The Bud Ad: Escalation or Damage Control? - (Industry Class)

Thanks for stopping by. Before you read this, grab a tasty beverage of your choice.

Now, I didn’t watch the Super Bowl (It’s because I tend to lose the bet on who wins and it late involves me wearing something embarrassing or no pants) so I didn't see the Budweiser ad that everyone has been talking about. I heard about it via social media. If you don’t know the ad I’m referencing, it’s in this article. 

     After I watched the ad, I confess my initials thoughts were of anger and irritation. I felt it was a blatant slam at the craft beer industry that I want to spend the rest of my life in. To sate my annoyance I wrote (actually typed) down some thoughts.

     After a craft beer and a good night’s sleep my mind was in a more rational place the next day.  I realized that the ad was meant to get a reaction out of craft beer enthusiasts across North America and I think it worked. Now that I've thought about it, I’m sort of “Meh” about the situation.  

There has been some retaliation of course in the form of counter-ads from the craft beer community such as this one. 

And this article really put together a lot of thoughts that I almost completely agree with. Paste magazine

Now I realize that’s a LOT of reading so I don’t blame ya if you skimmed a bunch of that stuff.

      My thoughts? Well a lot of those other blogs covered what I felt. I honestly feel that Bud is up against the ropes. Don’t believe me, read this – not right now, just later if you need to

Now the following was my initial & irritated reaction when I started writing and the other is my relaxed sort of chill reaction (well as “chill” as I get for those that know me). I thought it was worth posting as, not necessarily 2 polarized sides of my view, just two different ones. Why do such this way? After all, I'm only human...a passionate one at that.

The “Elysian Effect”

Irritated reaction: If I was an Elysian employee and I was nursing my wounds because the craft brewery I worked got bought out by Bud (and many of them didn’t know about it), I’d be pretty choked with the ad. Not so much with the whole depiction of the hipster-like guys in the ad but moreso that they said “Let them sip their Pumpkin Peach ale”. Bud obviously paid a TON of money for that ad and they knew exactly what they were doing. Not only did they kick the people that they financially took over down but they also hit below the belt at the fact that Elysian makes a Pumpkin Peach beer. That’s just too much insult to injury to me that it appears that Bud has little to no respect for their latest financial acquisition. The tragic thing is that most people don’t know about this somewhat recent news.

       So Bud, you may be the "King of Beers" doesn't mean you have to act like a tyrant. 

My ambivalent reaction:  I do know of one Canadian Northwest craft brewery that got bought out by a big macro-brewery some years ago. All in all, their product quality hasn’t dropped that much (just my opinion) but I will always try their seasonals…and a fair share of those seasonals more than once. Maybe this latest example will go the same way. Mind you, the Canadian macro brewery that bought the craft brewery didn't make fun of them for putting raspberries in their beer. So what does that tell you? Maybe it's 'cuz us Canadians like to play a bit nicer than our neighbors to the south.

“We’ll be brewing us some golden suds”

Irritated reaction:  Bud isn’t the only company that brews “golden suds” there ABI.  This just makes it sound like only you do and anything that is ‘dark’ is pretentious and prissy. Let’s count the number of styles that are not just adjunct lagers (like you are) out there that could be considered “golden”:

Blonde Ale, Hefeweizen, Belgian Tripel, Munich Helles, Dortumunder Export, German Pilsner, Bohemian Pilsner, Kölsch, Weissbier, Saison, Berliner Weisse, Belgian Blond Ale, Belgian Golden Strong Ale...I can keep going, but I think I lost you at "Belgian"  Wait, no I didn't, look who owns you. 

Ambivalent reaction:  When I think “suds”, I think soap. Bud & suds? Is that what is meant by ‘clean’ taste? I guess if you want to keep to one brand and not diversify then that’s your choice. I know my Brewing Industry Prof would not be keen on a brewery only having one brand. But then again, it seems to work for Steam Whistle. So power to ya. 

The Use of Beechwood Aged

Irritated reaction: Here you're making it sound like you're making whiskey or a high end spirit and playing on the lack of knowledge by the average consumer. I can’t deny that. But if aging with beechwood was full on used today wouldn’t it add an abundance of wooden tones to the beer that would be off putting to the normal consumer due to the lighter body of the lager? Some vital info is being left out here.

This is Randy Mosher and the book I'm referencing.
Well, my copy is a lot more worn out 

Ambivalent reaction: Why both adding anything here which hasn't already been said by Randy Mosher in his book Tasting Beer (which is an awesome book by the way) about Beechwood Ageing as follows:

“At one time, most American breweries aged their lagers in “chip tanks” with a pile of wooden slats in the bottom. These are stripped of any wood character before going into the tanks and do not impart any wood flavor to the beer. 

Their real purpose is to provide the additional surface area for the yeast to settle on and this may have benefits for the conditioning of the Beer. Anheuser-Busch has found it is worth the considerable trouble for their yeast and their beers, but few breweries feel the same these days.
Verdict: Nice nod to tradition, but not what it sounds like.”

The “Enemy of my Enemy” - My reaction to MillerCoors getting out of the line of fire. 

You may need to enlarge this a bit but it's worth reading. 

Irritated Reaction: I saw this poster from MillerCoors and it appears  MillerCoors is just now sitting there with their palms facing up looking at the craft beer community going “Don’t look at us guys & gals, we didn’t say it! (We may have been thinking it) We’re cool though right?” [Holds out hand expecting a fist-pound.] Hey MillerCoors, I think it’s only time before you buy yourselves another craft brewery yourselves.

Ambivalent Reaction: Nicely said MillerCoors, (No, seriously) even coming out with some transparency about the Blue Moon brand. But part of me wonders if MillerCoors is not secretly kicking themselves for not doing that commercial first.

”After years of trashing macros, why would any of us be surprised that they bite too!?”

Irritated Reaction: Because if you're going to go big, then you better be prepared for the naysayers and the haters. I remember hearing that in my Brewing Management class and being told "That's part of doing big business".  When the Golden Arches got nudged, poked, & prodded, about the quality of their burgers, you didn't see them attacking the small burger joints. No, they took the higher ground and adjusted their menu accordingly…not that I eat there. Nor do you see Kraft or Maple Leaf taking shots at artisanal cheeseries or the small town butcher.

          Besides, if Bud's beer is SO good, then why should they care about what the “little” guys & gals are doing? Oh yeah, I forgot – maybe it’s ‘cuz they’re starting to feel the pinch in the market? Furthermore, not every craft brewery trashes macro beer but of course, they get lumped into the lot.

Ambivalent Reaction: (Shrug) Yeah I guess if you poke a dog the size of house often enough with a limp noodle it will get sorta choked…and then attack you and eat your face. I guess having at least losing 1.1% market share from 2012 to 2013 (I got those figures here) but still being a dominant majority, is enough to drop the hammer. (Sorry, don’t step in the pile of sarcasm). I mean sure, that's a big chunk of change to lose over time. Looking back, I can see why Bud took this road.

  

On another note, I know there is a letter that a brewery in Europe send to Bud inviting them over for a beerfest. I couldn’t find the it for the life of me using various Boolean operators and search criteria. If someone finds the link, please post it in the comments. Thanks.

I guess for me what this really boils down to is transparency. Transparency of ingredients (e.g. corn & rice use vs. Belgian candi sugar), people (e.g. letting people know what's going on), the brewing process (e.g. using machines to dose pellet hops vs. using whole hop cones), and ownership (e.g. overseas companies vs. employee profit sharing). 

My pipe dream is for all the breweries to just flat out tell their customers all the stuff that goes in their products like laying out a poker hand when someone says “Call”.  If the customers out there get all the info laid out to them and still make their choices for their brands knowing the whole picture then I will wholeheartedly respect that. I will even say "Cheers" as we 'clink' glasses in a pub as fellow beer lovers. Then we can get down to some fun story telling. 

Yeah, yeah, - I know that’s too hard to ask and that's NEVER going to happen, but a guy can dream right?

After all this I leave you with a quote from the book Beer & Philosophy that I challenge you, the reader, to disagree with.

"As craft brewers, we are not in the business of growth - we are in the business of making world-class beer. Growth is just a by-product of our business. Money is a means to our end and not an end in itself." - Sam Calagione of Dogfishhead Brewery

Thanks Sam. 

BL