A epic beer article.

[Nebe]

I never was that crazy about Sam Adams lager. October fest is nice.. But apparently they are getting spanked by the IPA lovers like myself and all of the new breweries. One thing not mentioned in this article is yuingling's entry into Rhode Island and the massive advertising blitz this year. I'm sure that has tremendously effected sales.

http://www.bostonmagazine.com/restau...am-adams-beer/

[The Dad Fisherman]

Yuengling made its way into Mass this year as well. Personally don't care for it.....

Shiner beers are also now Available in MA.....I do think the Shiner Bock is a good sipping beer for a hot summer day..

I credit Sam Adams in actually showing people in the US that beer can actually have flavor....before them everybody thought Canadian beer was high end

[DZ]

Great article - some great comments/discussion below the article. Funny how he (Koch) thinks its only the young 21-27 demographic that like a really good craft brew. Sam Adams is now starting to feel the pinch that the really big brewers have felt for the last few years. To me there is craft beer and then there is REAL craft beer. My tastes have changed - I'll still have a Sammy on occasion - but generally at restaurants/pubs or someones cookout where there is no real beer available. Interesting to see how one of my favorites, Lagunitas, continues to grow without traditional advertising. Genius!

[Nebe]

Beer speaks! People mumble....
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[bassballer]

i dont mind an octoberfest or winter ale once in a while. They made a big attempt with their Rebel IPA but it seems like it was a failure.

[MikeD]

Koch is obviously a great business man and pioneer for the craft brew industry. I find his " I only brew what I like" stance to be a bit bull headed. Place across from my work that used to sell the Macros and Harpoon & Sam about 2 years ago. Now you can get multiple types of Stone, Firestone Walker, Ballast Point, Racer 5, Green Flash, Lagunitas and they are all flying off the shelves. As well as the hop forward NE guys like Maine Beer Co. The Rebel isnt bad but it seems to match his attitude towards it. Fine, here's our west coast IPA. I'm not psyched to brew it, you won't be psyched to drink it. Still, I wish I was a disgruntled bull headed billionaire.

Any of you guys ever see the Rebel Rouser double? I've never seen that one out there.

[DZ]

An interesting follow up article from the Beer Wars Facebook page:
http://petebrown.blogspot.co.uk/2015...raft-beer.html

[Clogston29]

sam adams has just kind of been left behind. being first, they were able to catch a huge market share. now that others are out there and distribution is improving, they just don't stand out anymore. even their smaller batch / special edition stuff isn't on par with what others are putting out. being first doesn't make you better. he seams to feel a bit entitled. world doesn't work like that.

[striperman36]

Victory Brewing and Alchemist Beer. Enuf said

[JohnnySaxatilis]

I think people don't respect Koch like they should. like the article points out the guy is a marketing genius and battled the big companies for like 3 decades to ensure the craft beer market survived. Not to mention his philanthropic actions towards small brewers. I've heard stories of him bailing out small batch brewery guys to keep them afloat. And to be honest I actually really like sam light, I'll drink the crap out of that beer. I don't think sam adams has gotten any better or worse, there are just so many different choices in the cooler now that buying sam adam's feels like you're giving up. There's an exclusivity factor at play now too with the really hard to get beers. This tactic is deadly especially with dealing with the younger demographics for any product. Heady topper comes to mind... I mean its good, but people go absolutely bonkers over it, mostly because its hard to get.

[Rockport24]

Heady is genius, but the owner of the brewery is no billionaire and doesn't seem to want to be, but that is what Koch wanted all along - that was what was really interesting to me in the article, he didn't even care if it was brewed in Boston it was all marketing!
Given the tastes of all of us "beer snobs" now, why would you even go back to Sam, I'm sure they will maintain some of their following, but there is no way they are ever going to be relevant in what is happening today..

[Nebe]

Boston beer company is listed as one of the top 10 stocks to invest in this year.
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[Rockport24]

Maybe because people are buying a ton of angry orchard cider and twisted tea!!

[The Dad Fisherman]

if you go out to a small restaurant that only has a couple of taps....your craft beer choice is going to probably be Sam Adams....and I'm going to have one. nothing wrong with it, its still a very drinkable beer.

and I'm done trying to get my hands on Heady....great beer but just not worth the effort to play the Catch me if you can game.....its ridiculous. If I can get some great, if I can't oh well. There are also a few new local brewers that are catching up to it and their beer is easier to get my hands on...

[rphud]

While I still like Boston lager and admire Koch for what he has accomplished, anybody who slams the selection at Row 34 is out of their mind. Not a good way to start the article. Last year sometime was the first time sales of both "craft flagship beers" Boston Lager and Sierra Pale Ale both dropped. The times they are a changing....for the better so far.

[DZ]

Another interesting blog:
http://kaisertiger.com/an-open-lette...nder-jim-koch/

[Nebe]

That was great.
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[Clogston29]

On point.
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[The Dad Fisherman]

Awesome letter.....
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[rphud]

I just wonder what he really wants Sam Adams to be.

[Nebe]

Originally Posted by rphud

I just wonder what he really wants Sam Adams to be.

He wants it to be what it used to be. The truth is.. In food, clothing, cars, boats , etc and beer... Styles and tastes change over time. Sam Adams lager was when it came out a great alternative. It's been left behind with the evolution of high end craft beer.

He needs to come out with a hop monster of an IPA...
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[PRBuzz]

Sam makes over 60 beers, some pretty hoppy. I do like the Lat48 & its Deconstructed variations.
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[The Dad Fisherman]

They just released a double IPA.....almost picked up a six to try last night.
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[rphud]

My two cents, take the JP brewery and make only small batch stuff you can get there and around town only. Make it like the breweries that have replaced them in Row 34 and other similar spots. Seems to work for some other larger craft brewers out there.

That and put somebody else in charge of brewing. Time for a new direction and brewmaster.

[spence]

Originally Posted by Nebe

He needs to come out with a hop monster of an IPA...
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I don't think that's the problem. Koch's big issue is that there are 10 times the number of breweries now than when he started.

There's nothing noteworthy he can do that dozens of other breweries can't do just as well and at a similar price point.

[flyvice11787]

The new SA DIPA is Rebel Rouser. I haven't had it yet.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/35/139515/
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[Nebe]

Originally Posted by spence

I don't think that's the problem. Koch's big issue is that there are 10 times the number of breweries now than when he started.

There's nothing noteworthy he can do that dozens of other breweries can't do just as well and at a similar price point.

That's quite true.
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[rphud]

BA score of 89 for a DIPA does nothing for me unless it's the only one on tap. More of the same (lots of new stuff that do not impress), but he is still making the $$$.

Oct 2014 $220, today $320, Nov 1995 $28...me thinks he's got nothing to complain about today. Maybe it is time for the Rochambeau.

[PRBuzz]

Yesterday:

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/201...9pI/story.html

[rphud]

and then there are these folks in Boston

http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle...MdN/story.html