quote:

Originally posted by Leemur:

It seems like the big brewing conglomerates don’t understand how to handle craft breweries.

I’m not certain they even want to know how to handle them. They’re just competition to them. Seems like the trend now is they buy up the craft brewers and either discontinue them or just mismanage them into oblivion.

Another sad story is one of my favorites; Magic Hat Brewing.

Never understood the appeal of Magic Hat but I understand I was in the minority there. AB bought out a great craft brewery here, Devil’s Backbone. I liked their Vienna lager even more than Sam Adams. Their IPAs were trash but the rest of their beer was great. AB bought them a few years ago, moved all flagship production to a mega AB facility, cheaped out on ingredients and wrecked them. Half the “craft” on the shelf is owned by conglomerates now and they’ve been slowly taking over all the shelf space in the stores.

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Originally posted by TMats:

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Originally posted by chellim1:

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Weird stuff going on. Every year for decades I have been purchasing Bass Ale around Father's Day. Last year I couldn't find it.

I was a big fan of Bass Ale, back in the day. I found this:
Bass Ale Discontinued 2023 – Is it still available?
https://discontinuednews.com/bass-ale-discontinued/

Beer giant's clumsy treatment of Bass ale
https://protzonbeer.co.uk/comm...reatment-of-bass-ale

Removing my hat and bowing my head at the thought that never again will I be able to say, “A black and tan, please.”

Yes, that was my quote above. It is too bad that it is no longer available. In addition I also noted that it is no longer available. I used to enjoy it in an occasional black and tan.

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Originally posted by ElToro:
Any of my OG Bay Area folks remember Petes Wicked Ale?

Yes. I still have a Pete's pint glass. Hit Gordon Biersch a few times, but liked Tied House better. There were definitely some options back then.

quote:

Originally posted by Leemur:
Never understood the appeal of Magic Hat but I understand I was in the minority there. AB bought out a great craft brewery here, Devil’s Backbone. I liked their Vienna lager even more than Sam Adams. Their IPAs were trash but the rest of their beer was great. AB bought them a few years ago, moved all flagship production to a mega AB facility, cheaped out on ingredients and wrecked them. Half the “craft” on the shelf is owned by conglomerates now and they’ve been slowly taking over all the shelf space in the stores.

Big breweries can make $$ selling a 6-pack for $6, they can make a lot more money selling a 6-pack for $15 for a little more cost & calling it a 'craft' brew. Riding a trend until all the $$ is wrung out isn't new.

Image too large to post here, so here’s a link:

Since 1975, every label that’s graced Anchor Christmas Ale was created by illustrator James Stitt. This 94-year-old artist still collaborates with Anchor Brewmasters to design a label with an appropriate tree.



They were very unique in this aspect and I’m bummed they’re shutting down. Maybe someone can buy them and keep it going

Megacorps turn everything to shit.

It’s their fundamental model. Resource extraction by management for the 30 years it takes to bankrupt the company, and hop to the next one.

Individuals take pride in “their” product and, usually, try to offer the best available at the most profitable price point.

Megacorp business assumes a national/global market share, and tries to offer the lowest cost product the market will accept at the most profitable price point.

To survive, SmallCorp misses up on quality.

In its failing, MegaCorp misses down on quality

Unfortunately it expenses increasingly eclipsed its revenues. while today’s economic pressures have made the business no longer sustainable, the company had to make the heartbreaking decision to cease operations. The tailspin began just prior to Covid at the tail-end of 2019, when it’s workers ratified their first union contract.

Anchor is now in the process of negotiating an arrangement with a third-party assignee, who functions like a bankruptcy trustee and is responsible for liquidating its assets. The assignee will be be selected in the next few weeks.

Anchor Brewing's property in Potrero Hill spans some 2.4 acres, roughly encompassing the equivalent of a city block, and represents its third location in San Francisco. In 2010, Anchor Brewing was purchased by The Griffin Group, which in 2017 sold the company for $85 million to Japanese brewing giant Sapporo Breweries.

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Originally posted by CQB60:
The tailspin began just prior to Covid at the tail-end of 2019, when it’s workers ratified their first union contract.

But at least they finally unionized.

Terrible news. I've got a few 12 oz bottles of last year's Christmas Ale in the beer fridge, along with a large bottle of 2021. My company is headquartered in the bay area, and I got anchor steam on tap whenever I could when I go out there. Anyway, I guess I will have to settle for brewing the style myself now. I've got a good recipe for a clone, California Common.

quote:

Originally posted by CQB60:
Anchor Brewing's property in Potrero Hill spans some 2.4 acres, roughly encompassing the equivalent of a city block, and represents its third location in San Francisco. In 2010, Anchor Brewing was purchased by The Griffin Group, which in 2017 sold the company for $85 million to Japanese brewing giant Sapporo Breweries.

They've got a nice chunk of property in a prime location. That whole area used to have a number of big breweries...Lucky Lager, Rainier Brewing then became Hamm's.
When Griffin Grp bought them, they brought some stability but, the insides were not kept up and the employees unionized. They soon off-loaded the brand to Sapporo, who brought-in some 'younger' marketing types who went ahead and changed the label (from timeless classic to the Yellow/Blue w/large Anchor) not horrible but, you just don't mess around with something that's been around for a long time. The new union contract came up for negotiations and things just spiraled down from there.

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Originally posted by Ogie:

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Originally posted by TMats:

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Originally posted by chellim1:

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Weird stuff going on. Every year for decades I have been purchasing Bass Ale around Father's Day. Last year I couldn't find it.

I was a big fan of Bass Ale, back in the day. I found this:
Bass Ale Discontinued 2023 – Is it still available?
https://discontinuednews.com/bass-ale-discontinued/

Beer giant's clumsy treatment of Bass ale
https://protzonbeer.co.uk/comm...reatment-of-bass-ale

Removing my hat and bowing my head at the thought that never again will I be able to say, “A black and tan, please.”

Yes, that was my quote above. It is too bad that it is no longer available. In addition I also noted that it is no longer available. I used to enjoy it in an occasional black and tan.

That's a bummer. I like Bass & reading this have noticed its absence on the shelves.
College roommate liked to call is Ass Ale, as he didn't care for it

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Originally posted by PASig:
Another sad story is one of my favorites; Magic Hat Brewing.

I haven't seen Magic Hat in a while...
What happened?

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Originally posted by ElToro:
I worked downtown for 15 years.

I started to work in SF in 1983-84 when Feinstein was mayor, and even after moving to TX 6 years ago, I traveled back and forth for work. One of the reasons I took early retirement last year was because I did not want to step foot back into that shithole ever again.

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Originally posted by oddball:

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Originally posted by ElToro:
I worked downtown for 15 years.

I started to work in SF in 1983-84 when Feinstein was mayor, and even after moving to TX 6 years ago, I traveled back and forth for work. One of the reasons I took early retirement last year was because I did not want to step foot back into that shithole ever again.

In the late 80’s early 90s as we got to be old enough to go to clubs and concerts on our own going to SF was fun. Going now is a scary chore. I’m sure you would know my company. I didn’t want to return to downtown either and getting formal HR blessing to work remote indefinitely and leave CA was one of the best things to happen for my family.

And the Tied House was another great one. Less pretentious than Gordon Biersch. At least the downtown SJ location. They brewed beer on site there that was good. Thursday nights was the college students night. Friday and Saturdays downtown all the hoodrats would come out and hit downtown

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Originally posted by chellim1:

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Originally posted by PASig:
Another sad story is one of my favorites; Magic Hat Brewing.

I haven't seen Magic Hat in a while...
What happened?

They basically don’t exist anymore. Got sold to a Costa Rica based company and all that’s left now is #9 being made by Genesee in Rochester, NY


Magic Hat Production Moves to Genesee Facility in Rochester, NY; Zero Gravity to Take Over Vermont Location

Magic Hat was founded by Alan Newman and Bob Johnson in 1994.

Acquisitions and eventual shutdown of Vermont space
In 2010, Alan Newman sold Magic Hat and all of its assets to North American Breweries.[2][5] That company was established by New York City private equity company KPS Capital Partners. Newman described the purchasers as a company looking to "make money by stripping out expense and flipping." [2] The new owners did exactly that - in December 2012, North American Breweries was purchased by Florida Ice & Farm Company (FIFCO), a Costa Rican food and beverages company. FIFCO soon began producing some Magic Hat beer at their Genesee Brewing Company plant in Rochester, New York