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Anchor Brewing Company ends national distribution, kills Christmas Ale

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Re: Anchor Brewing Company ends national distribution, kills Christmas Ale

#121

Post by kodt »

xarope wrote: post #109
girvo wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It’s also nice and strong - 9% iirc As all good stouts should be, in my humble opinion! My all time favourite beer is the BrewDog, Nogne and Mikkeller collaboration stout: the Black Tokyo Horizon. It's 17.2%!

17.2%?!? That led me down the rabbit hole to find out beers with very high alcohol content. Apparently Brewmeister Snake Venom, at ABV 67.5%, is the highest.

Yes those super high ones are usually freeze concentrated (partially frozen, then ice is removed which removes water, what is left is stronger) multiple times to reach such high ABVs.

The highest you will see actually fermented is usually around 18-20%, but there are specialty yeasts that can get up to 25%. Then you can get even higher with extended aging in spirit barrels where some ABV is picked up by absorbing residual spirit as well as evaporation increasing the strength. Sam Adams Utopias for example comes in at 28%

Re: Anchor Brewing Company ends national distribution, kills Christmas Ale

#122

Post by [deleted] »

cwzwarich wrote: post #96
bsder wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is happening in the craft beer market? Ballast Point had a similar trajectory. They got bought for a gigabuck and now are just gone . Why the hell would you buy a company and then screw it up ? In the case of Ballast Point, all Constellation Brands had to do was leave the bought company alone . And, no, I don't believe that the issue is because you can buy great beers in every market. Hogwash. Maybe I can buy IP…

> Why is everything in craft brew now shipping in cans instead of bottles? When did that happen? - They block all light - They’re better sealed than bottles - They weigh less and are more compact than bottles - They don’t break - They’re more often recycled The freshness reasons probably correlate with the rise of hazy IPAs, which are more sensitive to freshness than other styles.

[deleted]

Re: Anchor Brewing Company ends national distribution, kills Christmas Ale

#124

Post by insaneirish »

wincy wrote: post #55

It’s weird that there’s a whole culture around all these craft beers that seems interesting to me but every time I drink anything labeled beer or ale or whatever it is, I feel hot and am basically overcome with a berserker rage (I don’t know how else to explain it, I get really agitated and feel like I’m in flight or fight and want to fight, and it’s like my brain is on fire) within minutes of drinking any sort of be…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5j4DIellR4

Re: Anchor Brewing Company ends national distribution, kills Christmas Ale

#125

Post by ozzydave »

jaredhallen wrote: post #93
bsder wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is happening in the craft beer market? Ballast Point had a similar trajectory. They got bought for a gigabuck and now are just gone . Why the hell would you buy a company and then screw it up ? In the case of Ballast Point, all Constellation Brands had to do was leave the bought company alone . And, no, I don't believe that the issue is because you can buy great beers in every market. Hogwash. Maybe I can buy IP…

As far as the cans, it's just a better way to package beer. It stays fresher longer due to less oxidation and also no light infiltration. As far as Ballast Point in particular, I can only offer conjecture. Sculpin was great ten years ago, but the craft has moved forward and I don't feel like Ballast Point kept up. In my opinion, their recipes are dated. Whether that's due to the acquisition or not I couldn't say, but…

Rings true to me. There’s better beer available at every corner store now.

Re: Anchor Brewing Company ends national distribution, kills Christmas Ale

#126

Post by kodt »

wrycoder wrote: post #97
subpixel wrote: post #40

I live in New England. There isn’t a single brewery in any New England state that would cause an uproar if it ceased to sell beer tomorrow. Sure I have some preferred beers but they are all interchangeable in the big picture. Such is progress - there is no more regional taste, only trend. Even the bottle conditioned beer you stand in line for on vacation - a bottle of Duvel will be reliably better and probably cheape…

Sure there is. Alchemist. But, you can only get it within 100 miles of Waterbury VT, it’s so popular and limited. Try the Focal Banger.

They regularly distribute to New York City and have for several years now. Philadelphia as well. They also send some to California on a semi-regular basis. It has also shown up in Denver a few times.

Re: Anchor Brewing Company ends national distribution, kills Christmas Ale

#127

Post by cauthon »

bsder wrote: post #95
jeffbee wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unless this changed in the last few days, Ballast Point still has distribution in California.

It's a shadow of its former self, though. I have to work to find Ballast Point now. Before the buyout, I could buy it at gas stations and grocery stores.

And it was a national fad - sculpin and grapefruit sculpin were EVERYWHERE in the northeast circa 2017

Re: Anchor Brewing Company ends national distribution, kills Christmas Ale

#128

Post by fisherjeff »

rootusrootus wrote: post #94
pkulak wrote: post #14

Personally, I have so many great, local breweries, I never think to get anything from out of state, usually not even out-of-city. This sounds like a reasonable move seeing the proliferation of great beers.

I'm guilty of the same. I'm about halfway between Portland and Bend, which are both high on the list of breweries per capita, so I can try a huge variety of beers without ever needing to look outside the state. I try to get local beer whenever we travel, but I mostly find that it's just the same as the local stuff, it doesn't feel different.

Okay now I’m trying to guess where you live that you could say you’re halfway between Portland and Bend. Unless… do you drink a lot of Ice Axe?

Re: Anchor Brewing Company ends national distribution, kills Christmas Ale

#129

Post by cauthon »

stephencanon wrote: post #111
subpixel wrote: post #40

I live in New England. There isn’t a single brewery in any New England state that would cause an uproar if it ceased to sell beer tomorrow. Sure I have some preferred beers but they are all interchangeable in the big picture. Such is progress - there is no more regional taste, only trend. Even the bottle conditioned beer you stand in line for on vacation - a bottle of Duvel will be reliably better and probably cheape…

Any of Alchemist, Hill Farmstead, or Lawsons would be an uproar, and they’re all within like 60 miles of each other. Across New England there are many.

Treehouse too

Re: Anchor Brewing Company ends national distribution, kills Christmas Ale

#130

Post by starkparker »

pugworthy wrote: post #119
AndrewKemendo wrote: post #65

>sold to Sapporo in 2017 Ah, I was wondering where the pressure was coming from. The idea that this 150 year old brewery is closing down a truly cornerstone beer in craft beer history because the label art is expensive - despite weathering untold recessions and tough periods - strains credulity

What makes you say it's closing down? The title contradicts that statement you make.

I think parent means they're "closing down" Christmas Ale production.
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