New Belgium announces sale to Lion Little World Corp

[cydsho]

https://www.thedenverchannel.com/ne...ew-belgium-selling-to-global-beverage-company

Lion Little World Beverages is owned by Japan-based by Kirin Holdings Company Limited.

 

[Malty Flannel]

Kirin also owns the Four Roses bourbon distillery

 

[Al_4_State]

Not super surprising, but I guess maybe a little. I toured the brewery nearly a decade ago, and it was a lot of fun. Stopped in for a beer this winter while in Fort Collins and it all looked very different. Still enjoyed myself, but it was definitely clearly headed this direction.

 

[Malty Flannel]

Question for you beer guys -

I've been out of the craft beer world for about 3 years now. before that i was heavily involved in all the happenings. Now I maybe buy 1 or 2 4/6 packs a month. My question is, how much time and money do you spend on the bigger regional/national craft brands, now that Iowa has such a vibrant local craft brew scene of its own?

Outside of a few seasonal releases from some bigger regional brands, there is so much to choose from local breweries that IMO are making a highly competitive product. I'm not tempted to look for a good IPA from Stone, Ballast Point, Surly, or who-have-you anymore, when I Iook at the selection of Confluence, Big Grove, Singlespeed, etc. So when I see these big sellouts happen, I guess I now more or less just think, "well when was I gonna buy any New Belgium anyways?" Seems to me like the craft brew scene is incredibly localized with micro and nano breweries providing more than enough quality options for local beer enthusiasts. This would lead me to assume that sales for brands like Boulevard, Sam Adams, NB, etc would naturally decrease. Maybe that's not the case?

 

[BACyclone]

Good question! I buy 'too much' craft beer, and early on I loved Fat Tire, Sam Adams, Boulevard. Frankly I find a lot of the local Iowa stuff is just better. I am pumped that Barn Town is going to start canning soon, that is my clear favorite of anything out there. You are going to find plenty in Iowa to satisfy whatever your heart desires. A favorite of mine in Ames is Torrent -- their Midnight Milk Stout is great. While I'm talking about it, just about everything I try from Lake Time Brewery is wonderful.

I was in Moline for work a couple weeks ago and had some great beer at Bent River. Took home some NEIPA from Wake Brewing. Also found some cans of another beer I tried at a restaurant and loved that happened to be from 4 Hands Brewing in St. Louis.

I see the 'national' stuff a lot and frankly I'm not that tempted. I may pick out a 6 of Firestone Walker or some of the UFO beer I discovered this summer, if we are talking out-of-market beers -- but those don't really compare to these larger, established breweries you are talking about. Usually I am going to hold out for something more local.

 

[NickTheGreat]

I also used to buy cases of New Belgium and Sam Adams and the like. But I haven't bought much of either in a while.

I guess I'm part of their problem.

 

[cyfanatic]

I also used to buy cases of New Belgium and Sam Adams and the like. But I haven't bought much of either in a while.

I guess I'm part of their problem.

Same here...I remember picking up some version of Sam Adam's thinking about how fast I should drive so I could get home to open one! I bet it has been 2 or 3 years since I have purchased a Sam Adam's product...maybe longer.

 

[Brentwood]

The interesting part is they are an "ESOP" (employee stock ownership program). They are routinely used as an example as a great one. I'm sure the employees will get paid out nicely, but it is very interesting.

 

[discydisc]

Fat tire was my first craft beer and was disappointed to hear this news. I can't say I've bought much New Belgium lately as there are so many good local options but would still order a fat tire from time to time and have bought variations of voodoo ranger in the last couple months. Lauguanitas and FSW are the two national brands I go to frequently just because of the value per ounce.

 

[shagcarpetjesus]

New Belgium’s Trappist inspired stuff is pretty good for the price point. I still buy 6 packs of Abbey and Trippel pretty regularly.

 

[ianoconnor]

Not super surprising, but I guess maybe a little. I toured the brewery nearly a decade ago, and it was a lot of fun. Stopped in for a beer this winter while in Fort Collins and it all looked very different. Still enjoyed myself, but it was definitely clearly headed this direction.

We toured when in town for the last CU football game. It was the best brewery tour I've ever been on.

 

[Cyclone.TV]

The interesting part is they are an "ESOP" (employee stock ownership program). They are routinely used as an example as a great one. I'm sure the employees will get paid out nicely, but it is very interesting.

did you read the article?

 

[Cyclone.TV]

Fat tire was my first craft beer and was disappointed to hear this news. I can't say I've bought much New Belgium lately as there are so many good local options but would still order a fat tire from time to time and have bought variations of voodoo ranger in the last couple months. Lauguanitas and FSW are the two national brands I go to frequently just because of the value per ounce.

so you won’t order it anymore because it was bought?

 

[isukendall]

I've lived in Fort Collins for 11 years, and have several friends who work for or have worked for NBB. None of this is surprising. The unfortunate take on this is that sales and pushing volume and market share are more important than quality. Lots of FoCo residents have already been going to NBB less because it has more of a corporate, "Disneyworld" feel to it than the home grown vibe it had 10 years ago. Lots of locals are pretty disappointed, but none are really surprised.

 

[Cyclone.TV]

I've lived in Fort Collins for 11 years, and have several friends who work for or have worked for NBB. None of this is surprising. The unfortunate take on this is that sales and pushing volume and market share are more important than quality. Lots of FoCo residents have already been going to NBB less because it has more of a corporate, "Disneyworld" feel to it than the home grown vibe it had 10 years ago. Lots of locals are pretty disappointed, but none are really surprised.

I haven’t noticed any problems with their quality.

 

[isukendall]

I haven’t noticed any problems with their quality.

What I'm saying is that it matters more that it sells rather than the fact that it is a quality product. For example, they have had many great beers in the past that were crowd favorites but later axed, such as Mothership Wit, Mighty Arrow, 2 Below, Biere de Mars, Blue Paddle, Ranger IPA, list goes on. Instead, they've done things that apparently move more beer, like make 5 IPAs that have a skeleton on a skateboard (the kids love it, says their marketing department), or brand completely unrelated beers with previously successful beers' names instead of brewery name (e.g. "Fat Tire Belgian White").

Many of the beers they have out now are good, but certainly not excellent quality. They're made to appeal to the masses and sell.

 

[Cyclone.TV]

What I'm saying is that it matters more that it sells rather than the fact that it is a quality product. For example, they have had many great beers in the past that were crowd favorites but later axed, such as Mothership Wit, Mighty Arrow, 2 Below, Biere de Mars, Blue Paddle, Ranger IPA, list goes on. Instead, they've done things that apparently move more beer, like make 5 IPAs that have a skeleton on a skateboard (the kids love it, says their marketing department), or brand completely unrelated beers with previously successful beers' names instead of brewery name (e.g. "Fat Tire Belgian White").

Many of the beers they have out now are good, but certainly not excellent quality. They're made to appeal to the masses and sell.

they want to make a product that will sell to the most people? How dare they.

 

[BACyclone]

I love the Fort Collins area. The craft beer vibe is fantastic. I had a nice tour at Odell Brewing the last time I was out there.

I think Fat Tire will still be a great standby beer for places that only carry a few beers, but most decent places these days will carry more options than that, and a solid option from Iowa.

As an example, a local restaurant I frequent in a small town near me has a very limited but decent selection of craft bottled beers and 4 taps, 2 of them major domestics, but happened to have Zoinks from IBC on tap. I might not have tried it otherwise, but I loved it.

The best part is the creativity of the local breweries. It's great to have some great local standby brews, but always have something new to try out several times a year.

 

[isukendall]

they want to make a product that will sell to the most people? How dare they.

It's a business, and they've done what it takes to grow and be successful. Not denying that.

But extrapolate exactly what you just said, to the highest level, and you get Budweiser. Which is garbage.

So yes, sales often come at the expense of quality.

 

[discydisc]

so you won’t order it anymore because it was bought?

I didn't say that, but I will be less likely to purchase when there are other comparable options. I tend to buy local mostly anyways.