Credit to the big guys

Plenty of people who end up getting into the local craft beer scene develop a dislike for the Big Guys in the New Zealand brewing scene - DB Breweries, Independent Liquor and Lion. Sometimes that dislike is warranted and other times it is not.

When the radler fiasco dropped, plenty of people decided to boycott DB products. For me it was a bit awkward, as I worked in a bar that had - and I believe still has - a business arrangement of sorts with DB. For those that don't know, plenty of bars end up signing contractual agreements with brewers for a financial payoff. Most bars that sign these are required to only stock product from that one brewery, and possibly might have a bit of leeway.

To be fair, I didn't exactly go out of my way to drink DB products. There was far more interesting beer to drink at most bars in Wellington anyway. But since moving back to The Swamp, I've ended up at The Brewer's Apprentice - a Monteith's "Craft Bar" - quite often. Which is annoying, because the only beer of theirs I really like is the Dopplebock (even if they do serve it far too cold).

Which is why it was cool to see this message from Joseph Wood last week. This means Brewers - and the 24 other Craft Bars around the country -  has been given the chance to stock decent beer. I hope they do, and I'll bloody well badger them until they get the message. At The Celtic Inn I see more and more people deciding to get a bottle of beer brewed by a small, New Zealand-owned company instead of a Guinness or Steinlager.

In other news, I was told by the manager/owner/guy-in-charge (I'm still to establish what exactly) at my local bottle shop that Independent Liquor has apparently secured the NZ rights to Budějovický Budvar and Boston Beer Company¹. But the rights came with one condition - you cannot brew it under licence; it must be the real deal. And IL didn't argue, and - again, apparently - aren't planning to try sell Budvar for insanely-high prices².

So, we people who love to support the Small Guys and Gals have something to celebrate (even if Budvar and BBC are MAAAAASIVE). Bars should be getting better beer, and better beer should be coming here more often.

Is that a good thing? Methinks it is.

¹ - I've seen Samual Adams beers around before - same with Budvar - which is why I chuck the 'apparently' in there. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

² - I got told one of the other Big Guys tried to sell it for $80 a doz!