Another Micro Brewery Bought Out

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MyQul

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Camden Town Brewery has been bought by AB Inbev for 85million. Even brewdog baulk at this "sell out" and have stopped stocking the camden beers in their pubs

Just another case of the giants "buying up" the craft scene as I can see.

Can't blame the chap tbh, If someone offered me 85 million for a business I'd started and built up, I dont think I I'd say, "feck off, I'm an art-isan". Would you?

http://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle...ppladge-on-keeping-his-hops-hip-a3229391.html
 
I bloody hate AB InBev, bastards. To think I nearly took a job with them a year or so ago at their Samlesbury brewery; the one that makes most of the UKs Stella and Budweiser.
 
True enough.
Are they doing it to keep the brand for a profit or just to close them down? I can't see how they can scale up a microbrewery without changing the taste by using different methods.

If they are doing it for profit then it would mean more products on the shelf, but owned by the same company so they increase market share.

In one way this actually serves as an incentive to become a micro brewery! Nothing stopping them from setting up shop down the road under a new name.
 
I read about this awhile ago. Camden brewery, like the Doombar lot, actually seemed to have a business plan to brew beer that attracted a takeover. Not really a lover of their beer as it was already pretty bland and commercial so I would imagine their Hells lager is soon seen all over the UK. What these big breweries can't understand is that once they swallow a craft beer, their market moves on from that beer. Still if it encourages the lager drinkers to taste real beer so they can move on to real beer, so much the better. The gap that these taken over breweries leave will soon be filled by people who love beer.
 
From what I've read about people starting their own microbrewery their passion for producing good beer and to justify the risk they took drives them to work insanely hard. The toll this takes on them and their family must be dreadful and then someone comes along and puts £85m on the table. As much as we all love making beer and can see what these big breweries are doing to beer in general I certainly couldn't walk away from money like that.
 
£85M is massive! Are Camden Brewery even that big? I must say I don't know a lot about them, other than the fact M&S stocks their beer, but Inveralmond Brewery only went for £3M the other week! Are Camden really almost 30 times as big?
 
True enough.
Are they doing it to keep the brand for a profit or just to close them down? I can't see how they can scale up a microbrewery without changing the taste by using different methods.

If they are doing it for profit then it would mean more products on the shelf, but owned by the same company so they increase market share.

In one way this actually serves as an incentive to become a micro brewery! Nothing stopping them from setting up shop down the road under a new name.

I'm thinking it's probably/possibly to increase market share. Rather than trying to build a 'craft brand' which would cost millions and possibly fail. It's much easier to buy up an established craft brewery which has a reputation and probable customer base
 
���£85M is massive! Are Camden Brewery even that big? I must say I don't know a lot about them, other than the fact M&S stocks their beer, but Inveralmond Brewery only went for ���£3M the other week! Are Camden really almost 30 times as big?

Their (obviously) all over london in both the craft ale pubs and the chains. The Youngs pub near me sells their beer.
 
...So to do well in this game you have to grow a brand from scratch, and produce a reasonable pint.

My money's on KJK's Brainsqueezer :thumb: Good name.
 
I'd just like it to be known that the Cwrw666 homebrewery is available for purchase, no offer in excess of £85million refused.
 
Yeah me too, if someone wants to come and buy out my microbrewery I am open to offers.. I even have half a tank of propane which I may consider topping up as a breaker..


With that buy out I might be able to afford a Braumiester
 
As much as we all love making beer and can see what these big breweries are doing to beer in general I certainly couldn't walk away from money like that.

I think having to make beer for a living, day in and day out, and having the worry of selling it all, delivering it and doing the paperwork, would soon turn it into a horrible life of drudgery. Wandering down the 'garden' to the shed and firing up my boiler every couple of weeks is fun. Bottling it isn't, but it's a necessary step to palming the stuff off on your friends and family.
 
I bloody hate AB InBev, bastards. To think I nearly took a job with them a year or so ago at their Samlesbury brewery; the one that makes most of the UKs Stella and Budweiser.

Reckon you had a close escape there mate. Coming from someone who used to like Lager i can honestly say the Stella they brew here tastes like the stuff they use to clean the lines. At least the imported stuff has a whiff of Hops. I hate these large Corps as well. I suppose we should just be grateful Monsanto didn't buy it.
 
I think having to make beer for a living, day in and day out, and having the worry of selling it all, delivering it and doing the paperwork, would soon turn it into a horrible life of drudgery. Wandering down the 'garden' to the shed and firing up my boiler every couple of weeks is fun. Bottling it isn't, but it's a necessary step to palming the stuff off on your friends and family.

Funny you say that Tony, I've got tomorrow off and I'll be doing a kit so it'll be bottling and brewing all in one day with no kids around being hungry every ten minutes and I can't wait. I think you hit the nail right on the head, the worry of having to pay the mortgage, bills and eating by brewing and selling beer, paying off loans being at the mercy of what can be a very fickle market doesn't sound like fun at all. I think we're better off wandering off down to the shed for some peace and quiet and enjoying ourselves for the day.
 
It all depends on why you want to open a brewery in the first place. I was thinking of this myself and was advised in my business plan to include an exit strategy or eventual outcome. My idea was simple I wanted to brew beer, at least break even and then continue brewing beer. I make more beer than I can drink so selling was only ever a way to cover costs and empty my fridges and fermenters.

I suppose this is a naive view in that If I was then offered a large sum of money would I take it? You never know what you are capable of doing unless the opportunity presents itself but the answer is probably yes and then I would continue to brew beer but somewhere else, just because I could.
 

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