06.14.08

Declare Your Independece From Foreign-Owned Beer

Posted in Uncategorized at 12:21 pm by Administrator

It’s hard to drink a beer anywhere in the world these days without at some point forking over some of your hard earned dough to Belgium’s Inbev brewing colossus. Just a few weeks ago, I myself enjoyed a pint of draught Bass ale with a steak dinner, and Bass is owned by Inbev. But Bass is far from the only big name in their lineup, and if you’ve enjoyed a Beck’s beer lately, well, that’s an Inbev brand, too. How about a Brahma in Brazil? A Spaten in Germany? A Murphy’s in Ireland? A Hoegaarden White in Belgium? You guessed it, all Inbev brands.

Now, if Inbev gets its way, it may soon lay claim to perhaps the most famous beer brand in the world: Budweiser. That’s because the company recently announced its intention to purchase Anheuser-Busch, the last of the American Macro-breweries. Coors, until recently another all-American icon, merged with Canada’s Molson a few years back, and is now in the process of merging once again with South African-owned former American brewing icon Miller.

Anheuser-Busch has so far been mostly mum about the proposed deal, but it’s likely to do all it can to spurn its uninvited suitor. Rumors abound that it is interested in merging with Mexico’s Modelo (makers of Corona), in which it already owns a large stake, to raise the price Inbev would have to pay and make the deal a little harder to swallow.

And meantime, American beer drinkers are left wondering where they’ll be able to get a good old all-American brew. Towards that end, I think I’ll hoist a frosty pint of good old Samuel Adams Boston Lager. Boston Beer, America’s fourth largest brewer, may soon be reviving one of its earliest ad campaigns: “Declare your independence from foreign beer.”

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06.01.08

A Tragic Day For Beer History

Posted in Uncategorized at 12:50 pm by Administrator

Thursday, May 29th was a very bad day for lovers of beer history. That’s because a massive fire caused major damage at New York’s Matt Brewing Company, makers of such treasured local brands as Utica Club and national favorite Saranac. Saranac has been a staple beer at this beer lover’s home for over a decade, and the brand has earned great acclaim as a quality brew at a decent price.

The good news is that the brewing facilities were unaffected, so Matt can continue to brew it’s beer. The bad news is that the canning operation has been totally destroyed, and the fate of the bottling line is uncertain. That puts Matt, a major contract brewer of other brewer’s brands, in the unusual circumstance of having to send it’s beers elsewhere to be bottled.

The company vows to rebuild, though sadly the historic building destroyed by the fire won’t be the same. The beer, however, will be as good as ever, and I hope that you, like me, will pick some up the next time you shop as sign of support.

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