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Wayne Wambles, the head brewer, says, "We are not selling to AB. If you read this, please spread the word.I am humbled by the fact that many people are concerned and have sent me personal messages but everything is fine.Enjoy your beer and relax."
Jeff, I saw that from Wayne this morning on FB. However, he doesn't hold the pursestrings and who knows how much AB might throw at the owner...changing the one mind that matters.
With some of the screwy laws for craft beer in Florida, who wouldn't want to take a big pay day and get out.
Right?! It's a mess and the biggies are trying so hard to limit what the small breweries can do. Growler laws and tasting room regulations have been in the news constantly over the last two years.
Quote from: Steve in TX on February 09, 2015, 10:26:31 amRight?! It's a mess and the biggies are trying so hard to limit what the small breweries can do. Growler laws and tasting room regulations have been in the news constantly over the last two years.Those laws have nothing to do with the macros. They are a remnant from Prohibition. Up until very recently, standalone breweries were not allowed to sell beer directly to customers in most states. They had to sell to distributors who sold to retailers who sold to customers. Brew pubs were not even legal until the eighties. If you want to blame someone for making on premises beer sales difficult, you need to look no further than the members of the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA). They have put up more road blocks to direct sales than the macros by a large margin. Direct sales are a clear and present danger to their business model.
You think Florida is weird? I recently visited some breweries in Atlanta and they can only sample for 3 hours a day. You get tokens to sample and it's free or you can pay for a souvenir glass.
Quote from: mabrungard on February 09, 2015, 08:55:41 amJeff, I saw that from Wayne this morning on FB. However, he doesn't hold the pursestrings and who knows how much AB might throw at the owner...changing the one mind that matters.Exactly. When someone offers him tens of millions of dollars that would take care of his family for generations, he'd be stupid not to take it.
Articles I have read noted that ABInbev and MillerCoors were lobbying against any new rules. Sure the distributors are a large factor as well, but many are bought and paid for, or owned outright in some areas, by the macros.