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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

#171

Post by lamp_book »

pjm331 wrote: post #11
eyelidlessness wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> trying to out do one another across different dimensions (though mostly hops) In places with younger craft markets, it's like an even split between hops and extreme naming/label graphics. Here in Seattle, beer names are like Obscure Mythology Reference and you might enjoy the Wikipedia hole it starts you on while you imbibe. The first craft brew I remember seeing visiting my original home state, Virginia, was liter…

Raging Bitch is made by Flying Dog brewery whose art is done by Ralph Steadman - well known for his collaborations with Hunter S Thompson. I started drinking it because of that fact after reading Fear and Loathing for the first time in college. It’s also nice and strong - 9% iirc

I love Steadman’s art but refuse to buy Flying Dog beer since their owner is a giant asswipe (don’t remember the details just something to do with mistreating employees).

Steadman also did the art for Anthony Bourdain’s cookbook - highly recommend that though.

edit: HST’s story on the Kentucky Derby features Steadman prominently and it’s my favorite of his after/along with Fear and Loathing and Hell’s Angels. It’s probably the most gonzo of the three as well.

edit: Corrected Flying Dog from BrewDog

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

#172

Post by barathr »

Some of you may have had the experience of catching a show at Bottom of the Hill and reliving the NOFX song Scavenger Type:

Gigin alone at the bottom of the hill / Our protagonist named Bill / Sets his sights on an anchor steam pint / All he needs is thirteen quarters / Congregated in his hat

I swear they must have a pipe straight from the brewery for how fresh it is there.

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

#173

Post by stickfigure »

jt2190 wrote: post #80
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…

The founder of Boston Beer Company (brewers of Sam Adams) has talked about how beer drinkers now want to try one of everything and are endlessly moving from label to label, whereas in the past drinkers would settle on one brand and stick with it for years. This hurts the “small” (versus “micro”) brewers like Anchor because they’re viewed as “too corporate”.

> brewers like Anchor because they’re viewed as “too corporate”.

They are owned by Sapporo now, so there's that.

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

#174

Post by ProfessorLayton »

bamfly wrote: post #86
mikestew wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was just thinking that this weekend in the Seattle area as we wandered the aisles for six for the wife. It’s either an attempt to put the scariest-looking skull(s) on the label, or $SOMETHING $SEXUAL_REFERENCE $FARM_ANIMAL (e. g., Ass-Kickin’ Horny Goat Stout).

> It’s either an attempt to put the scariest-looking skull(s) on the label One of the people behind Liquid Death water was on NPR some weeks back, and basically their entire deal, as told by him, was just taking canned water and applying craft beer branding. Not to knock it, evidently it worked and, as far as the product and concept, was all they needed. Just thought it was funny—yeah, why not put an edgy name and sk…

Simi related, but i’m really glad something like liquid death became a thing! I go to a lot of live events, especially concerts, and I can now reliably buy sparkling water at almost every event.

Beforehand my choices were absurdly overpriced beers, sweetened drinks, or plain water. I’m a big fan of sparkling water, so this new development is nice, even if I don’t particularly care about the branding gimmicks.

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

#175

Post by thehappypm »

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…

Is this a joke?

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

#176

Post by boilerupnc »

jehb wrote: post #37
version_five wrote: post #4

I remember getting Anchor Steam in California nearly 20 years ago, having been told about it by a relative as something to try. And having been happy to try a different tasting beer. The other California one I liked was Sierra Nevada pale ale. I feel like that was a much more innocent time. Now no matter where you are, there's a pile of competing craft beers, trying to out do one another across different dimensions (…

Sierra Nevada here on the east coast is brewed in Mills River, NC, just outside Asheville. I guess there must be some economic reason (abundant skilled brewer labor force?) for locating their east coast operations in a place that was already one of the most thriving local brewing scenes on this side of the country, but it just felt redundant to me.

One of the big reasons was the water [0] interns of both availability, quality and abundance.

> Water quality was one of the critical factors in the company’s choice of WNC from about 200 sites across the eastern U.S. […] it also learned there was some high-quality water to be found in aquifers throughout the region — primarily around Black Mountain.

[0] https://www.blueridgenow.com/story/news/2012/07/23/sierra-ne...

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

#177

Post by brogrammernot »

phillc73 wrote: post #159
rootusrootus wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I can buy IPA, IPAer, IPAest, and IPAestest in every market--maybe. However, dark, heavy porters I'm totally with you, though my personal love is sour beers. IPA rules the market, to the point where I have trouble distinguishing between whichever super-hoppy IPA is currently the best. But good sour beers are not nearly so common. If someone ever buys Cascade Brewing and kills it, I will be wildly irritated. I do se…

I think Cascade Brewing Co. is already owned by Asahi. I didn’t know they did a sour beer though!

I think you’re getting your breweries mixed up. Cascade only makes sours and they are owned by a local group in Portland with the founder still heavily involved.

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

#178

Post by thehappypm »

kodt wrote: post #126
wrycoder wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I don’t think they distribute outside of Vermont — if any gets there it’s because someone loaded a truck up

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

#179

Post by fisherjeff »

brewdad wrote: post #165
fisherjeff wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

I’m guessing there’s a lot of wind surfing nearby. :)

Fair but as one of those windsurfing adjacent types myself, I’d call that more like a 25/75% split…

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

#180

Post by ginnungagap »

lamp_book wrote: post #171
pjm331 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Raging Bitch is made by Flying Dog brewery whose art is done by Ralph Steadman - well known for his collaborations with Hunter S Thompson. I started drinking it because of that fact after reading Fear and Loathing for the first time in college. It’s also nice and strong - 9% iirc

I love Steadman’s art but refuse to buy Flying Dog beer since their owner is a giant asswipe (don’t remember the details just something to do with mistreating employees). Steadman also did the art for Anthony Bourdain’s cookbook - highly recommend that though. edit: HST’s story on the Kentucky Derby features Steadman prominently and it’s my favorite of his after/along with Fear and Loathing and Hell’s Angels. It’s pr…

As far as I know there is no relationship between BrewDog and Flying Dog despite the names
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