Thoughts on New Belgium's TV ads?

Meh...I don't watch TV, thus I'm totally out of the loop as far as commercials go.

But this one doesn't offend me. I'm not a huge fan of New Belgium, but I certainly don't have anything against them either. Some of their Lips of Faith beers are pretty good, and I like some of their year rounds. I just don't typically seek them out. BUT, I definitely think that they fit every definition of craft beer, and it's good to see craft beer getting mainstream attention. And I think they did it in a fun way. This commercial was so stereotypical, it was almost self-deprecating and ironic. Kind of an exaggerated caricature of the craft beer scene.

Props to 'em, I say.

 

it seems once they go national. the quality goes on the down turn no more small batches there into the high volume production and by cutting corners to save $ - need to answer to the shareholders

 

By shareholders you mean themselves...

 

I had bought some sam adams years ago and i thought it was a pretty good beer - then i recently had some ( 6 pk boston lag) i could just of well picked up a 6 pk of water or bud for as much favor as it had .

 

exactly; it's like my boss told me " We're not charity , we're here to make money" money changes everything.

 

Going to be the next Sam Adams soon. How dare they publicize their success! Haha.

 

Sam Adams' beer usually does lack flavor, but Boston Lager is preferable to any BMC, IMO.

 

Well they are doing more then that I keep seeing their ad on Hulu called "making up" where a couple is sitting next to one another and the guy is about to drink his Fat Tire in a glass, pauses then gives it to his girlfriend. Can't find on youtube yet, but it looks like they are going for online advertising as well.
Edit: Found em

 

NB is employee owned, but any brewery has to have making money as a goal. Breweries that don't make money stop making beer.

 

Big LOL from me on this fine Sat morning. Thanks.

 

They are building a new East Coast brewery in Asheville, NC. When it is up and running you'll get your chance to try Fat Tire and the other NB offerings. I, for one, like most of what they make. Fat Tire, like most amber ales is pretty mild on the palate (toasty malt rather than hoppy) and doesn't get a lot of love on BA.

 

There are no hippies under the age of 57. Not understanding this point creates the rare situation of proving the point.

 

well Imo i'm not going to shell out $17 -$18 for a 12 pk for just a sub beer or a ok beer at those prices, i have bought NB at $8 $9 12 pk i can live with that . but the only one that was any good i thought was the Ranger, i did pick up some of that for $1.99 in a 4 pounder pk ( 4 - 16's ) now thats a good deal.and i thought for above avg beer

 

Ha! Magic Hat has that market cornered in my part of VT.

 

I honestly don't predict this happening. I don't know the New Belgium people, but I've met and/or interviewed quite a few peeps in the industry, and even the big ones don't seem the types to ever cut corners for the sake of profits. The only beer company that is publicly owned is Sam Adams, and Jim Koch runs such a tight ship there still that they're not going to be skimping for the sake of profits (sorry about your disappointment with Boston Lager).

It's one of the attitudes I really love about the industry - the dedication to quality products over profits, even as they grow.

 

Unrelated, but Boulevard has some neat commercials during local sports games.

 

TV production is expensive, and media time even more so. I don't care for many of NB's beers, Fat Tire in particular, but if they were going to do this I think the timing is right, with the "employee owned" story. Everything about this spot is old news to anyone that drinks craft, but it's a good story if they're trying to grab attention of new drinkers. Especially with the Third Shift nonsense out there.

 

That seems kind of harsh given that there are a lot of exactly the type of "breweries" you described coming on line now. Again, I'm not a huge NB fan, but they seem to have been in the game for a long time, and legit.

 

Glad to see NB doing this ad. It is well made and represents them well. I have no doubt that every employee over there had a say in this commercial.

People love to hate on New Belgium, how big they've gotten, and the beers they produce. I've never really understood it and just chalk it up to people hating on the big guy. I think a big reason they don't appeal to many BAs is due to the fact their regular lineup is full of "boring" "to style" beers. It took them years to make an IPA in Ranger, and another 5-6 years for an IIPA. They've stayed true to their core model and its been very successful.

And the tour at New Belgium is time and again the best brewery tour I've ever been on. Their taproom is also one of the most well run places I've been too, especially considering the amount of people who visit. Overall, New Belgium does everything right except satisfy most BAs