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Poll

Could you take a brewer/brewpub seriously who served Bud/Miller/Coors on the tap next to his house-made brews?

Yeah, it makes sense to me
No, why would you do that?
No pants?

Author Topic: Brewpubs that serve BMC  (Read 11000 times)

Offline ryang

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Re: Brewpubs that serve BMC
« Reply #75 on: September 17, 2010, 08:05:50 am »
The only other thing I will say is there is a certain amount of integrity you loose as a promoter of fresh, local, craft beer when you also support Macro type beer. It just doesn't feel right to me. That said, if the issue came down to keeping the lights one - well - you do what you have to do.

I agree.  It just seems wrong.

If I was going to do it it would be PBR. Good cold and cheap. Even kinda kitch.

Thats why I wouldnt immediately judge a brew pub like the original post suggested I think? Or not take it seriously.

Whenever I need something along the lines of cheap beer, I'd have to agree with you on PBR although I don't know what 'kitch' is  :-\

I didn't and don't immediately judge the places that serve BMC alongside their own brews.  I was just a little dissapointed to see that and the fact that most were drinking the BMC. 

As far as seriousness, if I were the brewer, I couldn't take myself seriously if I had BMC on tap.  I'm on the same lines as major... stay consistent with what you started brewing for.

Offline bluesman

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Re: Brewpubs that serve BMC
« Reply #76 on: September 17, 2010, 08:08:31 am »
As far as seriousness, if I were the brewer, I couldn't take myself seriously if I had BMC on tap.  I'm on the same lines as major... stay consistent with what you started brewing for.

+1

...and most importantly...support American Hand Crafted Beer.  8)
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Offline dirk_mclargehuge

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Re: Brewpubs that serve BMC
« Reply #77 on: September 17, 2010, 08:15:02 am »
Perhaps the question one should ask themselves while at a brewpub..."Do I want to order a MGD or do I want to order a Munich Helles" as crafted by the brewpub. I personally believe 99% of the folks that are reading this right now will choose the Helles and the other one percent are surfing the web and don't even know what a Munich Helles is.

A good business owner will want to please that 1% of folks you guess are surfing the web.  I have heard brewpub owners say they keep bottles of BMC for large groups that have people who don't like craft beer.  (Yes.  There are people who don't like craft beer.  That's why so much BMC is sold.)  They want those people to spend money in their establishment, too.  They make their money on drinks, and to exclude 1-2% is bad business.

Offline majorvices

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Re: Brewpubs that serve BMC
« Reply #78 on: September 17, 2010, 08:31:21 am »
Someone email Russian River and ask Vinny what he thinks about keeping a Bud Light tap on hand. I bet you he would have plenty to say on the subject of why this is a bad idea.  ;) When you are in business you need to be consistent. If you are going fort a prestige and quality beer as your goal, you had better stick to that. Putting bud light on tap is an inconsistent message.

Even when Drew mentioned the pub that had Stella Artois on tap - we all know what Stella is, but at the very least it says "Prestige". I can understand that at a beer bar, certainly.

And the "Mexican Rest. keeping hamburgers on" is really not the best analogy. A better analogy for that would be a Brewpub  keeping a root beer tap on hand. Few adults that don't care for mexican food are going to find themselves in a mexican restaurant eating a hamburger. If they don't like Mexi. food, they most likely simply won't be in there.

mexi food places keep the burger and chix fingers for the kids - brewpubs keep the Cream Soda and Rootbeer on draft for the kids.

How many times have you been ina  restaurant that doesn;t carry anything except BMC? I can mention lots of restaurants. because those restaurants are not catering to craft beer drinkers.

But if a Brew Pub is trying to promote an image, that image is to appeal to Craft Beer drinkers - and having a Bud Light tap up there with your house taps is not sending the right image. And the folks who don;t enjoy craft beer will probably just not set foot in there.

The VERY last thing I will say (this time for real  ;)) is that our local craft beer joing does not carry any Bud products. If you go in  there and ask for a Bud you get Budwar - and the bar staff tells me that most of the bud drinker that come in there find themselves pleasantly surprised.

If you are a pub owner, and you want to show that you have faith in your beer and you want to project an image to those craft beer drinkers that you are serious about beer, you are doing a bad job by having a Coors Light tap in line with your house taps. And if craft beer drinkers don't take your beer seriously then you really are shooting yourself in the foot. And buy the negative responses in this post I'd guess you are turning at least 50% or more craft beer drinkers off. That's a serious chunk of your business right there. If the craft beer drinkers don't take you seriously, but you get the BMC croud in the doors - then what exactly are you?

OK - I've just said the same thing in several different ways over and over again. I'm done.  :P
« Last Edit: September 17, 2010, 08:34:56 am by majorvices »

Offline bluesman

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Re: Brewpubs that serve BMC
« Reply #79 on: September 17, 2010, 08:32:58 am »
Perhaps the question one should ask themselves while at a brewpub..."Do I want to order a MGD or do I want to order a Munich Helles" as crafted by the brewpub. I personally believe 99% of the folks that are reading this right now will choose the Helles and the other one percent are surfing the web and don't even know what a Munich Helles is.

A good business owner will want to please that 1% of folks you guess are surfing the web.  I have heard brewpub owners say they keep bottles of BMC for large groups that have people who don't like craft beer.  (Yes.  There are people who don't like craft beer.  That's why so much BMC is sold.)  They want those people to spend money in their establishment, too.  They make their money on drinks, and to exclude 1-2% is bad business.

Agreed in that a good business owner will want to please that 1%, however I think you'll find most brewpubs don't serve BMC's and those that do are the minority...YMMV.
Ron Price

Offline Mikey

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Re: Brewpubs that serve BMC
« Reply #80 on: September 17, 2010, 08:40:35 am »
Quote
...however I think you'll find most brewpubs don't serve BMC's and those that do are the minority...YMMV. 

Gotta say, I find the exact opposite of that. I can't remember one that doesn't have some BMC around and the reason I know that is because I look around at what people are drinking. Sure, I find it odd that you'll turn down good craft beer for BMC, but I see it all the time.

Never forget that variety is the spice of life. Bottom line, if I ever owned a brewpub (and that will be never) my effort would be to please the masses and make money. I certainly wouldn't be in business just to promote the craft beer industry. I'll let others carry that flag.

Offline bluesman

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Re: Brewpubs that serve BMC
« Reply #81 on: September 17, 2010, 08:51:10 am »
Gotta say, I find the exact opposite of that. I can't remember one that doesn't have some BMC around and the reason I know that is because I look around at what people are drinking. Sure, I find it odd that you'll turn down good craft beer for BMC, but I see it all the time.

Can you provide some examples?

Ron Price

Offline nicneufeld

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Re: Brewpubs that serve BMC
« Reply #82 on: September 17, 2010, 09:05:02 am »
although I don't know what 'kitch' is 

It's THIS GUY!



Even if he did make a dog's breakfast of the Transvaal.

Offline majorvices

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Re: Brewpubs that serve BMC
« Reply #83 on: September 17, 2010, 09:25:51 am »
I've been to probably 25, maybe even 30 brewpubs over the years and I have never seen any that had BMC. Never. Not one. Period. Ever.

Offline Mikey

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Re: Brewpubs that serve BMC
« Reply #84 on: September 17, 2010, 09:30:36 am »
Gordon Beirsch
BJ's
Many of the McMenamins
Humperdinks
There's a brewpub/casino in Vegas that does, but the name escapes me
I also believe that Wild River locations do and also Pelican as well, but I could be wrong here.

Offline bluesman

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Re: Brewpubs that serve BMC
« Reply #85 on: September 17, 2010, 09:49:20 am »
The three local brepubs that I go to on occasion:

Dogfish Head
Victory Brewing
Iron Hill Brewing

They don't serve anything other than their beer and they are all very successful.
Ron Price

Offline Mikey

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Re: Brewpubs that serve BMC
« Reply #86 on: September 17, 2010, 09:52:55 am »
I'm not saying that ALL brewpubs sell BMC, but I'd bet that the majority do. Some of the ones I listed are chains, but lets face it, you don't become a chain unless you are successful.

Offline majorvices

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Re: Brewpubs that serve BMC
« Reply #87 on: September 17, 2010, 09:57:51 am »
Appalachian Brewing Co, Big River Brewing Co, Russian River, Bear Republic, Blackstones, Boscos, Sedona, Moylans, Troegs... I can't even begin to name them all - never saw a BMC there. You'd think if they were in a majority of brewpubs I would have seen at least one tap somewhere.

Now, I have been to a Gordon Birsch once or twice and they may have had one, not sure.

Offline bluesman

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Re: Brewpubs that serve BMC
« Reply #88 on: September 17, 2010, 10:00:59 am »
...and success lies in the water, grain, hops and yeast of the beer that the brewpub brews my freind.  ;)
Ron Price

Offline Mikey

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Re: Brewpubs that serve BMC
« Reply #89 on: September 17, 2010, 10:08:00 am »
Hang on, I never said these all had BMC on tap. I'm just saying they serve it in one form or another. That said, I don't think it matters.