Happy 4th of July and welocme to my blog! I have been talking for over a month now about getting this party started but has having some trouble deciding what I wanted to talk about first. Oh, I've had a lot of ideas that I want to write about - my opinion of So Cal's overhopped IPA's, dogs in bars/restaurants, my hatred of fake microbrews, and the list goes on. Today I settled on a topic that, in my eyes, fits today perfectly: I am declaring my independance from "big beer" - AB InBev and Miller Coors. Now, this may sound easy, just don't buy their beers. The problem is that not everyone knows that they sell the majority of the beers you see on store shelves. Sure, it's easy to stay away from Bud, Coors, and Miller but did you know that AB InBev also have partial ownership of Kona, Red Hook and Widmer? Most import beer is here through one of the big two as well, including my boyfriend's cherished Pilsner Urquell. And don't get me started on all the fake craft beers out there - such as Shock Top, Blue Moon, and Wild Blue.
Now there's still a wide world of craft beer left out there for me to drink, but there are a lot of places where my only choices are for one of the big name crafts like Sam Adams (not a fan), Fat Tire (not a fan either), or Sierra Nevada ( I like Sierra just fine, but it gets dull drinking the same thing over and over again). Give me a Stone, Ballast Point or Lost Abbey - let's see a bit more variety on our taphandles and bottles!
Therefore I am pledging my beer independence: as of today I will do everything I can to avoid buying any beer that is owned, brewed or distributed by the big two and encourage bars to add more real craft choices from independent breweries by drinking only independent beers. I hope that you will do the same.
*for more info on who owns what beer, see http://brookstonbeerbulletin.com/the-big-brewers-brands/
Dammit, that means no more Franziskaner, Stella Artois, Widmer Bros, Wild Blue, or Pilsner Urquell.
ReplyDeleteSince AB bought out Rolling Rock and my Uncles all lost their job at the brewery in Latrobe, the whole Caviggia family is boycotting that beer.
There's still more than enough beers to quench my thirst though. I'll just have to be a little more picky now. I wonder if I can find a way to print out the InBev/Coors list and make a flyer that I can easily carry with me.