Anheuser-Busch to Purchase Wicked Weed Brewing | Brewbound.com

 

So many great breweries out there, but this is one that I haven't had a beer from yet. Believe my mother is going to bring me some back the next time she comes back to KY from Charlotte (they are in Asheville). Really wanting to visit their brewery too.

 

Little bummed to here they are being purchased by the beer conglomerate that is Anheuser-Busch, but can't blame their owners either.

Wow. That stinks.

 

Have always heard phenomenal things about them.

So when is the government going to start bringing anti-trust laws into play when it comes to all of these brewery purchases?

So when is the government going to start bringing anti-trust laws into play when it comes to all of these brewery purchases?

 

The Obama adminstration almost never used the antitrust authority of its agencies. Very rare occasions. Can't imagine this administration is likely to get involved at all.

The Obama administration almost never used the antitrust authority of its agencies. Very rare occasions. Can't imagine this administration is likely to get involved at all.

 

I don't have any real complaints about what AB/InBev has actually done with the breweries they have acquired over the past decade...yet. It just gives me a lot of pause when I sit and read over the list of all the breweries AB/InBev and Miller-Coors have under their respective ownership, and when I think of the fact that they are not only in control of the domestic brewing market, but also that they have now taken essential control of the craft brewing market.

 

It bothers me that there are only two companies out there dictating what goes and what doesn't in an industry that large. Makes me think I need to make a more concerted effort to either drink local or to get my homebrewing gear back out of cobwebs.

I don't have any real complaints about what AB/InBev has actually done with the breweries they have acquired over the past decade...yet. It just gives me a lot of pause when I sit and read over the list of all the breweries AB/InBev and Miller-Coors have under their respective ownership, and when I think of the fact that they are not only in control of the domestic brewing market, but also that they have now taken essential control of the craft brewing market.

 

It bothers me that there are only two companies out there dictating what goes and what doesn't in an industry that large. Makes me think I need to make a more concerted effort to either drink local or to get my homebrewing gear back out of cobwebs.

 

It's REALLY hard for a group operating a small brewery to say no to life-altering money when one of the megaliths comes along.

 

I've long made a point of buying local whenever I can. I don't know if it's helping, but every little bit, right?

It's all such an interesting topic to me.

 

Had a guy that used to work in Finance for Miller-Coors and he told me that it was a goal of that company to buy at least four craft breweries a month. Went on to say, after a year or so, the typically just close them to help control the market.

 

I don't blame craft breweries owners one bit for striking it big and selling their brewery to one of those companies. Especially when they can probably turn around and open another one, just with some different recipes.

 

I buy local quite a bit, but only buy craft. Although I'm sure there are occasions when I've bought beer from a AB or MC subsidiary and not realized it.

I don't really think it is a big deal that A/B owns so many craft breweries. To me the bigger issue is their efforts to control distributors. I read a very interesting article recently about A/B involvement with distributors and how it has affected Yuenglings recent entry into Mississippi. I'm fine with them owning as many as the want, but attempts to reduce consumer access to other non A/B breweries is where I take issue.

It's REALLY hard for a group operating a small brewery to say no to life-altering money when one of the megaliths comes along.

 

I've long made a point of buying local whenever I can. I don't know if it's helping, but every little bit, right?

 

Oh, I TOTALLY understand brewery owners selling to them.

Had a guy that used to work in Finance for Miller-Coors and he told me that it was a goal of that company to buy at least four craft breweries a month. Went on to say, after a year or so, the typically just close them to help control the market.

 

Now THIS I hate.

What % of the beer drinking market purchases craft beer on a regular occasion? 15%?

So when is the government going to start bringing anti-trust laws into play when it comes to all of these brewery purchases?

 

This very thing was the topic of discussion on a radio program I was listening to the other day. The host said he enjoys craft brews, but that it's very possible the beer he was drinking is possibly and actually more than likely owned by one of the giants, as the small craft brewery's are selling out left and right. And evidently it's also not easy to discern if a particular "craft" beer is owned by a conglomerate brewery either.

 

The host also went on to say when is the government going to get involved with a "monopoly" finding.

The differences in scale are staggering. For context, Cincinnati's Rheingeist has quickly evolved into a nice regional brewery that sells across several states. A massive success story. In 2016 they produced about 56,000 barrels of beer.

 

During the same period, Anheuser-Busch produced north of 125 million barrels.

What % of the beer drinking market purchases craft beer on a regular occasion? 15%?

 

I'd guess that this would be a hard question to answer. A lot of people can't even agree on the definition of craft beer.

The differences in scale are staggering. For context, Cincinnati's Rheingeist has quickly evolved into a nice regional brewery that sells across several states. A massive success story. In 2016 they produced about 56,000 barrels of beer.

 

During the same period, Anheuser-Busch produced north of 125 million barrels.

 

And they can't even get their name spelled correctly.... :lol2: