Comments on: Bats, Baseball, Beers & Bucks

By: Scott

Scott — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 03:15:22 +0000

I always wondered why when Brownings had the brewery at the ballpark that there wasn’t a stand with a lineup of their beers. And I reckon I would still be wondering that since ATG is brewing there now. To me, it just seems like it would be common sense as well as cool as heck to feature a beer stand with craft beer that is brewed right there on the premises, throw in a few rotating taps of other local craft brews and you would have something truly unique for Slugger Field.
It is unfortunate that, as always this is another example of money talks and the little guy walks. I don’t know how contracts, advertising, here’s some free stuff, don’t sell that stuff all works. I try to live life as simply as I can, use common sense, help folks when I can and watch out for shysters. Perhaps this is approach is naïve, but for the past 20 of my almost 52 years it’s worked out okay for me. So I really don’t see the harm in a dedicated craft brew stand, if it makes big beer guy angry, so be it. Let ‘em pull out if they want, some other big beer company would step in. Take a stand for the local brew team. The only bump in the road with selling craft brews at Slugger Field may be price. There would be some sticker shock in the beginning, but then again they already sell the mass produced beer at unreasonable prices so that may not be an issue after all.
As far as AB-INBEV and product placement in stores, well…they’re gonna win that one. But from my experience I think folks heading into stores already know what they want and they know where it’s located. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone walk down the craft beer aisle carrying a 12 pack of swill light and suddenly set it down and select a 4 pack of craft beer instead. I may be wrong, but just saying.
Roger, keep up the good work, writing and brewing. I should really say to all the local/regional brewers to keep up the brewing.

By: Matt

Matt — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 15:58:09 +0000

A lot of the critical comments seem to be about Roger Baylor rather than about the issues he’s raising. He and I are probably as far as the east is from the west on political issues, but I respect and admire his championing of local artisans and products. AB-INVEV is out to make money, period. That’s what its investors (who can include pension funds, retirement funds, and other “99%” investors) want it to do. Its financial officers are smart businessmen (and women). Of course they thought about the “bait-switch” possibilities – that’s their job. Roger’s absolutely right. AB-INBEV killed the Goose Island sheep to put on its “sheep’s clothing” and claim that it’s now a sheep, too.

By: Roger A. Baylor

Roger A. Baylor — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 19:38:21 +0000

Er, Tony — if you’ve read far enough to quote a passage, here’s a thought: Reply to the passage itself, and not “drivel” that you’ve read into it.

Reading comprehension — what a concept.

By: Roger A. Baylor

Roger A. Baylor — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 13:53:29 +0000

Thanks for that perspective, Jeff. It’s almost as though you read AND comprehended the article as it was intended. You must be really old, LOL.

By: Tony

Tony — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 06:15:28 +0000

“it is highly unlikely that AB-INBEV ever would have swallowed Goose Island whole without imagining bait-and-switch “craft” tactics” – Why, oh why, do people invent drivel such as this and on it base an argument? That a craft brewer, whose very hallmark should be authenticity, foisters such nonsense is deeply ironic. Please come visit Goose Island in Chicago to get a grasp on reality.

By: e

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 05:32:07 +0000

I love baseball and craft beer. Looking forward to buying two tix to a bats game so i can enjoy against the grain before game and at some point during game. Extra ticket in case i need to see end of game.

I would be shocked if atg gets a tap in stadium. For one, they do not brew same beer twice. And two, different beers would require 6 min of extra training to a centerplate employee who only knows dark and miller lite.

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Bats, Baseball, Beers and Bucks | News, Announcements and Observations — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 22:51:01 +0000

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By: Adam

Adam — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 20:20:24 +0000

Keep it up, Roger. We (obviously) don’t agree on everything. Mostly because that would be boring. I’m glad you’re still laying it out and starting conversations, though. Viva la revolucion, whatever it may be.

By: Jeff Mouttet

Jeff Mouttet — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 20:14:58 +0000

It’s a damn shame that a “local” ballpark doesn’t have local beers, no matter if you define them as “craft”, “artisnal”, or however the hell that you want to define them. The same dynamic is at work in my industry (cigars) and for us, if a “boutique” manufacturer is bought by one of the InBevs of our industry it is no longer “boutique”. Period.

By: Sam

Sam — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:01:55 +0000

Roger, great thoughts on the state of what beer we get at Slugger. I can honestly say that you have a great point regarding the possibility of ‘a bait and switch’. While I have no disdain for the multinational and certainly different AB-INBEV/GI. I can see this being an interesting and potentially telling situation for why they were the ‘chosen one’. Being so close to home, it can be a bit unsettling. But I feel like, with the ground work laid by the generation before in craft beer and the momentum we have now…we will be fine. Quality and the ability to innovate (or better…turn on a dime) has and will be our champion. In a case like this, its nice to be small and versatile.
This is not to say that we should rest on our laurels though. So I stand beside you in the fight, Ive just got my sights on a different target.