Sorry had to bite at this one as i can name 2 at least, i will assume Lovely Valley is the one you are refering too. Like it or lump it people still buy there beers and they are still in business. I'm not sure how you gauge success bf but the fact they are in business has got to account for something. Regardless of what I may actually think of their beers.
Lovely Valley do make Extract beers, along with a multitude of other beverages, which actually aren't too bad.
Not 100% sure, but I think they are owned by DeYoungs down here in the south who have a roaring scrap trade, similar to paramount browns.
DeYoungs also own a few recycling yards and a truck\earth moving rental company and some other small business's around the traps.
So yes, Lovely Valley are still in business, but the ins and outs of their revenue would be something we would never know.
Even still, they have been there for years and have never seemed to move up or down within their industry.
The other would be any of the U brew it's etc that are currently doing a roaring trade, the beers I've tried from there so far have been very good a clean extract beers.
U-Brew-it I can't comment on, having never entered their premises or tasted a u-brew-it beer. but I wouldn't put it in the same class as Lovely Valley or any other brewery for that matter. More of a "Drive-Thu" for home brewers.
No doubt I'll look forward to you **** canning my beers when I go commercial too regardless of them being Extract or not.
I'm happy to try your beers, but if I think they taste like rubber apples, Don't start carrying on like I just pissed in your soup when I tell you so.
If they taste good, I'll tell you so also.
This is just another chest beating peacocking thread where the (Harley riding) A-Ger's tell the (Japanese bike riders) K&Ker's (that they ride rice burning jap crap) that only fermentation assistants, not real brewers (real men ride Harleys)
This, I have to disagree with you on.
This thread is about telling Extract brewers not to be disheartened by AG brewers telling them their AG's are better buy some random article posted on the internet.
My points are:
1. If you're happy with your extract brewing, and have no requirement to change it - congratulations on making a beer you're happy with... Enjoy
2. If you're happy with your extract brewing but want to move to All Grain - there is no right of entry, you don't need 3 50L vessels to do it.
3. If you're unhappy with your extracts and want a better beer - skip the steeping and 60min boil using kit's and bits, if you're going to all that effort, just move to AG
4. AG is not hard, it's easy, yes it's more time consuming but the results are a consistent higher quality beer and a much more controllable\personal beer.
5. There is no right of entry into AG, you don't need to go up through the ranks in order to brew it. if you have the ability to hold water at 65c for an hour, hang a bag of wet grain over a bucket and boil water you have the skillset to start making AG beers.
There is no chest beating here.
I don't think I'm a better or worse brewer than anyone else. In fact, to be honest, I have only recently gotten over a bout of infections due to a dodgy tap.
That in itself made me question my process's and ability.
However, getting back on the horse, I have now made a Black beer for my neighbor after he asked me to make it for him, have a SNPA clone going in the keg tomorrow, and they are both tasting great and I'm brewing a Black IPA on Sunday.
I do find however, that a difference of opinion on this forum does tend to start others beating their chests.
I know most brewers are passionate about brewing and love drinking their own beers. I'm one of them.
But If anyone tried my beers and say it tastes like **** because it resembles rubber apples, AND that taste was common among the people who used my process. I wouldn't be sticking my head in the sand and rounding up the troops to combat the guy. I would be looking at my process. and if it is common among the people that use my process, then I would be looking at moving away from said process and not finding ways to work around it.
Unless, of course, I liked the taste of rubber apples, then I wouldn't give a **** what anyone else thinks and I would relax and have a home brew.
Cheers,
BF