Sam Adams Now the Largest American Owned brewery!

[dave ziegler]

Well Since Bud was bought out Sam Adams is Now the Largest American owned brewer in America and Yuengling is Number two. I was first told this by the tour guide at Yuengling the other week when I went on a vacation day to see them caning Beer. Because City Brew makes other things on contract besides Beer It gives Yuengling the Number two status. Speaking of Beer How many have had the Sam Adams Black Lager It is wonderful looks like Porter but tastes like Lager beer with a slight Sweetness. it is very Balenced and For the Most part it is Hard to beat sam Adams products!

Wondering If Gary or any of you have tried this Black Lager Beer?

Dave Z

Beer Its Not Just A Beverage Beer Is Food

---------------------------------------------

[Gillman]

I have Dave and it is very good. I like most of the Sam Adams products, recently in Cinci (where they brew them amongst other places) I had their Stock Ale and Oktoberfest beers which were excellent. The lager is made from an authentic 1800's recipe used by Jim Koch's ancestor.

Gary

[Attila]

Well Since Bud was bought out Sam Adams is Now the Largest American owned brewer in America and Yuengling is Number two. ---------------------------------------------

I thought Sam Adams was a listed company. Doesn't that mean it is owned by a vast array of annonymous shareholders of an assumably wide variety of countries?

[Rughi]

With the same logic that Chuck Cowdery has used to try to cast doubt on every bourbon producer who hasn't proven the provenance of their whiskey to his satisfaction, Sam Adams is probably _not_ the largest brewer in the country, but may indeed be the largest American Owned SELLER of beer.

If their business model has remained the same as it was when I paid attention to such things, they have the one small brewery in Massachussetts where all the R&D happens, and contract brew the vast majority of their beer around the country. G Heilemann used to be the largest player in contract brewing and may still be.

There's nothing wrong with contract brewing in terms of the juice in the bottle, as G Heilemann probably has/had as good of equipment, skilled personnel and quality control as any other.

But I would guess that there may be some formerly "micro" breweries that actually _make_ more beer than Sam Adams. If Sierra Nevada is American owned, maybe it's them. If Redhook weren't partly owned by Bud (which I believe they are) it might be them. Perhaps Red Tail. But I suspect it isn't Sam Adams.

Roger

[barturtle]

A quick check (Wikipedia) shows that Sam Adams/Boston Beer Co. brews 60% of its 1.3M barrels in its own brewery in Cincy for a total of ~760K barrels edging out Seirra Nevada by ~80K. New Belgium is third according to this list of Craft Brewers at ~430K. Where the "mass market" brewers such as Pabst (all contract brewed, but domestically owned), Yuengling and others fall, I have no idea.

[Gillman]

Boston Beer Company does own a sizable brewery in Cincinnati.

Gary

[dave ziegler]

With the same logic that Chuck Cowdery has used to try to cast doubt on every bourbon producer who hasn't proven the provenance of their whiskey to his satisfaction, Sam Adams is probably _not_ the largest brewer in the country, but may indeed be the largest American Owned SELLER of beer.

If their business model has remained the same as it was when I paid attention to such things, they have the one small brewery in Massachussetts where all the R&D happens, and contract brew the vast majority of their beer around the country. G Heilemann used to be the largest player in contract brewing and may still be.

There's nothing wrong with contract brewing in terms of the juice in the bottle, as G Heilemann probably has/had as good of equipment, skilled personnel and quality control as any other.

But I would guess that there may be some formerly "micro" breweries that actually _make_ more beer than Sam Adams. If Sierra Nevada is American owned, maybe it's them. If Redhook weren't partly owned by Bud (which I believe they are) it might be them. Perhaps Red Tail. But I suspect it isn't Sam Adams.

Roger

[jesskidden]

If their business model has remained the same as it was when I paid attention to such things, they have the one small brewery in Massachussetts where all the R&D happens, and contract brew the vast majority of their beer around the country. G Heilemann used to be the largest player in contract brewing and may still be.

[Rughi]

It's great that Adams has secured their position by buying their manufacturing plants. I liked their beer okay either way.

[Gillman]

Jess, when did Stroh close the Schaefer Lehigh brewery?

Gary

[dave ziegler]

Gary I Think it was in 2001 but lets see what Jess knows as he knows more about this stuff then I do.

Dave Z

Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

----------------------------------------------

[Gillman]

Interesting that a plant some 7-8 years old can be returned to production, must have been mothballed well.

Gary

[dave ziegler]

I am not so sure it was just sitting all the time as I had been told someone was using it to make some Hard Lemonaid at one time renting I guess with a small amount of people, not sure but someone had said that but it did sit a good bit also from what I have heard, it is only about 35 miles from where I live a giant modern plant in its day I remember it well having driven by there back in the Schaefer days a giant Plant along I-78. Hopefully Jess can fill in the Blanks for Us Gary! I am very Glad to see Sam Adams get it going again brewing Beer with the 50 Mil they put in it should be a very Modern place! And 200 good people working at the trade they Love.

Dave Z

[jesskidden]

Jess, when did Stroh close the Schaefer Lehigh brewery?

Gary

[dave ziegler]

Thanks Jess That is great knew you could tell us! I have always heard the People that worked there were very good people and you have proved that with your Information!

Dave Z

[jesskidden]

Oh, yeah, Gary, one more interesting fact re: the short time that Pabst owned the Allentown area brewery is that it was the source of Ballantine XXX Ale during that period (and, IIRC, it was one of the nicer versions of the beer- a LOT better than the sad imitation that Miller's making). And it was also brewed the "closest" geographically to it's old Newark home- just 75 miles or so west on Interstate 78...

[Gillman]

Right, thanks, haven't forgotten the link to Ballanatine!

Gary

[Slob]

Is Boston Brewery bigger than the Pabst/Stroh conglomeration?

[barturtle]

In 2007 Pabst sold 6.1M barrels; Boston Brewing, 1.3...it's not even close as far as sales. But Pabst brews zero of those barrels it sells.

[Jono]

Thank Sam Adams for spurring a return to quality product and making the beer industry that much more interesting and enjoyable.

[craigthom]

The current Pabst Brewing Company adopted the name after the bought the brand. They already had already swallowed several breweries. They switched to the more famous name when they bought the brand, as Nations Bank did when they bought Bank of America, and SBC did when they bought AT&T. Well, something like that. As noted previously, they don't actually brew any beer now, not that there's anything wrong with that.

I'm still a huge fan of Sierra Nevada, although I admit that my taste and preferences have moved away from their beer a bit. I like bolder, hoppier beers, and I try to buy as locally as possible. SNPA still my go-to when I am faced with limited options.

Even though they are a big brewer (fourth largest in the country), they still just have the one facility. Their tour, unlike tours of other big breweries, is all about the beer. They continue to experiment with new beers, although few of those leave northern California, and a few never leave Chico.

When I visited a couple of years ago my sampler at the restaurant/bar was eighteen different beers.

[Slob]

Has anyone tried the new Schlitz? Apparently they've relaunched it using the 60's formula. It has yet to hit shelves in New York.

[gr8erdane]

I've seen old brands Schlitz, Falstaff and Stag from time to time but haven't been even mildly interested in buying any of them to see if they were like their predecessors. I only drank those brands in taverns where they were all that was offered. An old Mizzou haunt that is only alive in legends now, The Shack, offered Schlitz and Stag only in the old paper cartons with the plastic clip. Many a Mizzou Homecoming and Greek Week parade float was designed in the old booths covered with carved names while sipping on these two nostalgic former giants of the American beer industry. Many by myself.