Friday, May 23, 2008

Beer News

A couple of quick Beer related news notes on this beautiful Houston Friday afternoon.
- First off an article from MSNBC on yet another Beer Merger. This one's big time folks. In news that could change the global economics of beer, Belgian SUPER Brewery INBEV may be bidding of American Super Brewery Anheuser Busch. If those two giants merge, you have one huge corporation with wide ranging imports, distribution resources, etc. Using A-B's distribution could INBEV's beers edge out some local micro-brewery's at the local supermarket? Bet on it.

- Secondly, I've been talking about Colorado Brewery Oskar Blues lately, so this news is rather timely. Colorado's only Whiskey Distillery Stranahans has contracted Oskar Blues to make their mash. You may remember that Stranahans is owned by Mr. Stranahan who owns Flying Dog, formerly of CO, however when Flying Dog left for Maryland recently Stranahans whiskey was left without someone to make their mash for them. They had always wanted to continue to use a local craft brewery and it looks like they've found a good one. What does Oskar Blues get out of the deal (besides money of course)? They get to use Stranahans used Whiskey barrels, leading me to ask the obvious question. Could a Barrel aged can beer be to far away?


2 comments:

rwmonty said...

I'm already starting to see the effects (at the local HEB) of the large American breweries distributing beers from smaller breweries (there's a lot more Blue Moon around), pushing out the micros. What's more, it seems that your Anheuser-Busches of the world have been making their own fake-me-out mircrobrews. ("Sun Dog", anyone?)

On the plus side, Stella Artois might show up in the RGV now.

Barleyvine said...

Monty,
Yeah A-B has really upped their fake out micro brews. I've never liked how they don't really put any type of labeling on those beers that state who really made them. At least Blue Moon is semi honest....