re: Wicked Weed purchased by AB

There was a bill introduced her in NC to raise the number of barrels for self distribution. The big beer lobby killed that part of the bill.

My local has carried WW for quite some time. WW is my favorite NC brewery and the food there isn't that bad. It will be interesting to see if there quality suffers when the cost cutting begins.

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They worked hard for their product and scraped by for many years on razor thin margins. And to have AB come along and basically say, "You won't have to worry about money for the rest of your life, and you get to keep your brewery", i certainly can't fault any brewery for saying yes.

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Yep

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I do understand the reaction from the public. And many people may stop buying their beer because of it.

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Yep.

They lose the anti big beer crowd but more than make up for it by the distribution, shelf space, resources and exposure (marketing) they'll get.

That's legitimately hilarious. "Everything will be business as usual, just more available!" People want to be blind.

A good article on the ABI strategy with buying up craft.

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While everyone thinks that AB InBev is truly interested in getting into craft and building these brands (which is a secondary goal at best), I submit that maybe buying craft breweries is more of a tool to devalue the craft category and increase the brand equity of their core legacy beers. The impairment charges AB InBev could face are worth billions more than any craft brand they have purchased, and those purchases would be a small price to pay to save a legacy brand. These craft brands, whether they realize it or not, may just be pawns in the AB InBev game of chess. AB InBev is not a collaborator, they are a competitor, and a damn smart one. If one of these craft brands they buy is a successful long-term brand, great, but more important to AB InBev, is the vital role they play in the short-term of ensuring that their premium brands retain long-term value.

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LINK

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