[69franx]

Which is where my comment wound up. It's great to hold the high moral ground but faced with the cash it's got to be tough to stick to your guns. I think the photo of the 10 Barrel tee shirts says a lot though, and he feels it was just another marketing ploy, not a business model for the brewery. I've never had their beer and don't know the Cox brothers, but it does sound as though he feels personally betrayed. I am sure I would feel about the same way if one of Cincinnati's small local craft brewer's (2 of which came home from GABF with medals) sold out to AB. That said, Keith and Jon both make sound business statements, brewing professionally is not a hobby, they are in it to get paid. I was told by the owners of a restaurant chain I worked for (I worked in the 7th unit): we are here to work as hard as we need to, to get bought up by a big conglomerate. It worked they got bought out within 5 years of me working for them. Money talks

[Joe Sr.]

Whatever.  If he cares that deeply, he should start his own brewery and take all the risks involved so that he can support the community.

I grow weary of the beer snobbery from people who will never, NEVER, drink a beer brewed by _________.

If it's good beer, it's good beer.  I don't see beer purchases as part of a mission driven life.  What you drink doesn't say anything about who you are as a person.

I also grow weary of those who presume to have the right to make other peoples choices for them.

It's fine to be sad and disappointed, but the moral outrage is a bit over the top.

And, as far as what the author would do when faced with the $3MM or $5MM question, I doubt he'd take the lower amount.  He says that now, but he's not been faced with the actual choice.

[HoosierBrew]

And, as far as what the author would do when faced with the $3MM or $5MM question, I doubt he'd take the lower amount.  He says that now, but he's not been faced with the actual choice.

+1.  Selling for half the amount assuming the 'virtuous' buyer will uphold the moral high ground is naive and probably just plain dumb. Having said that, America is slowly becoming one big generic strip mall - great local businesses make it better.

[Joe Sr.]

great local businesses make it better.

No doubt.  And I do my best to support local businesses.

That said, when their inventory is 1/3 more expensive than their competitors, I struggle with it.

[HoosierBrew]

great local businesses make it better.

No doubt.  And I do my best to support local businesses.

That said, when their inventory is 1/3 more expensive than their competitors, I struggle with it.

Yeah. I pay a little (not a lot) more at my LHBS. But there's no shipping, waiting  and I verify it's right. But in general it is tough to draw the line between buying local and paying more.

[Thirsty_Monk]

People with passion do not have money and people with money do not have passion.

Just buy my beer and be happy

[yso191]

People with passion do not have money and people with money do not have passion.

Just buy my beer and be happy

Ha ha ha!  The best answer yet.

[hopfenundmalz]

People with passion do not have money and people with money do not have passion.

Just buy my beer and be happy

I love that, Leos. Mrs. R and I must make a big swing through Wisconsin someday.

[majorvices]

I appreciate idealism, I really do! But its often just not realistic. Or maybe I'm just old.

[Thirsty_Monk]

I appreciate idealism, I really do! But its often just not realistic. Or maybe I'm just old.

It is just my observation. Keep on brewing a good beer.

[Thirsty_Monk]

People with passion do not have money and people with money do not have passion.

Just buy my beer and be happy

I love that, Leos. Mrs. R and I must make a big swing through Wisconsin someday.

It will be great to meet you. We are buying a new building. It will be quite busy for couple of month.

[klickitat jim]

This thread is free market meets free speach. If brewery A sells to the devil and blogger A doesn't want to drink that beer anymore, then yee haw.

It sure beats the alternative of some entity telling brewery A who they can sell to and what blogger A can say about it.

[erockrph]

If you're so concerned with the quality of beer coming out of a brewery, then buy it and run it yourself. Otherwise, thank the brewer for the beer you enjoyed, and vote with your dollar when it comes to the new owners.

What kills me is the sense of entitlement these people have over something they haven't spent a minute of work on. If I've poured my own blood, sweat and tears into a business I built from scratch, where the heck does Joe Blogger get off in telling me what I can do with it?

[tonyp]

Wow, that article is indeed a rant, and while there is a small part of me that agrees with him, the reality is that in their place I would probably do the same thing. Of course, that quick infusion of cash would go right into another brewery.

This is going to seem petty, and maybe alittle off-topic, but my biggest problem with the whole situation is the name of the brewery.

10 Barrel Brewery? Seriously? To me, that's a total marketing and branding disaster. What happens when you upgrade to a 15 or 30 Barrel system? Can you imagine how many times this conversation takes place on a daily basis?

Customer: "Hey, how are you guys keeping up with capacity with a 10 Barrel brewhouse?"
Tour Guide: "Oh we have a 15 barrel brewhouse now"
Customer: "I thought you were 10 barrel brewery?"
Tour Guide: "we are but we upgraded"
Customer: "so now you're 15 barrel brewery?"
Tour Guide: "no we are still 10 barrel brewery, but we make 15 barrels"

/facepalm

Its like opening up a business named "1 oven bakery" or "3 table restaurant" or "2 truck delivery service"

[yso191]

Tour Guide: "no we are still 10 barrel brewery, but we make 15 barrels"

/facepalm

Its like opening up a business named "1 oven bakery" or "3 table restaurant" or "2 truck delivery service"

Ah...  Tony you're too in the know.  Most people would read this as a quaint, literal 10 barrels.  Like a tailor shop named Four Buttons.  It's figurative, poetic language.  You are supposed to picture 10 wooden stave barrels on a loading dock full of beer destined for the local pub down the lane a league or so.

I say this because this is the conversation in my head whenever I see 10 Barrel Brewing.  (yes, I have my own private OCD purgatory)