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From: rcd@opus.UUCP (Dick Dunn)
Newsgroups: net.wines
Subject: brewery acquisitions, CAMRA, etc.
Message-ID: <1086@opus.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 12-Feb-85 04:43:56 EST
Article-I.D.: opus.1086
Posted: Tue Feb 12 04:43:56 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 16-Feb-85 06:05:35 EST
References: <338@haddock.UUCP>
Organization: NBI,Inc, Boulder CO
Lines: 21

A comment on the purchase of Lone Star by Olympia led to...
> Roughly ten years ago the British experienced a similar brewery war.
> Many local breweries were bought up and shut down.  The stalwart drinkers
> of Britain responded with CAMRA -- The CAMpaign for Real Ale...

Actually, the acquisitions in the U.S. in recent years are only the final
skirmishes of a battle that was lost fifty years ago.  Prohibition did more
than you can ever imagine to kill off small breweries.  Large brewers
stayed in business selling malt products; small ones just closed their
doors.  When Prohibition was over, the big brewers came back with their
uniform light, bland styles and mass marketing.  Little breweries just
didn't come back; there wasn't anything left.  Only in the last five years
has there been a resurgence of local breweries and regional styles.  The
unquestioned leader in the recent resurgence is Anchor Brewery in
California, almost a fairy-tale success story.  There are very few brewers
producing over 100,000 barrels a year who have any interesting products
(i.e., anything other than a collection of passable pale lagers) and very
few producing under that amount who don't have anything distinctive.
-- 
Dick Dunn	{hao,ucbvax,allegra}!nbires!rcd		(303)444-5710 x3086
   ...Cerebus for dictator!