tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post1224317396792503807..comments2024-03-09T00:31:10.190-05:00Comments on Seen Through a Glass: Exchange rates: closing a door, or opening a window?Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-17085935491690797812008-01-23T05:28:00.000-05:002008-01-23T05:28:00.000-05:00Thank you Lew for posting on this topic because it...Thank you Lew for posting on this topic because its something I have taken the time to think about lol...<BR/><BR/>What if the economy gets so bad that we have another depression and we all are out of work? Will it destroy the craft beer industry? I guess if it happens, craft beer shall live on in those smart enough to have learned how to homebrew...but what are the rest of us going to do??? I can't go back to drinking BMC, I never liked it in the first place! lol<BR/><BR/>Mikkeller beers from Denmark are awesome but the cost is prohibitive and that is a damn shame. $13 per bottle of their Stateside IPA...which you'd love by the way [TND, TJ's and Capone's have it I believe].Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-15987527848989824222008-01-21T21:10:00.000-05:002008-01-21T21:10:00.000-05:00I used to rate hundreds of fine ales on ratebeer. ...I used to rate hundreds of fine ales on ratebeer. Now I drink 40s. I'm from Michigan. Its all I can afford.<BR/><BR/>Detroit TrollAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-48780621550957380812008-01-21T15:45:00.000-05:002008-01-21T15:45:00.000-05:00Sorry, forgot the little smiley thingy.Sorry, forgot the little smiley thingy.Boakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17657725007230709027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-27549574433723516762008-01-17T07:25:00.000-05:002008-01-17T07:25:00.000-05:00Boak,Forgive me, but...typical Brit attitude! You ...Boak,<BR/><BR/>Forgive me, but...typical Brit attitude! You admit that it's most likely either <I>your</I> importers that are making fat profits, or <I>your</I> government charging ridiculous duty on beer (which it does...you guys are screwed, and it looks like you're getting set up to get screwed even worse because of some drunk teeners), yet still manage to make it sound like it's the fault of the American company/economy/system. (Yeah, yeah, I know...it's <I>irony.</I> <BR/><BR/>You've got a valid point, though. That's the way this import/export thing is supposed to work. But when prices go up, they rarely come down, except on commodities like coffee, steel, and oil (er...that's a theory; it's come down in the past).Lew Brysonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-16966024079159884482008-01-17T03:01:00.000-05:002008-01-17T03:01:00.000-05:00Seems to me the importers of American beers into t...Seems to me the importers of American beers into the UK are making some fat profits! Granted, our beer duty adds a fair whack to the price you're paying, but where's our corresponding price drop on US imports?<BR/><BR/>If we have to have a recession on this side of the pond because of your mortgage lenders getting greedy, at least let us enjoy Sierra Nevada for less than £2.50 a bottle.Boakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17657725007230709027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-76485696322932051822008-01-16T19:52:00.000-05:002008-01-16T19:52:00.000-05:00The markup in some bars is pretty high for a glass...The markup in some bars is pretty high for a glass. Paid $7.50 the other day for a glass. <BR/>Sticking to buying sixtels to bring costs for me down. By the way it's also greener with no bottles to recycle. <BR/>Also growing my hops and homebrew.<BR/>I think we're in for rough times financially. Thanks to oil and its vermin. Greenspan's rate cuts now look like a quick fix to the resulting crap we're in. Republicans gotta keep building though. Cut down those trees boys.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-74757028809256585372008-01-15T19:54:00.000-05:002008-01-15T19:54:00.000-05:00Joshua,I do think that's a possibility, sure. The ...Joshua,<BR/>I do think that's a possibility, sure. The contracts more than likely all have escape/damage clauses written in them that will allow the hops brokers to get out of the deals by paying damages to the small brewers. All they have to do is get the big brewers to cover those damages, and they're good to go.<BR/><BR/>That's <I>if</I> things get that bad. I've also talked to some brewers who have locked in more hops than they need: they're planning on releasing them this Spring and making some money on the price differential. Maybe. Dunno. We'll see what happens.Lew Brysonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-84881288399458371652008-01-15T18:17:00.000-05:002008-01-15T18:17:00.000-05:00I've hear rumors that if things with hops prices g...I've hear rumors that if things with hops prices get really bad, that even small breweries with deals through 2008 may lose out as the big three will offer producers so much money, they will reneg on their agreements.<BR/><BR/>I didn't really phrase that very well, but the concern is that agreements don't mean much until the shipments have been delivered. So small breweries are worried. <BR/><BR/>Do you think there could be any truth to this?Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10839812267536911245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-30993184195400460882008-01-15T17:24:00.000-05:002008-01-15T17:24:00.000-05:00In Ontario, other than the odd special sale which ...In Ontario, other than the odd special sale which has seen the odd Rogue show up, we have three regularly at the LCBO: Liberty Ale, Sam Adams Boston Lager, Brooklyn Lager. Whoop-ee. There is more support for increased shelf space for Ontario craft beer, which is working, but apparently the LCBO is also going to add more US craft beers later this year. Who knows? Maybe soon there will be six!Alanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01670495301758701170noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-24167589836252326342008-01-15T12:27:00.000-05:002008-01-15T12:27:00.000-05:00Alan,What's availability of American craft beer li...Alan,<BR/>What's availability of American craft beer like in Canada/Ontario? I ask because I've heard Canadians bitch about not even being able to find American beers. FWIW, it's hard to find anything other than MolBatt, Moosehead, and Unibroue in the States.Lew Brysonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-16065081510333429332008-01-15T11:45:00.000-05:002008-01-15T11:45:00.000-05:00I think it is important to note that we Canadians ...I think it is important to note that we Canadians are very happy with the %50 plus increase in our spending power for US craft beer over the last decade. I do think that the recession, however deep, will be one of the nails in the coffin for art beer even if fine beer can position itself as the affordable luxury in the coming tough times.Alanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01670495301758701170noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-67377603047251166292008-01-15T11:35:00.000-05:002008-01-15T11:35:00.000-05:00Lew,Yeah...Sly Fox, Flying Fish, River Horse, and ...Lew,<BR/><BR/>Yeah...Sly Fox, Flying Fish, River Horse, and Cricket Hill are all reasonably affordable around here. Nice to be able to drink on a budget while drinking locally.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-36249942970342440792008-01-15T11:23:00.000-05:002008-01-15T11:23:00.000-05:00I've had to curtail beer buying -- in order to vis...I've had to curtail beer buying -- in order to visit my local brewpub at something close to the same frequency, I've countered by buying less and cheaper beer from stores. It's due to the cost increases of everything, not just beer, but there you go.Billhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03634642987617262810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-87586747037179318402008-01-15T10:44:00.000-05:002008-01-15T10:44:00.000-05:00Matt,Like I said, "...more likely to keep on spend...Matt,<BR/><BR/>Like I said, "<I>...more likely to keep on spending to get what you want...but not all of you.</I>" I put that in there because I knew there would be barleywine lawnmowers out there ("Barleywine is <B>my</B> 'lawnmower beer!'"; real quote, from a serious poster) who would let me know that <I>nothing</I> would stop them from buying their beloved (insert probably luscious imported beer of your choice here). Yeah, yeah, whatever. Most of us are going to be sensible, like you. I know I'm buying more Sly Fox cans, and looking forward to the arrival of Flying Fish Farmhouse bottles.Lew Brysonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-67623375296601132022008-01-15T10:38:00.000-05:002008-01-15T10:38:00.000-05:00Lew,I would certainly fall under the description a...Lew,<BR/><BR/>I would certainly fall under the description as one of the "Beer Advocate" types, and I certainly find myself reevaluating my purchases based on my wallet. Samuel Adams, Sierra Nevada, Saranac, and Magic Hat all look better day after day. I can get sixers from each of them for <$7.00, while other crafts that used to be in that range now cost me $9.00-10.00 a six.<BR/><BR/>Thats not to say that I'm not buying them, but there is a healthy dose of Sam and SN mixed in.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-26267915906224277782008-01-15T09:35:00.000-05:002008-01-15T09:35:00.000-05:00Okay, let's try to stick to the 98% of the post th...Okay, let's try to stick to the 98% of the post that was about beer. I don't want another Hugo Chavez wrangle here...Lew Brysonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-79695362492804559522008-01-15T09:27:00.000-05:002008-01-15T09:27:00.000-05:00The recession isn't scare talk. We'll be lucky if...The recession isn't scare talk. We'll be lucky if we don't have a depression. There are a lot of financial analysts that have been predicting a deep recession for a more than a year now. Daily Reckoning, Mike Shedlock, analysts at Goldman Sachs and many others see a recession as being unavoidable at this point. We are likely already in it. Because of the way the data is collected and tabulated you don't really know that you are in a recession until after you've been in it for six months.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03165631957641457702noreply@blogger.com