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It turns out you can hide an entire brewery (or not even have a brewery) and pretend to produce a craft beer, advertise it as such, and it's not even against the law. For years, Blue Moon Brewing Co. has been passing off its beers as "microbrews", or "craft beers", while curiously building market share beyond what a craft brewery could actually produce. The catch is that Blue Moon is semi-secret brand of MillerCoors LLC. CourtHouseNews reports:
Evan Parent, who describes himself as a "beer aficionado," began buying Blue Moon beer in 2011, but stopped in about mid-2012 when he discovered it is made by MillerCoors LLC, which owns widely recognizable labels such as Coors, Miller High Life, Milwaukee's Best and Hamms.
Parent started a class action law suit against MillerCoors in San Diego state court, claiming deceptive practices and misrepresentation in violation of California's Consumers Legal Remedies Act; untrue and misleading advertising in violation of California's false advertising law; and unlawful, fraudulent and unfair business practices in violation of California's unfair competition law.
Under craft-brewing principles [as defined by the Brewers Association], brewers cannot produce more the 6 million barrels of beer annually, must be less than 25 percent owned by a non-craft brewer and must brew beer using only traditional or innovative brewing ingredients. In comparison, MillerCoors makes about 76 million barrels of beer per year, according to Parent who says the company charges "up to 50 percent more for Blue moon" based on its bogus craft-beer status. He also claims the company "goes to great lengths to disassociate Blue Moon beer from the MillerCoors name" by stating on Blue Moon packaging that it is brewed by Blue Moon Brewing Co.
MillerCoors managed to get the case moved to federal court, and the judge handed MillerCoors a slam dunk win on all counts. MillerCoors found specific loopholes in California law that allowed them to produce beer under "fictitious names" if they just register those names on the official "fictitious names" registry. The plaintiff has 30 days to amend the complaint after the judge's final order.
takyon: MillerCoors LLC is a joint venture between SABMiller and Molson Coors Brewing Company that was created in 2007 and approved by U.S. antitrust regulators in 2008. It has been described as a challenger to Anheuser-Busch. However, SABMiller recently agreed to be purchased by Anheuser-Busch InBev for $106 billion. MillerCoors may be dismantled by regulators and some brands could be divested.
Previously: Congress May Lower Beer Taxes, Sam Adams Could Cease to be "Craft Beer"
(Score: 3, Insightful) by MrGuy on Wednesday October 28 2015, @11:34AM
If it's large enough to advertise on TV, it's probably not a "craft beer" in any sense that most craft beer fans would recognize.
I've NEVER thought Blue Moon was a craft beer. Nor do I consider Sam Adams one (even though their ads have always claimed how "small" they were.)
(Score: 3, Insightful) by iamjacksusername on Wednesday October 28 2015, @11:44AM
It's true. The only people I have met that considered Blue Moon "craft" was a bartender at a hole-in-the-wall dive bar deep in a Levittown-like suburbia. They had 4 beers to choose from (Bud, Coors Light, MGD and Miller Lite) plus their "craft" beer in bottles, Blue Moon. I only remember this bar so clearly because the bartender says to me, "Oh I heard this is a really nice craft import." This was in 2015. I am 100% certain this is their target market.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by WillAdams on Wednesday October 28 2015, @12:10PM
At least Sam Adams understands and remembers, and is true to, and helpful to their roots --- back when there was a hops shortage, they actually sold their excess, at cost, to craft brewers so that they could stay in business:
http://appellationbeer.com/blog/sam-adams-sharing-hops-with-smaller-brewers/ [appellationbeer.com]
(Score: 2) by MrGuy on Wednesday October 28 2015, @12:52PM
Right. They're definitely "big brewing done right." Just not a "craft" brewery by any reasonable definition anymore.
(Score: 3, Informative) by takyon on Thursday October 29 2015, @12:00AM
They're still a craft brewery by the official definition (and they have some room, they produced 4.1 million barrels in 2014, and the definition is now set at 6 million). It remains to be seen whether the Brewers Association will continue to up the limit in order to keep them "craft".
Their beers are simply worse (in my opinion) compared to #2 biggest craft brewery Sierra Nevada and #3 New Belgium. But even if they bust out of the craft definiton, they are likely to be the macro of choice for beer snobs, particularly when they are the only good choice at some dive or restaurant.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2, Informative) by Aurean on Wednesday October 28 2015, @12:39PM
Sam Adams does some more 'artistic' small-batch brews, and these are true craft beers. The bulk of what they sell isn't, though.
Not bad, mind - just not craft.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 28 2015, @05:32PM
They put out something like 20 beers a year. They're a craft brewer, in spirit at least.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 28 2015, @12:58PM
I've never been bothered by Blue Moon being passed off as a craft brew. Hey, the same two conglomerates own Becks, Pilsner Urquell, St Pauli Girl, Labatts, etc. I'm not boycotting any of these labels but I'll look for other choices first.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 28 2015, @01:22PM
Shock Top isn't either, I remember when it first hit the market around here about 5 years back and the label clearly listed "Michelob" as the brewer. They spun it off into a sub company "Shock Top Brewing Co." in order to cash in on the craft brew craze. It's good stuff with several varieties now but only someone just getting into it recently might think that it was a "craft" brew.