Lion Quits Craft Beer Industry Association

[crowmanz]

If that is the case then a name change is definitely in order.

There you go mate.

https://craftypint.com/news/1523/Independence_Day

 

[klangers]

While they are obviously doing it for business reasons (ie not charitable), I agree with Lion/Chuck on this one.

The whole "craft" thing is just a joke, similar to "organic".

That said I don't like how they do throw their weight around, but let's be honest: Lion can produce a keg of beer for less than half of the cost of a micro. If you're a publican and you're looking at margins, it's not hard to be swayed to the tap lock out deals. The majority of people still avoid "real craft" beer. Whatever that is.

 

[GalBrew]

There you go mate.

https://craftypint.com/news/1523/Independence_Day

Yes, it's a good move. Good on them. I do find it a bit disingenuous to use the fees from the big boys to found the CBIA and then give them the boot , but at least they are finally coming clean (not sure why they didn't start out this way).

 

[good4whatAlesU]

They all started small way back when. Richard Secombe (Lion logo originated from his name) came out to NZ on the Amelia Thompson in 1841. Same ship as our lot.

I think he brewed a very small (few gallon batch) a few years later for fun, the second brewer in New Plymouth. The first was my dear old ggrandad - I wonder if they chatted about brewing on the long voyage out? Would have known each other quite well I imagine.

Anyway it's all owned by Mitsu now... Lion still make some good beers in my opinion, I drink them.

 

[good4whatAlesU]

Anyway, on a side note - speaking of New Plymouth.. I see Mikes brewery picked up a Gold Medal in Melbourne for their Chocolate Milk Stout. Nice work lads! Go the Taranaki brewers!

https://m.facebook.com/mikesbeers/photos/a.375235412496291.93369.221749124511588/1554454024574418/?type=3

 

[Bribie G]

Being based in NSW with a few warts such as West End and XXXX Milton sticking out of them, Tooheys seem to have a good range of ales such as James Squire, Old (of course) and now have taken over Guinness - have a bottle of the Extra Stout in garage right now.

On the other hand CUB of Melbourne were probably mostly lagers since WW2. I saw a TV program on Aussie beers yonks ago where a brewer of the era said the first thing that CUB did when they took over Tooth in Sydney in the 1980s was to chuck out their yeast (bet you it was an ale) and replaced it with Fosters B strain. So goodby ale, hello lager for the Sydneysiders.

Lion definitely offer a better range of "Gateway" beers and there probably isn't a pub or club around here or Lismore or anywhere in the Northern Rivers for example that doesn't offer Old and at least 150 Lashes on tap.

CUB offerings are typically dreadful.

 

[Roosterboy]

I think it's a bit naive to think that the small breweries aren't also in it for the cash (pretty bad business planning otherwise). The big boys just have the jump on them by 150 years or so!

The difference is a small guy is just trying to survive and grow.
The big multinationals in any industry try to reduce competition to protect their market share , that is a fact.
Here in Australia, the small brewery will nearly always be owned by Australians, that's the BIG difference in my opinion.

 

[good4whatAlesU]

Old is always a good option I reckon, not a bad drop.

Lion (or at least the Seccombes) used to chase good quality ingredients back in the day (1866 article below) hopefully it's the same today. By that stage they had moved up to Auckland to form Great Northern. Although there was nothing wrong with barley grown in Taranaki, Auckland just had a bigger population and was a lot safer with the wars about to kick off.

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TH18660421.2.28

 

[labels]

Tap contracts are despicable.

They are illegal in the USA and have recently become illegal in the UK for the sole reason of locking put independent brewers. It's an anti-competive practise and the completely useless ACCC in this country chooses to do nothing about it. Big shame Australia and a big sell-out.

The primary reason the big guys got kicked out of the association is because of the conflict of interest in tying up all the taps in pubs and clubs to lock out smaller brewers. You can't be on both sides of the fence. I don't know of any other retail industry in this country so tightly controlled with contracts to two major brewers that is so widespread that you have go to a very long way out of your own way to try and find a freehouse - free of contracts that is. Anyway, that's how I see things - pretty factual actually.

 

[Mardoo]

I've been reading so many of the "both sides of the buyout story" articles, and I have to say that this one rings most true with me.

https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/05/the-straw-man-arguments-of-craft-beer-sell-outs.html

I have to say it's inspired me to be more careful about the overseas beers I buy, and to focus a whole lot more on Aus/NZ.

 

[GalBrew]

The difference is a small guy is just trying to survive and grow.
The big multinationals in any industry try to reduce competition to protect their market share , that is a fact.
Here in Australia, the small brewery will nearly always be owned by Australians, that's the BIG difference in my opinion.

I agree with you and are on the side of independent breweries. It's just the hypocrisy that was inherent in the founding of the CBIA that gives me the shits.

 

[DU99]

My "local" use to be a brewery controlled,you only get there product and still no craft beer to this day.Y/J's in melbourne was a brewery owned also but now you can get some good craft beer on tap..

 

[labels]

I've been reading so many of the "both sides of the buyout story" articles, and I have to say that this one rings most true with me.

https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/05/the-straw-man-arguments-of-craft-beer-sell-outs.html

I have to say it's inspired me to be more careful about the overseas beers I buy, and to focus a whole lot more on Aus/NZ.

Great article although it does ramble on a bit.

Thing is, sometimes you have no choice but to sell out. To use a true analogy, the majority of service stations in metropolitan Adelaide are now owned and operated by a private company called 'On the run'. They approached an independent Caltex operator on the outskirts of town and asked if he wanted to sell. He said no, after all it was a profitable 24hr truck stop. On The Run bought a block of land about half a km before the Caltex servo and built a huge truck stop which basically trashed the Caltex business. You can't argue with that level of money which is why that legislation alone will be the only way to help small brewers get beer into pubs.

 

[good4whatAlesU]

In terms of legislation it comes down to politics unfortunately.

The megaswill drinkers comprise a greater percentage of the population than the craft beer drinkers. Therefore it will always be a hard ask of the politicians to make change, particularly if they are raking in a large amount of taxes from the big 2.

The best chance of change would probably come from a 'balance of power' party: Team Xenophon, Greens etc. ... who horse trade for things all the time. If one of those could be persuaded, they could put it in the mix as part of a "deal sweetener" with the coalition who are desperately wanting to get through budget changes and will sell their grandmothers for it.

 

[Mardoo]

That's a good point about a balance of power party!

 

[good4whatAlesU]

I reckon the Craft beer industry should seriously lobby the Greens. Play along their ethos about locally sourced ingredients, small business, fight against big corporations (organics dare I say it) etc. etc. would be right up the Greens alley. Get the Greens to sneak it in to sweeten a deal with the budget negotiations.

Lobbying "Family First" about a beer issue is probably going to fit less productive, not high priority with their vision statement.

 

[Mardoo]

Unless you had a quiet word to the Dads

 

[Mardoo]

Another article worth reading, in the whole independent/corporate vein, by someone with experience on both sides of the fence.

http://goodbeerhunting.com/blog/2017/5/5/watch-the-hands-not-the-cards-the-magic-of-megabrew?utm_source=RateBeer+Weekly&utm_campaign=b2bca70635-rbweekly_229b&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_33216a9626-b2bca70635-309249037

 

[good4whatAlesU]

Xenophon seems a reasonable fellow, I reckon he wouldn't stand in the way of it. But I don't think he would use it as a bargaining tool (other and bigger fish to fry).

 

[Bribie G]

The problem with competition in Australia is that the ACCC is toothless and has been run by a succession of dropkicks who couldn't find their way out of their own brick shithouse.
Example: