A war of words has re-ignited after the Craft Brewers Conference in Nashville reiterated the Us Against Them theme that has played out between the market leaders (them) and the market makers (Us). Water lager patriarch Pete Coors took exception.
Beer in America is NOT one big happy family no matter what Coors writes. As much as they want to cloak themselves in our positive vibes, #independent is opposed to being part of their club. This differentiation is important because what craft beer aims for is not what big beer is aiming for.
What follows is not a corporate hater screed. As I have typed innumerable times before, big does not mean bad and small does not equal better. With all things being equal being the caveat and that is where the true problem lies.
Granted that Miller/Coors is not as guilty as their Belgian/Brazilian brethren SABInBev, but neither grant any quarter when it comes to competition. They have tried bullying distributors, making stadiums exclusive to their brands, buying craft breweries, launching phantom craft brands and to outspend in advertising by factors of factors of percent.
Now they want us to think that they are on our side against some fictitious battle against spirits and wine. The scorpion want us to row across the river and expects us to think that we won’t get stung once we reach the other shore. Don’t fight us, they say. Fight anyone/anything else.
What they fail to understand is that this is not a battle. This is ideology. We are not at war against the small distillery or the boutique winemaker. We are FOR crafting beer first and foremost. It just so happens that in doing so, we took market share and were perceived as a threat. Now they think of us as such.
This “let’s not fight” mantra is not coming from a place of wholesomeness. It is yet another way that Big Bland Beer can try to continue their battle. They have decided that if you can’t beat ’em, then join them at the hip and try to draft off of their momentum. And they are chuffed that we are suspicious and keep pushing them away.