Boston Beer Is The New King Of Independent American Beers

NEW YORK (Fortune) -- The pending acquisition of Anheuser-Busch (BUD, Fortune 500) has left some Americans crying in their beer over the loss of iconic brands like Budweiser to Belgian-based InBev. But the $52 billion acquisition is in keeping with this quarter's surge of international companies buying U.S. players. In the second quarter, acquisitions of American-owned companies by foreign businesses tallied $130.2 billion, making it the highest total for any second quarter recorded and 29 percent higher than the 2007 period, according to research firm Dealogic.

In the beer industry, the merger leaves Boston Beer Co. (SAM) as the country's largest, independent, publicly-traded brewery. Even with this new status, the brewery behind Sam Adams beer, founded by Jim Koch (pronounced "Cook") in his kitchen in 1984, has less than 1% market share in the United States. Anheuser-Busch commands about 50 percent of the U.S. market.

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Comments

[robgart]

better beers are made in cincinnati

[Mattyhorn]

Most Samuel Adams are very good beer, and Boston Beer Company deserves some credit for kick-starting the craft brew movement. Some of their specialty brews are top-notch and reward the adventurous drinker who want to try something different. The Cream Stout, Scotch Ale and Oktoberfest, IMO, are standouts.

That said, I still believe Harpoon makes the best beer in and around Boston. Their IPA, though now somewhat mainstream, is by far one of my all-time favorites, and I've sampled (and home-brewed) far and wide across the country. I also have a place in my heart for their Munich Dark (not widely available). Their company motto says it all:

Love Beer. Love Life. Harpoon.

http://www.harpoonbrewery.com/

[Rook119]

Ironically Boston Beer's flagship brand, Sam Adams is brewed in Pittsburgh.

Yuengling is damn good beer for the price ($8-12) of 12 pack of bottles.

Best beer is Chimay Red. No one can compete with the Trappist Monks.

[LivingStardust]

Who?

Not me. Good name, disgusting beer.

[thebeerdoctor]

How big of a market share Sam Adams has does not matter. What does matter is the outstanding quality of their beers. Went to a trade show last year where I knew more about the beers than their sales representatives. Soon Samuel Adams Octoberfest will return, one of their great seasonal brews. Cheers to Jim Koch for having the vision to see that flavor quality is of prime importance.

[ShaunHammer]

Budweiser did a very wise thing. They saw an Obama presidency looming, higher corp tax. To keep prices low they basically just moved their headquarters keeping their US infrastructure.

This move will keep them more viable and successful. Plus the beer will stay the same. I was never a bud fan, I prefer a Great Lakes Brewery , Sam Smith, or Bells.

[LazarusLong]

Magic Hat Brewing Company, South Burlington, Vermont.

Some truly awesome brews!

[Elliott32]

Trumer Pilsner: Two breweries, one in Berkeley, CA, the other in Austria. Great crisp refreshing beer -- perfect for summer!
http://www.trumer-international.com/

[LexLuthier]

Hey Candace, have you ever tried a Terrapin Rye pale ale?

[kingdomemariner]

To those mocking Bud.....go­od job, it is water, and poorly made water at that.
To those acting snotty that they like Sam Adams, get over yourselves. It is slightly above Miller lite, and right below redhook on quality. It's crap and shouldn't be ingested under any circumstances (not even if your stomach is on fire). Try Sierra Nevada, Rogue, Spaten, Chimay, Stone or any other quality craft beer and then compare it to sam.

[Tulka2]

I never drank beer till we lived in Arkansas for a few years. We lived next to the spring that won the "best water" at the St. Louis World's Fair... 1913? My young husband got it into his head to make beer. Beer?! Back in those days hippie chicks did not drink beer. This was before the mall brewry supply stores and we had to send far for supplies.

Anyway... he made the BEST beer. I was a convert to beer. What i learned was this: It's all about the water and it's about how fresh it is. That's why so many people here are mentioning their local Brewmiester's product. Fresh! If you can't think of another reason to be an enviroment­alist....? Good water makes good beer!

[Bettysdad]

Why don't we all sit around and tell each other what their favorite band is?

[Paul]

Becks

[ReelBusy]

Killian's Red Lager

[thegreatgiginthesky]

Carlsberg or Olivi (if it can be found)

[pakaal]

St. Peter's stout.

[EosBlue]

I FEAR not beer. After traveling for several years to Europe, I developed a taste for the stronger "bite" of Euro-Beer, but I still quaff a cold US beer from time to time. In fact, a few days ago I found a can of domestic beer hiding in the back of the refrig. It was a hot day and the cold taste was great for my tongue buds. I was wishing there was a second can lurking back there, but alas, there was not.

My only advise about beer is less is more. If I haven't had a cold beer for 3 or 4 days, the taste just explodes in my mouth. GREAT! But, sit around and drink more than 2 just is too much more me as my taste fades quickly.

[lonesometx]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQQPPNFFTmo

Now, these guys are upset...

[mredder4]

Yuengling.

That's right, if you're not from Pennsy or Jersey (and throw in Delaware, even though you still live in... Delaware), you probably can't even pronounce it, much less have tried it, but it is better than your beer. It's better than Miller, better than Bud, don't even compare it to Pabst or Corona. I have friends in Boston who request this be brought with on any trips. What better endorsement is there than that?

[Bettysdad]

Better than Miller? Better than Bud?

Is that actually possible?

[mredder4]

Admittedly, I misspoke. Comparing Yuengling to that trash wasn't the best way to demonstrate it's quality.

What I should have said was that as far as quality goes, if Yuengling had the distribution that Bud and Miller do, those two brands would be pulled from the shelf for lack of movement. They just wouldn't sell.

The taste of Yuengling is such that it surprises me when people choose those garbage brands instead of it for parties, parties that I am unfortunately invited to despite the hosts' dismal refreshment decisions.

[Mattyhorn]

Good call. I discovered Yuengling while living in Tampa when they bought the old Stroh's brewery there. It's a solid, clean, unassuming beer and a very good choice in the beer wasteland that is Florida.

Understand this is coming from a resident of New England, where high quality craft brews abound. (Note to the rest of the country: Boston-brewed Harpoon beats SA in almost all respects.)

Granted, it's a little hard to find Yuengling around here due to the competition, but it's a worthwhile quaff that more than holds its own.

[FrictionSoul]

For me it's St. Peter's Brewery. THis is the stuff that George Washington pined away for. Amidst all of the trouble and issues, he made the time and effort to make sure he favorite porter was carefully shipped from England. That was probably an 8-16 month wait. He drank what there was in Philadelphia but stopped because it tasted like Bud.

[truthynesslover]

Sam adams spring lager,mmmmmmm beer!

[1differentdrummer]

Boston Lager