Making it easier to avoid.
AB InBev SABMiller takeover

Yup, syrup for the Ginger drinkers..

You can see them a mile off.

Says the man who ruins rum!

I don’t mind a peroni on a warm day, what I do mind is that the buggers have made it a ‘premium’ priced beer now, when it’s quite clearly Italian Tennents.

I thought this was going to be a slag fest of Doom Bar.

You do realize SAB own Meantime and plenty of other good brands.

You do realize SAB own Meantime and plenty of other once good brands.

FTFY

I should imagine it still tastes the same, don’t drink the stuff too expensive for me, but I have never looked for virtue in a beer.

Incredible – one in every three beers sold in the world, and I never touch any of ’em.

I have never looked for virtue in a beer.

You should try it.

You should try it.

Why, what does it taste like?

Beer, magnified.

Beer, magnified.

Ah no place for subtlety

SAB Miller is big in Johannesburg where a customer of mine is busy building a craft brewery in an area of the city that’s being refurbished. I can’t wait to taste the product.

Oooh… You said craft, binners hissy fit incoming!

Artisan beer?

Incredible – one in every three beers sold in the world, and I never touch any of ’em.

InBev own Hoegarden and Leffe so not all of their brands are beyond redemption

Calling this stuff “beer” is stretching it a bit, no? I mean, yes? Er, hang on…

InBev own Hoegarden and Leffe so not all of their brands are beyond redemption

That’s the problem – the globobrewers are all about brands not beer. Their drinks don’t taste terrible (they wouldn’t be in business otherwise) but they have no interest in improvement/innovation for it’s own sake – the only time you’ll see a new beer is when a focus group identifies a gap in the market. People who buy these beers don’t really care what they taste like (both Hoegaarden & Leffe are distinctly average) they just recognise the labels. They are the fast food of beer.

Their drinks don’t taste terrible

They are the fast food of beer.

Cognitive dissonance.

LOL. In the sense that you always know what you’re going to get – reliably mediocre.

they have no interest in improvement/innovation for it’s own sake – the only time you’ll see a new beer is when a focus group identifies a gap in the market.

I watched an interview by a director at AB, where he was questioned about the growing trend in “craft” beer. He basically said that their strategy would be to buy out those independents to accumulate market share in that sector and then “halt” further growth in the sector…i.e. ensuring that no more people move away from highly profitable piss water to less profitable good beer. 🙁

Pretty much what the scotch whisky does. The malts hit the same flavour profiles every time, so buyers get what they want time and time again.

Like every brewer does just the big boys play it safe with trusted brands.

SAB Miller is big in Johannesburg where a customer of mine is busy building a craft brewery in an area of the city that’s being refurbished. I can’t wait to taste the product.

South Africa is hipster central. I’ve just been in Cape Town and you can barely move for craft breweries there. Mostly not as good as ours though I have to say.

The malts hit the same flavour profiles every time, so buyers get what they want time and time again.

Isn’t that what Blends are for?

I don’t think I really need to reiterate my feelings on people who use the words ‘Craft’ and ‘Artisan’ when referring to beer or bread. Maybe I should stress the punishments for transgressors when I’m running the world (not long now comrades…)

Anyway… this is great news. As surely it will only accelerate the apparent terminal decline of the god-awful ‘vertical drinking establishment’, and the continued (hurray!) rise of the ‘proper’ pub

I actually went round the SABM brewery in Johannesburg and was impressed, as you would expect, but the products are standard industrial stuff. Ironically SABM is doing better than ever because of the numbers of Africans who are moving away from home brewed hooch to fancy branded products as their incomes grow.