I've been getting a lot of comments and traffic from yesterday's news leak about Clipper City.
So let me emphasize more, after a call to the brewery reps:
ONLY THE BRAND NAME--i.e. the packaging and marketing--is changing. They are not discontinuing any of the beers (at least yet) or changing the recipes. The four CC beers--Pale, Gold, MarzHon, and McHenry--will still be produced. Oxford, too, for now--I got the impression that they were still working out just what to do with the brand and recipes.
The strategy behind this is simply market expansion. Right now, Clipper City beers are only available in Maryland; putting them under Heavy Seas will ease their expansion into other states where Heavy Seas is already located.
Hugh is taking a well-deserved vacation, and the people left in their offices are telling me "it's hard to get any work done around here with the phone ringing off the hook", so unless you have a professional business relationship stake in this matter, just sit back and wait until after the New Year, or official word from the brewery (which, of course, will also be reiterated here when it reaches me).
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6 comments:
Hugh has been making a number of moves, that while I may not like (22 oz vs 12 oz) I am sure make a whole lot of business sense. Changing the company name to Heavy Seas is great in that it allows for a wider distribution of all the beers. Wider distribution, means a healthier company, which means the beers we love will be around longer.
I have a bit of inside info (having just finished an MBA project on the pending changes that Hugh has in the works; he's the best), and I think the we'll all be quite pleased when the changes are revealed publicly. The moves make tremendous sense from a business standpoint, and if the new logo is any indication (see @HeavySeasBeer over on Twitter), the new artwork is going to be fantastic as well.
Caederus, may I ask why you aren't a fan of the 22oz bombers? I tend to like the format change and am curious why others do not.
The Oriole Way my reason for not liking the 22oz vs the 12 oz is due to being the only beer drinker in the house, and frequently only wanting to have 1 beer in an evening. When I open a 22oz bottle it's like getting a value meal super sized at McDonalds. I'm committing to either 2 beers or pouring some of it down the drain.
So for me a six pack of Red Sky lasts longer than 3 bombers. I even go so far as to search out the 12oz Three Philosophers over the 750ml bottle.
Just call me Mr Moderation. :-)
I've always wanted to open the Moderation Pub..... "But I only drink in Moderation....."
That makes perfect sense. For me, I like the 22s because my wife is also a big craft drinker (this, unfortunately, is a drawback when I get home and she's consumed the last of the Winter Storm or the Great Divide Fresh Hop). With the 22s we feel like we can try more (and bigger and better) beers without the commitment of a $12 six-pack. Have you tried saving half for the next night? Perhaps using a wine stopper?
I don't recap mostly because it would reduce the carbonation level of the beer. However If I did I wouldn't use a wine stopper I'd just recap. (I'm a home brewer)
Having said all that, after listening to interviews of other craft brewers they have said that 22oz is better for the bottom line when compared to 12oz, especially when entering new markets. Which I'm sure played a part in the decision.
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