Since there’s a stronger “Hoosier brewer” element to this story, I’ll blog this here rather than my normal blog home (Central State Asylum).
Jay Brooks of the Brookston Beer Bulletin mentions today that Rock Bottom Breweries and Gordon Biersch are merging (along with Old Chicago) to form CraftWorks Restaurants and Breweries (He also reprints the full press release so I won’t. Click through to read it.)
I like Rock Bottom, so put me, along with Beernomics blogger Patrick Emerson, as going on record as thinking this is a “good thing.”
As a consumer and a fan of local foods, I generally consider restaurant consolidation a “bad thing” but here I feel divided. Like Emerson, I think Rock Bottom is a gateway brewer. Their ambiance, plate price, and Applebee’s+ menu fare make the place a desirable dining destination for a lot of people who would not head anywhere specifically for craft beer. And then, when they arrive, there’s a decent selection of well-crafted beers, most of which are accessible and (presumably) tuned to local palates. If they acquire a taste for craft beer, or at least temper their sense of risk, they may become someone who seeks craft beer in the future.
I talked with the Dave Chichura at Oskar Blues when I was in Boulder for the Beer Bloggers Conference. He had spent some time as a brewer at Rock Bottom and spoke well of his time there (along with local beerman Clay Robinson). Both Chichura and the guys at Sun King (Robinson and Dave Colt) are brewing magnificent beer. They’re innovative brewers and solid brewery managers. I’m not saying that Rock Bottom taught them those things. How could I know? But Rock Bottom at this point seems to be serving as the farm league for tomorrow’s future in beer.
Of course, if this merger triggers a change in policy that encourages more mediocrity and less integrity batches, I reserve the right to change my mind about this.
Hopefully the Rock Bottom part of the merger will continue to acknowledge that their future success in the craft beer world will, in part, rely on their ability to compete against truly local and regional brewers who will continue to design beers for audiences they know well and respond to quickly. CraftWorks can only do this by continuing their current federalist(?) approach to brewing.
At least, I don’t think a more centralized approach will work out for them.
Which is the argument for why I think this is “not a bad thing.” The argument for why it might be a good thing is that, if economies of scale and the merging of redundant operations allows CraftWorks to open new locations, more people will be introduced to craft beer in an environment they are culturally familiar with. And there you have it. This is CraftWork’s game to lose at this point.
Starting an Oatmeal Stout! #
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