This time it’s Heineken/Lagunitas. I know most of you think Lagunitas already jumped the shark, but there it is.
P Hickner
Well, if you’re a big brewer and you don’t have a piece of the U.S. Craft action, you need to get in the game I guess. I think one of the attractions of Craft is finding very made, small production beers, and the large regionals (Sam Adams, Sierra Nevada, Bell’s, Deschutes, etc) already have more in common with the big boys than they do with real craft brewing. It will be interesting to see if the growth of the big regionals can continue, or if they get cannibalized by smaller, more nimble and creative breweries.
The owner posted a pretty good bit about this on Tumblr regarding how he sees it as a logical way to reach a global audience. That makes a lot of sense. Until the rest of the world catches up (happening quickly I understand) and even once it does, there is huge growth potential in foreign markets for US craft brewing (I almost wrote “micro-” then realized that it would miss the point).
I kind of said the same thing when AB purchased breweries, and it was not well received. In the end these are products that have appeal beyond their current market base, so it makes sense to get them out there if possible.
The next day Tenth and Blake picked up Saint Archer FWIW.
And Magee’s ramblings were borderline nonsensical.
I will admit to having really only read the Slate piece and not his actual Tumblr post. I just meant that if he really views it as a way to get the product excellent distro and reach new markets then it is the right move. I don’t really ever drink Lagunitas. I think it is okay but just never my first choice.