A Disturbing Trend

Ever been to Sam's Club? I'm sure nearly everyone in the US has at least once. Even if it was Costco with your cousin one time five years ago, you'd still be able to keep up here. For those who have lived in a hole since, I don't know, the 90s, these places are mega-stores. Almost anything imaginable is available in this warehouse chocked full to the ceiling with pallet-loads of items, meaning in bulk. Most of this stuff only comes in packages large enough to feed the Waltons (no pun intended... but now that I think about it, that's a pretty good one. Get it? Owners of Wal-Mart, TV show... alright I'll stop). Regardless of your opinion of these places, they're huge and so are their products, and even though they're member-based, I don't doubt that they take in enormous amounts of revenue each year.

So what does all this have to do with beer? If you enjoy shopping at the aforementioned establishments, almost nothing. Except for the fact that their beer section seems to be expanding.

Now, as a single guy with no dependents, I don't have much of a need to shop here or become a member, due to the fact that I'd have to eat one thing nearly every day in order to get some use out of it. However, I stopped in today with some co-workers of mine who were picking up items for their families. Whilst perusing the aisles rather aimlessly, I stumbled upon the beer section.

Cases of Budweiser, Coors Light, the usual suspects, were dirt cheap. No surprise. Yuengling and Michelob Holiday Mix Packs were on sale. Okay. Then, I spy that 15-can packs of Guinness are roughly $17. Interesting. Widmer Hefeweizen and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale sat stacked and ready to go. Getting warmer. Then, standing there stunned in disbelief, I spot cases of Starr Hill Amber Ale! This microbrewery just outside Charlottesville has distribution in Sam's Club of all places?! What exactly is going here?

Apparently, this is nothing new. A while back there were rumors floating around that Rogue's Dead Guy Ale was available at Costco, supposedly for a limited time. The guys over at Wine & Beer Westpark were pretty agitated, to say the least, and later Matt even posted a YouTube video expressing their frustration over Rogue's decision (but still agreed to carry their products because they enjoy them so much). It didn't help that Costco was located right across the street, and this move appeared to be a salvo launched in their direction.

Come to find out, it was true. People who would never have even guessed to try this stuff, which from what I hear is Rogue's flagship beer, would now be able to buy it by the case in a national chain mega-store. Being a specialty beer guy, my heart went out to our local purveyors of fine ales and lagers. I later found out from Matt that Rogue and Costco had locations near each other and had been talking about a one-off, see-what-happens kind of deal. Furthermore, part of this took place because, it's rumored, the guys at Costco liked Dead Guy so much, they wanted to give it a go in their stores.

But today's experience got me thinking about several things:

1. Does this bode well for craft brewers and getting their products to a larger audience?
2. Does this mean that smaller operations will have a chance to grow, that larger operations will make better beers, both, or neither?
3. Could this be a corollary of a market that's growing (read: potentially profitable trend), but at the same time struggling with environmental yields that are necessary for production?

Firstly, I believe this to be a double-edged sword. As much as I love the idea of more and more people being able to access craft beer, I dislike the idea of losing quality, variety, or even the rare glimpse of a highly-touted beer from a brewery that doesn't distribute in my area. These are all things to consider for the burgeoning business of brewing. I feel that some companies can do a good job at maintaining the aforementioned characteristics, while others fall victim to the profit motive. I guess this double-edged sword's being used to slice up a wait-and-see pie.

Second, I do believe this will open up a small window of opportunity, but for a select few. Brands that will be able to market themselves appropriately to get the backing of large distribution firms will thrive, while others will be left in the dust, facing rising costs for malt and hop in the next few years. As for larger outfits putting out better beer, that remains to be seen. Many cite the success of Blue Moon, under the Coors (now MillerCoors) portfolio, but I've read that these parent companies may actually try to distance themselves from their subsidiaries to somehow keep the image of a tiny, hard-working microbrewery from being tarnished. I'm not a huge fan of Blue Moon, to be honest (I know, taste is subjective), and while I'd call it a "better" beer, that only means better compared to the company's other offerings. And who knows, this stuff could go the way of Pete's Wicked Ales a couple years down the road, depending upon the public's perception, which includes what they're willing to pay and the image they're hoping to buy into.

Lastly, yes. This is a growing sub-sector of the beverage market, and the top brewing conglomerations around the world are realizing this. Now everyone can have their beer. You like cheladas? Sure, we'll put one out. Want a Belgian-style white that tastes like it has orange syrup in it? You got it! All because we're hip to what the contemporary beer drinker enjoys. Or whatever we can sell you on. Still craving the ice-cold refreshment of a "banquet beer" that hasn't changed, and neither should you? Yeah, we'll put that out, too, just so you can sit back and laugh at all those "weirdo" Blue Mooners while sipping on Rocky Mountain freshness that might actually be brewed in Shenandoah, Virginia.

Don't cue the music. I know I'm rambling, but I'm on a roll that's about to end, so bear with me here.

Further on in my little Sam's Club wandering, I came upon an rather conspicuous package of beer in a strange tin tub. After looking on all sides of the packaging, all I could find out about this stuff is that it was a collection of "traditional" beer, entitled "Beers of America," that celebrated our country's proud tradition of brewing. And, they've been around for a while. But who the hell brewed 'em?

Recently the Alström Brothers over at BeerAdvocate wrote an editorial in the November edition of BA Magazine entitled "Tell Us The Truth." One section on contract brewing stuck out, where they issued not-quite an edict, not-quite a plea, regarding knowledge of the actual brewery's whereabouts. Apparently, the Beers of America could be brewed by several different companies, with marketing companies, somewhere in... America.

All these factors seem to fit together in the sense that, by having some companies capitalize on a growing trend, we may not know who brews our beer, who actually owns it, what goes in it, and what it's all about. How does that help anyone truly soak up the experience of drinking a well-crafted beer?

Something tells me that's not part of the plan, just merely part of a disturbing trend.