Some in the beer snob camp have a moral aversion to contract brewing. I do not find it as odious because I understand that there may be people of brewing skill who do not have access to the funding needed to become a fully operational craft brewery. And call it the Trader Joe’s effect but I don’t mind private label brands. To me, the beer comes first. The only downside that I have trouble with is that many of the “brands” don’t disclose the full nature either out of fear that beer fans will consider it not “crafty” enough or because Marketing 101 tells them not to. OK, the other downside is that the current contract brewers seem a bit below average.
Enter Octopi Brewing who are positioning themselves as “a one-stop shop for new beer brands, established breweries and hospitality chains.” They not only have new German brewing equipment but they also will assist in brand development too. You get brewers and designers.
If this and BrewHub in Florida take off, maybe a California version won’t be far behind.