in craft breweries in return for distribution. They did this with Red Hook. At a brewery tour I asked them if AB has any influence in terms of styles and what they brew they maintained they were allowed to operate independently.

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I've heard some stories about BMC's buying craft breweries, cutting costs by sacrificing product and method and putting out a shittier/cheaper version under the same name.

Conspiracy theory?

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I would have to beleive that BMC would use the leverage of the distribution network to do just what you mentioned. As in I can only find ESB and Longhammer IPA here but yet but New Belgium Brewery I'm pretty sure every commercially available brew of theirs can be had here.

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thanks again for the Sweetwater, btw. you keep any for yourself?

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Nah. It's a bit much for me to spend on IPA's when I'm not a hophead.

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So they own and/or the distribution centers so they can decide what beers are made available where?

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Yes, or use their influence to hinder distributors from carrying other beers.

There was a story that came out a few months ago, that Bud was shipping too much beer to distributor's warehouses saying that the distributor had to find space for it or Bud would take their business elsewhere. What else is the distributor supposed to do other than move some other brands out. Lame as hell.

Those distributors now have to move more Bud product so they do similar things to store shelves, taking up as much space on the shelf with Bud products as they can which then limits how much space is left for craft beers.

I really wish you guys would leave Bud alone