# Is this the death of cheap beer? MillerCoors boots PBR **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** beer\ **Created:** [November 13, 2018, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-death-of-cheap-beer-millercoors-boots-pbr/824473 "2018-11-13T19:08:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-death-of-cheap-beer-millercoors-boots-pbr/824473/1 "2018-11-13T19:08:13Z")
[Link](https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/pabst-lawsuit-pbr-millercoors) In short, MillerCoors is trying to jack the price of contract brewing the Pabst line by 300+% when the contract expires in 2020. If they can’t reach an agreement, that will mean an end to PBR, Rainier, Lone Star, Old Style, Stroh’s Natty Boh, Olympia and a few other brands. This will surely mean the fall of the Republic and the death of the American Dream. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-death-of-cheap-beer-millercoors-boots-pbr/824473/2 "2018-11-13T19:15:32Z")
Feh, it just means the death of small-label cheap beer. MillerCoors will still be cranking out Milwaukee’s Best and Keystone, and Anheuser-Busch will still be making Natural Light. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-death-of-cheap-beer-millercoors-boots-pbr/824473/3 "2018-11-13T19:33:56Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > that will mean an end to PBR, Rainier, Lone Star, Old Style, Stroh’s Natty Boh, Olympia and a few other brands. This will surely mean the fall of the Republic and the death of the American Dream. Thanks Trump. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-death-of-cheap-beer-millercoors-boots-pbr/824473/4 "2018-11-13T19:52:38Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Feh, it just means the death of small-label cheap beer. MillerCoors will still be cranking out Milwaukee’s Best and Keystone, and Anheuser-Busch will still be making Natural Light. 😃 But PBR is way better than Keystone! Life has never been the same since Meister Brau got absorbed into Miller. “I love PBR, but I hate Keystone.” “but they are identical!” “And that is why.” ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-death-of-cheap-beer-millercoors-boots-pbr/824473/5 "2018-11-13T20:23:06Z")
There are still some other brewers out there. Saranac, which is actually Matt Brewing Company could pick up some of these cheapies, I thought they use to brew Olympia in fact. > **[Matt Brewing Company](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Brewing_Company)** > > F.X. Matt Brewing Company is a family-owned brewery in Utica, New York. It is the fourth oldest family-owned brewery in the United States, having brewed beer since 1888. Its most popular product is the Saranac line of beers; soft drinks such as root beer and ginger beer are also sold. > After working at what became later Rothaus Brewery in the Black Forest region in Baden, Germany, Francis Xavier Matt I immigrated to the United States in 1880. Matt worked at the Charles Bierbauer Brewery as le... ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-death-of-cheap-beer-millercoors-boots-pbr/824473/6 "2018-11-13T20:32:29Z")
Is there any reason they couldn’t split their portfolio up among several contract brewers besides MillerCoors? Seems kind of insane to put ALL your virtual brewing company eggs in one production basket like they did, especially if there’s nobody else who can handle your demand. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-death-of-cheap-beer-millercoors-boots-pbr/824473/7 "2018-11-13T20:40:01Z")
The big problem seems to be that UniBev doesn’t do **any** contract brewing. That alone takes care of all of the big and most of the middling breweries in the country. If Pabst is to maintain itself as an active national brand, it needs active national contract brewers, and without MillerCoors there just aren’t any. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-death-of-cheap-beer-millercoors-boots-pbr/824473/8 "2018-11-13T20:45:11Z")
I don’t understand that lawsuit. “You MUST renew our contract or we will sue to MAKE you renew our contract!”?? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-death-of-cheap-beer-millercoors-boots-pbr/824473/9 "2018-11-13T20:53:52Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Is there any reason they couldn’t split their portfolio up among several contract brewers besides MillerCoors? > > Seems kind of insane to put ALL your virtual brewing company eggs in one production basket like they did, especially if there’s nobody else who can handle your demand. Capacity is the biggest question, who has the capacity. The big beer conglomerates own so much now it is insane. > **[Brewers Association's Top 50 Craft Brewing Companies](https://www.craftbeer.com/editors-picks/list-top-50-craft-breweries-us-2017)** > > The annual list outlines beer sales by volume in 2017. #1 Yuengling is near capacity, though hopefully they add another plant soon. Currently they only have Pennsylvania & Tampa. #2 Boston Beer I believe is at capacity. #3 Sierra Nevada, I know the beers, but know nothing of their production. #17 Matt Brewing I already mentioned. Best known for Saranac beer. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-death-of-cheap-beer-millercoors-boots-pbr/824473/10 "2018-11-13T21:08:42Z")
Won’t someone think of the hipsters? ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-death-of-cheap-beer-millercoors-boots-pbr/824473/11 "2018-11-13T21:10:49Z")
if demand is there then very likely somebody will brew the beer. It’s not like making beer is a complex process. It’s basically water,yeast, malt and hops . In some cases they use rice since it’s cheaper than malt. Some beers add things like orange, peach or other fruits to give a different taste. ---
**Author:** ![Rough\_Draft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@Rough\_Draft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rough_Draft)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-death-of-cheap-beer-millercoors-boots-pbr/824473/12 "2018-11-13T21:11:26Z")
Well, shoot. PBR is the best of the really cheap beers, in my opinion. Especially as a whiskey chaser. I guess I should plan on drinking less or earning more by 2020. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-death-of-cheap-beer-millercoors-boots-pbr/824473/13 "2018-11-13T21:12:16Z")
Sierra Nevada is at capacity. They really need to expand to just handle the demand for their own beers. Hipsters, hell! When I look at the cheap-ass beers I drink, Pabst brews most of them. And yes, I can tell the difference. Old Style is a different kind of crappy than PBR. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-death-of-cheap-beer-millercoors-boots-pbr/824473/14 "2018-11-13T21:21:53Z")
Any one tried that new beer with the candy floating in it…Skittlebräu? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-death-of-cheap-beer-millercoors-boots-pbr/824473/15 "2018-11-13T21:24:29Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Any one tried that new beer with the candy floating in it…Skittlebräu? Is that you Homer? ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-death-of-cheap-beer-millercoors-boots-pbr/824473/16 "2018-11-13T21:37:26Z")
My local dive sells 16-oz cans of PBR for $3 a pop. (I live in an area where draft pints are typically 5 to 7 bucks, so that’s a bargain.) I tipped back a few recently and they weren’t half bad. Still, if PBR goes away, Miller High Life or Coors would serve pretty much the same purpose. While I’m not crazy about the idea of one or two companies controlling so much of the market, I’m also not going to lose sleep over it. From my non-lawyery point of view, I’d have to agree with MillerCoors: after the current contract expires in 2 years, they are under no obligation to renew with the same terms. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-death-of-cheap-beer-millercoors-boots-pbr/824473/17 "2018-11-13T21:54:27Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Sierra Nevada is at capacity. They really need to expand to just handle the demand for their own beers. Is this true, even after they opened their new brewery in North Carolina? ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-death-of-cheap-beer-millercoors-boots-pbr/824473/18 "2018-11-13T22:03:23Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > … that will mean an end to PBR, Rainier, Lone Star, Old Style, Stroh’s Natty Boh, Olympia and a few other brands. This will surely mean the fall of the Republic and the death of the American Dream. Anybody know if this list includes Hamm’s? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-death-of-cheap-beer-millercoors-boots-pbr/824473/19 "2018-11-13T22:12:25Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Sierra Nevada is at capacity. They really need to expand to just handle the demand for their own beers. > > Hipsters, hell! When I look at the cheap-ass beers I drink, Pabst brews most of them. And yes, I can tell the difference. Old Style is a different kind of crappy than PBR. 😃 Speak no ill of Old Style! If it disappears, I truly will be sad. My lawnmowing beer of choice (well, we have a service that does that now, but you know what I mean!) I can’t imagine myself drinking anything else at a neighborhood bar down here on the South/Southwest Side of Chicago. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-death-of-cheap-beer-millercoors-boots-pbr/824473/20 "2018-11-13T22:15:12Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Sierra Nevada is at capacity. They really need to expand to just handle the demand for their own beers. > > Hipsters, hell! When I look at the cheap-ass beers I drink, Pabst brews most of them. And yes, I can tell the difference. Old Style is a different kind of crappy than PBR. 😃 Speak no ill of Old Style! If it disappears, I truly will be sad. My lawnmowing beer of choice (well, we have a service that does that now, but you know what I mean!) I can’t imagine drinking anything else at a neighborhood bar down here on the South/Southwest Side of Chicago. It’s the beer I associate with Chicago and my childhood. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-death-of-cheap-beer-millercoors-boots-pbr/824473.md?page=2)