This weekend, in addition to snowboarding (surprise), Steven and I watched a very interesting documentary entitled Beer Wars. This documentary focused on the secret war currently being fought between new craft breweries and the 'big three' - Budweiser, Miller and Coors. Watch the trailer!
Before prohibition, apparently there were many craft breweries all over the United States - European immigrants who came to America and brought the beer recipes from their home countries. After prohibition ended, the era of 'big beer' began and brought with it tasteless, common beer. Those who wanted beer with intricate flavors needed to brew their own.
Enter craft breweries: New Belgium, Sam Adams (although I consider them more 'mainstream' now), Gordon Biersch, Stone Brewing Company, Dogfish Head, etc. They bring beer with flavor, life, and...well...love. But with the 'big three' dominating the market, these little guys struggle to survive.
For example, did you know that Anheuser Busch owns 49% of the market share? And that's not just Bud, Bud Light, Buch, Michelob, Bud Lime or any of the others that first pop to mind. No, no. With the advent of craft breweries, Anheuser Busch needs to get a piece of that action and also owns some trickster brews: Shock Top, Wild Blue, Rolling Rock, and Beach Bum. Not to mention the capitalize on imports: Boddington's, Leffe, Hoegaarden, Kirin, and Stella Artois.
I mean, Boddington's, really?! I love Boddington's! I guess now I know how I was able to get it at Rays games.
You can see a full listing of Anheuser Busch's brews here, and the list might surprise you!
Enter craft breweries: New Belgium, Sam Adams (although I consider them more 'mainstream' now), Gordon Biersch, Stone Brewing Company, Dogfish Head, etc. They bring beer with flavor, life, and...well...love. But with the 'big three' dominating the market, these little guys struggle to survive.
For example, did you know that Anheuser Busch owns 49% of the market share? And that's not just Bud, Bud Light, Buch, Michelob, Bud Lime or any of the others that first pop to mind. No, no. With the advent of craft breweries, Anheuser Busch needs to get a piece of that action and also owns some trickster brews: Shock Top, Wild Blue, Rolling Rock, and Beach Bum. Not to mention the capitalize on imports: Boddington's, Leffe, Hoegaarden, Kirin, and Stella Artois.
I mean, Boddington's, really?! I love Boddington's! I guess now I know how I was able to get it at Rays games.
You can see a full listing of Anheuser Busch's brews here, and the list might surprise you!
Actually, an interesting test the documentary ran, and I would like to partake in was a blind taste test of Bud Light, Miller Lite, and Coors Lite. Everyone tested had 'their' beer, but none of them were able to pinpoint it when tasting each beer.
Do they really all taste the same? Is my preference for Miller Lite really just due to loyalty to my Wisconsin roots? I'm very interested to try...
I know why you choose one of the 'big three': they're cheap, you don't care what your beer tastes like, etc. But come on people! It's time to put your big boy or big girl pants on and start standing up for beers with taste and character, made by those who love what they do and aren't afraid to try new recipes!
Call me a 'beer snob' or whatever you will, but I'm staying away from the 'big three' and all of their tricks. You may be paying more, but you're paying for quality and helping craft breweries stay in business. If you have Netflix, I highly recommend watching the film - I'd equate it to Bottle Shock, but for beer.
After watching the movie, Steven and I were inspired and quickly took a trip to BevMo to snatch up some craft beers. We checked every label, and were surprised to find how few choices there are and how many land mines await you!
In other news, check out Brew Masters on the Discovery Channel. It follows Sam Calagione, owner and founder of Dogfish Head Brewery and it's 'Off-Centered Ales for Off-Centered People'. It's really quite interesting and a lot of fun to watch!
Do they really all taste the same? Is my preference for Miller Lite really just due to loyalty to my Wisconsin roots? I'm very interested to try...
I know why you choose one of the 'big three': they're cheap, you don't care what your beer tastes like, etc. But come on people! It's time to put your big boy or big girl pants on and start standing up for beers with taste and character, made by those who love what they do and aren't afraid to try new recipes!
Call me a 'beer snob' or whatever you will, but I'm staying away from the 'big three' and all of their tricks. You may be paying more, but you're paying for quality and helping craft breweries stay in business. If you have Netflix, I highly recommend watching the film - I'd equate it to Bottle Shock, but for beer.
After watching the movie, Steven and I were inspired and quickly took a trip to BevMo to snatch up some craft beers. We checked every label, and were surprised to find how few choices there are and how many land mines await you!
In other news, check out Brew Masters on the Discovery Channel. It follows Sam Calagione, owner and founder of Dogfish Head Brewery and it's 'Off-Centered Ales for Off-Centered People'. It's really quite interesting and a lot of fun to watch!
After making my own I don't go for mainstream beer anymore. That stuff takes like water.
ReplyDeleteI find bottles from local microbreweries in the same store I buy my beer making supplies. When I find a kind of beer I like, I just go ahead and make 5 gallons of something similar, but tweaked to my taste.
I hope we could do the same with cheese next…