376005 Wed Feb 28 15:26:58 -0800 2007 9 35 Beer 0 2339086 Call it gimmicky, but I'll probably buy some... http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2007/02/sam_adams_unvei_1.html I mean, he went through all the trouble of getting "world-renowned sensory experts." Wed Feb 28 15:26:58 -0800 2007 10118 joypirate 1 2343847 At $30/4-pack, they seem a bit overpriced, since I can get nice glasses designed specifically for various Belgian breweries from anywhere between free and $5. Also, that the Globe thinks this is the first beer glass "specifically designed to showcase beer as brewers intended," is pretty hilarious. Why would anyone want to, you know, fact check their articles? At least they don't make this exact claim on the Boston Beer Co. web site. Thu Mar 01 19:32:25 -0800 2007 2339086 60435 braineater 1 2361598 1. This is in the same category as Riedel wine glasses. How can a glass be "designed" to be perfect for, say, pinot noir, when every pinot noir tastes different? To their credit, Sam Adams claims this will make THEIR beer taste better. But again, which beer? Lambic? Stout? Pale ale? And haven't the Belgians been brewing beer and making glassware for centuries? And how about those Brits? And what about pilsner glasses? 2. Isn't almost half of Sam Adams contract-brewed? Call me a purist, but does that truly qualify as "craft-brewed"? And when did Cincinnati become a suburb of Boston? Yes, I'm a curmudgeon who thinks that Sam Adams is the most highly overrated beer in America. And these recent piece of marketing hype seems to underscore that. Wed Mar 07 09:21:31 -0800 2007 2339086 13136 Loren3 2 2362451 "How can a glass be "designed" to be perfect for, say, pinot noir, when every pinot noir tastes different? " I hear you but there are broad tendencies within Pinot that a glass could emphasize. Wed Mar 07 12:05:43 -0800 2007 2361598 26180 Chinon00 2 2381197 This glass was designed specifically for Sam Adams' Boston Lager, not, for instance, their Cranberry "Lambic." As the Boston Lager is their flagship brew, it makes the most sense for them to design a glass specifically for that beer, as opposed to one of the beers you almost never see, like their Scotch Ale. After all, how're you going to convince someone to buy a ridiculously overpriced glass for a beer they'll never find? Regarding your second point, I think you'd be surprised to find out just how many craft breweries are involved in contract brewing. Some do it in order to provide a fresher product in distant distribution markets (which also eases shipping costs). One such brewery that does this is the Mendocino Brewing Co., from Hopland, CA. They have their beers contract-brewed at the Olde Saratoga Brewing Co., in Saratoga, NY, for east coast distribution. Some breweries may opt to have all of their bottled beer contract-brewed, brewing only draft products at their own facility. I can think of more than one brewpub that has gone the latter route when it came time to expand their efforts into selling bottled beer, as adding a bottling line to most brewpubs isn't really an option. Lots of small brewers are utilizing contract brewing these days, and for some it works quite well. I believe that the key in these cases is for the original brewery to work very closely with the contract brewer, to maintain a certain level of quality and consistency in their product. As to your feelings for Sam Adams, I tend to agree. However, I do think that Jim Koch and his company have done a lot of good in promoting craft beer to the general populus. Tue Mar 13 11:15:21 -0700 2007 2361598 60435 braineater 3 2381615 I agree with you that contract brewing is common these days, much of it done by micros for micros, rather than Genesee, The Lion, Matts, etc. as in the early days of micro/contract brewing. (Altho', with the ownership and subsequent expansion of the old Schoenling Brewery in Cincinnati, does Boston still do much contracting out?). In some ways, I still avoid the contract brews unless it's a beer style that's out of the ordinary. The Mendocino-Olde Saratoga connection is more interesting than that, tho'. Technically, Mendocino owns Olde Saratoga and it's in turned owned by the UB Group, one of the world's largest alcoholic beverage company, out of India. The US breweries are now contract brewing the Indian brand, Kingfisher, for the US market just as Shepard Neames does for the UK market. Neames is also connected to UB Group. http://www.mendobrew.com/company/history.html "In 1997..." Tue Mar 13 12:34:48 -0700 2007 2381197 11059 JessKidden 4 2383426 Interesting. I was aware that Olde Saratoga is owned by said Indian firm, and that they're brewing Kingfisher there, as well. I wasn't aware that this firm also owned Mendocino Brewing Co., however. I've never had Mendocino on the west coast, but I know a kid who grew up in CA, who loves Red Tail Ale, and swears to me that there's something different about the east coast version. Of course, he may well have developed that opinion after I pointed out that our stuff is brewed in upstate NY. Tue Mar 13 21:52:43 -0700 2007 2381615 60435 braineater 5 2383735 I'm not a Wall Street kinda guy, but the stories about the "connections" between the companies are enough to make someone who doesn't speak "corporatese" head spin. Reads to me as if there's a lot strange goings-on (some for tax reasons possibly?), with two companies (one with a majority interest in the other) "owning" a third, etc. At times it reads as if the head of UB, Dr. Vijay Mallya, bought into Mendocino as an individual, rather than UB buying into MBC, etc. Here's another story, from the Olde Saratoga point of view: http://www.alestreetnews.com/articles/14_5_28.htm It's all strange, but not uncommon in the brewing industry, of course- the history of the S&P Corp., which owned General-Falstaff-Pearl and finally, Pabst [under which it now does business] did the same sort of business manuvuering (selling and buying assets between owned companies, etc). And, it sort of echoes the recent purchase of Old Dominion by a partnership of A-B and Fordham (who's "brewing division" is called "Southern Beverage") called Coastal Brewing. Huh? I guess you can't expect much from a company that claims "Since 1703" simply because, in 1995, they took the name of a brewery that went out of business in colonial times. Several years back, when Boston (Sam Adams) Beer Co. and Yuengling were running neck and neck for #5 in US brewing, there was an article that suggested that Boston was claiming that THEY were the oldest US brewery. Taking the claim from the old Boston Brewing Co., founded in 1828 (the year before Yuengling) but out of business by the 1950's (not the 1970's as said in the article below). I don't know if the author of the article just confused the two "Boston" companies (it is from INC, a business journal that SHOULD strive for accuracy), or if it was really something that PR-crazy Jim Koch was considering at the time. Page 5, "Sidebar: A tale of two breweries" http://www.inc.com/magazine/20040701/yuengling.html Wed Mar 14 04:24:30 -0700 2007 2383426 11059 JessKidden 1 2362884 The shape of a glass does make a difference in how things taste because smell is a huge component of taste. If you pinch your nose and drink something, good luck on discerning any of the flavors. Really aromatic beers (which Sam Adams definitely isn't) benefit from tulip-shaped glasses. Wed Mar 07 13:53:38 -0800 2007 2339086 10809 Josh 1 2365153 In addition to the way it delivers the beer, I think there's an element of, 'making it feel good in your hand.' I'm a bit more optimistic and I am hoping this will be something like a new-spin on a hefeweizen glass, or a boot, you know, something that's sort of a more satisfying beer-delivery system. Thu Mar 08 08:32:03 -0800 2007 2339086 10118 joypirate