steamrail

[NewtownClown]

Craft Beer represents 1% of the total beer market and beer is only about 4% of liquor sales in Australia, so it is easy (and probably correct) to be cynical when Coles, who control 25% of liquor sales in Australia wade in with their own product.

Imagine how hard it is going to be for a small(er) brewery to get shelf space in the stores owned by the duopoly who are stocking their own products at a cheap price. Look at how much shelf space is devoted to home brands in the Supermarkets lately and how other suppliers are being pushed out if they can't compete with those home brands ($1 per litre milk, anyone?).
Many will say that in these price wars the winner is the consumer, that's only true if you are not interested in having choice.

 

[mosto]

Ok, craft v faux craft aside, just thought I'd give my impression of the beer. A mate of mine, who often drinks my homebrew, bought one over for me on the weekend as he often does if he finds a beer that I haven't tried. He didn't say where he'd got it from and I did find it unusual that no brewery was apparent on the label. I had the Gold Digger Golden Ale, and quite liked it. To me, it tasted not unlike LCPA, but not quite that good. Certainly a beer I'd be happy to pay for. I've also tried the Golden Ale version of the Woolworths JS rip off, Sail & Anchor and thought it was horrible, so Coles are leading 1-0 in the faux craft battle between the two in my book .

I take the point of Coles wading into the Craft Beer market, and the consequences that may have. But for anyone just wanting an opinion of the beer, I think it's worth a try.

 

[bum]

Australia needs a legal definition for Craft Beer and Craft Breweries and a singular representative body

Craft Beer represents 1% of the total beer market and beer is only about 4% of liquor sales in Australia

Wait, what? Also why?

 

[yum beer]

Well Mosto says the Golden Ale is worth a try, I say hes kidding himself.
Just finished one, absolute rubbish, thin, watery, soapy and oily. Smelt like beer, looked like watered down beer, tasted like a beer i poured yesterday and forgot to drink.
Oh F... Me.
Ive still got the pale and the amber to get through.

IBU's and EBC listed on the labels, off top of head, Pale, 15IBU 10EBC, Golden 20IBU and Amber 25IBu, all a bit lacking in the bitterness stakes.
Manager at bottlo asked if Id heard anything about them yet, I said 'nothing good', then she pointed at the other new stuff they have in 'Byron Bay', only in cartons so will have to wait on that one. Did not look too close to get any more info on it. Apparently a premium ale according to the brewers site.

 

[.DJ.]

15 IBU? :huh:

the only beer I brew that has 15IBU is a wheat...

 

[mosto]

Well Mosto says the Golden Ale is worth a try, I say hes kidding himself.

That's the beauty of opinions yb, everyone's entitled to one

 

[Dribs]

Had a $50 Coles giftcard. Committed to a slab. Figured it would be a Coles job pretty quickly upon looking at it. Still, $15 cheaper than JS. Currently drinking the amber ale and, well, it's not horrible, but it is thin and watery. Should be $11 a six pack and have a marketing tag line: Slightly fancier than Hammer n Tongs.

 

[yum beer]

That's the beauty of opinions yb, everyone's entitled to one

Aahh, only if it agrees with mine.... :lol:

 

[yum beer]

Local manager told me the $45 is an intro price and will be going up to $51 soon.
She was pretty keen to get my opinion and feedback.

 

[Liam_snorkel]

Tell her it's **** house and you want your money back.

 

[Rowy]

Bum has clearly smelt out the problem here. His succint yet intuitive reply added greatly to the topic. Once again Bum has demonstrated, with his input we can wipe any further discussion.

 

[bum]

I'll spell it out for the hard of thinking: NewtownClown suggests that there should be a legal definition (and legally recognised body to represent it (and possibly enforce the definition)) for something that, by his numbers, accounts for 0.04% of the Australian alcohol market. To be fair, I'm pretty sure those numbers aren't current but we're still talking about of poofteenth of nothing. It's a ridiculous proposition.

Rowy, thank you for pointing out, yet again, how your constant inabilty to actually understand my point is somehow due to some deficiency on my part.

 

[Rowy]

Bum your not a pro member so I can't engage in any further reparte'.....................then agin I'se not eeither!

 

[Dan2]

Tried a few Golden's last night at my bro inlaw's and enjoyed them. And a Pale too.
But tried the Amber tonight, and both the others again and they all tasted like watered down versions of ale.
Difference being - out the bottle last night, and in a glass tonight.
Maybe the vessel makes all the difference?
But seeing that I prefer real beer in a glass, I won't buy this beer again.

Could've also just been the excitement of trying something new? And the novelty's worn off tonight

 

[jc64]

I must be missing something, I brew the beer I like to drink. I buy the beer I like to drink. If the beer I like is not available I don't buy any. I don't care who brews it.

Even now if you want to buy 'x' beer than chances are you are going to Purvis or the like, supply and demand. If people want, are happy with and are willing to pay for said beer than that is the end of the issue.

If Coles brew a **** beer, ok, tell me. If they manage to get a good beer down I'd like to know as well. If they are cashing in on the 'craft beer' revolution than it must mean craft beer is making inroads into mass production lagers. Which can only be a good thing, right?

I'm sure that I have everything wrong and stand ready to be corrected, I just like flavourful beer of varying style. Regardless of it's origin. :beerbang:

 

[bum]

You're not wrong, jc64. but this:

If they are cashing in on the 'craft beer' revolution than it must mean craft beer is making inroads into mass production lagers. Which can only be a good thing, right?

is a little short-sighted. If the craft market is growing and the average person is still being educated on how craft beer differs from the stuff they are used to drinking then it isn't great that someone (anyone) is coming in and building beers that don't actually differ too much from the beer people are used to drinking and then market it in a way that makes it look like no craft beers differ from each other either. People will think it isn't worth the bother if they aren't seeing signifcant reason to alter their habits.

It also doesn't help that beers like this and the Steam and Anchor range are the most visible to a very large segment of the potential market.

 

[jc64]

That's a good point, sometimes it's hard to realise people are satisfied with beers like VB, and have no idea about all the other styles available. Those beers may make people interested in searching for different beers though I would hope.

 

[bum]

Should be "Sail and Anchor" above, obviously.

 

[jc64]

Now that would be interesting, anchor steam beer available at Cole's!

 

[bum]

Can get SN Northern Harvest and two brands of pumpkin ale at my local Woolies - seems an even bigger wtf kind of situation to me.