Anyone else notice than several well known imported beers, including Becks, which was brewed in Germany and imported into the USA, Bass Ale (England), Molson (Canada) Sapporo (Japan), are now being produced domestically?
I imagine their is a significant savings in brewing here in America, between taxes and shipping, rather than importing them, but I haven’t noticed any price reductions at the stores.
Does this impact your likelihood (either more or less) of buying these brands?
I have always enjoyed Bass, Molson and Sapporo, (not a fan of Becks) but for some reason I am a bit put off with the idea of my Bass Ale being brewed in Wichita…
Aren’t Bass and Beck’s both owned by Anheuser-Busch now? And isn’t Molson a part of Coors? That’s probably why they’re manufactured (I intentially refer to them as “manufactured” instead of “brewed”) domestically.
Brands like Guinness have been making locally over the years. I see it on labels recently, doesn’t bother me. It’s not like they’re hiding anything. Blue Moon and Shock Top hide their origins (Coor’s and Budweiser), which I find sneaky, but will still drink these.
The Guinness sold here in Utah is still brewed in Dublin.
The Heineken sold here in Utah is still brewed in Amsterdam.
I don’t drink Blue Moon or Shock Top, (when I want a beer in that general style I just go for the original and get a Hoegaarden) but I didn’t think that either of those two brews’ origins were any kind of a secret.
One can hardly draw conclusions using Utah beer as a bullet point! Guinness is made locally in some countries, IIRC more tropical ones. Probably something to do with transport.
Blue Moon is brewed by “Blue Moon Brewing Company” or something like that, according to the label, and Shock Top is similar. Oh! Additional layer of obfuscation: BMBC is part of “Tenth and Blake Beer Company,” which is part of MillerCoors.
Hoegaarden is in a similar style (witbier), but nothing like those two. It’s much less sweet, and has some strong taste in it (coriander?). More of a sipping beer, but then I wouldn’t chug any of the three all night unless you want a wicked hangover.
Shock Top says “Anheuser Busch Inc St Louis Mo” right on the label. Blue Moon was started by Coors 17 years ago. It’s really not a secret in any way what they are or by whom they are made.
Neither of these brands claim to be imported, either. They claim to be craft brands. Although they are macrobrewed and not incredibly flavorful they’re both decent inexpensive sessionable beers that get people out of their comfort zone and into trying something other than American light lagers. They’re big moneymakers for their respective sides and good for the craft industry.
Off topic I guess, but on the other end of the spectrum- has anyone heard anything about the new Pilsner Urquell? I was at a tasting class a few weeks ago and I heard they were going to start importing by air rather than by sea to deliver a fresher product. I’ve heard Pilsner is awesome in Europe but I’ve never really enjoyed it here as it always tastes somewhat dead or dying. Has anyone else heard this?
I have only tried Shock Top once, and haven’t had a Blue Moon for over 10 years, but to say that they are “nothing like” Hoegaarden is flat out wrong, IMHO.
They are the same style. But I’ll bet a lot of people couldn’t stomach Hoegaarden but the other two would be fine. Not because the European palate is more “sophisticated,” just because it does have a strong taste that the others don’t. New Belgium’s Mothership Wit is another one of those which I can enjoy alright, but would not be surprised if most don’t like it.
Their current limited “art” label does not give a very German aesthetic. Interestingly, they are among the more expensive 6 packs at many grocery stores. But at Costco they are the cheapest per ounce (24 pack), above only BudMillerCoors, and I think cheaper than Kirkland’s beer. I think it works out to something like $0.87 per beer. Under a dollar, anyway.
Guinness was brewed in Canada for years, but all Guinness Draught sold in the US is brewed in Dublin. Pretty sure they switched when they invented the canned draught thing. Well, this was true in 2005 when I visited the brewery, but I’m pretty sure the cans I buy still say Dublin.
The Japanese beers are brewed in Canada I believe. Check the label on Sapporo. I know at least a couple of the major Japanese beers are Canadian (not US) brewed.
It’s been my understanding that Guinness is very resistant to opening a brewing in the U.S., since doing so would necessitate the removal of the term “imported” from their packaging. I guess their marketing team has determined that this term helps with sales. So they brew it in Canada (by Labatt’s) and truck it to the U.S.
Who else is under the assumption that bars, and grocery stores are to be blamed for maintaining imported prices on domestically brewed beer? To me that is the issue. I do not feel comfortable paying more for a domestic beer. However if they were to call it premium, I’d be more inclined to accept it. Any thoughts?
Guinness is made locally in some countries, IIRC more tropical ones. Probably something to do with transport.