Say It Isn't So. Little Creatures Owned By Tooheys?

[HoppingMad]

That might be true Tim, but what concerns me is that what happens to a great little brewer once a Megaswiller gets its tentacles in.

There's a historical precedent - this has happened before with Matilda Bay (also a WA micro once) when CUB got their hooks in.

Thanks to CUB's interference Redback became a beer with no noble hop and drowned in pride of ringwood (obviously a cheaper option). The beer became a filthy tasting thing :angry: that was only improved when some at the brewery saw sense and fixed the recipe and equipment it was made on taking it back to the German style the wheat beer once was. Dogbolter was also drastically changed from where the original recipe was. Prior to CUB's meddling Redback was held in such high regard by beer writers like Michael Jackson that it was declared by him as one of our nation's best and a great local take on the style (weizen). It was only when changes were made that it returned to form and began to win some awards again, but lessons must have been learned.

Changes to Redback and Dogbolter by CUB are alluded to in an interview with Brad here, but you have to read between the lines:
Brad Rogers Interview

Megaswillers are driven by finance departments. Hopefully Lion Nathan's Finance department never gets a say in LC but with 40% influence they will. The minute they start substituting ingredients to save costs to the point where I'm drinking a glass of blandness I'm gone from touching LC again.

I'll climb down off my soapbox now!

Hopper.

 

[Count Vorlauf]

That might be true Tim, but what concerns me is that what happens to a great little brewer once a Megaswiller gets its tentacles in.

There's a historical precedent - this has happened before with Matilda Bay (also a WA micro once) when CUB got their hooks in.

Hear, hear!

Saw the same thing happen with two of my favorite breweries in the States: Redhook and Old Dominion. They had made similar deals to the LN/LC share agreement. In the latter case, in order to remain technically a "craft brewery" under the Brewers Assoc. definition (i.e. cannot be majority owned by a non-craft brewery) , Anheuser Busch created a proxy "Coastal Brewing Company" in partnership with a small brewery in Maryland. Old Dominion said there would be no changes, but shortly after the deal went through they stopped brewing an excellent contract beer (Tupper's Hop Pocket), cancelled the annual beer festival, and then closed their brewery and pub in Virginia.

It's a deal with the devil, any way you cut it.

 

[Bribie G]

A VB or Toohey's might be fine in front of the couch, but turning up to a super-trendy dinner party with a six-pack of Beck's will probably be more welcomed than a slab of Melbourne Bitter.

How can one sentence generate so much hate in me?

I'd probably go the MB over a BUL Becks any day of the week. It's actually a reasonably well balanced Australian Standard Lager and I quite enjoy the stuff as a lawnmower beer - it's the sort of product that Fosters just crank out and crank out, it probably hasn't changed since the 70s, never gets promoted or advertised unless they do a bit locally in Victoria. I hope they don't muck about with it like they did with Powers and I'll continue drinking the odd one when on holiday or over at the surf side etc. A couple of cartons of it saved my life in Alice Springs (43 degrees ) the other year.

 

[bconnery]

That might be true Tim, but what concerns me is that what happens to a great little brewer once a Megaswiller gets its tentacles in.

There's a historical precedent - this has happened before with Matilda Bay (also a WA micro once) when CUB got their hooks in.

Thanks to CUB's interference Redback became a beer with no noble hop and drowned in pride of ringwood (obviously a cheaper option). The beer became a filthy tasting thing :angry: that was only improved when some at the brewery saw sense and fixed the recipe and equipment it was made on taking it back to the German style the wheat beer once was. Dogbolter was also drastically changed from where the original recipe was. Prior to CUB's meddling Redback was held in such high regard by beer writers like Michael Jackson that it was declared by him as one of our nation's best and a great local take on the style (weizen). It was only when changes were made that it returned to form and began to win some awards again, but lessons must have been learned.

Changes to Redback and Dogbolter by CUB are alluded to in an interview with Brad here, but you have to read between the lines:
Brad Rogers Interview

Megaswillers are driven by finance departments. Hopefully Lion Nathan's Finance department never gets a say in LC but with 40% influence they will. The minute they start substituting ingredients to save costs to the point where I'm drinking a glass of blandness I'm gone from touching LC again.

I'll climb down off my soapbox now!

Hopper.

Hoegaarden and InBev as well...