Sierra Nevada?!?!
Hmmm. I’m not sure I’m a fan of that.
I think that as long as they can maintain their standards it’s really good from an environmental standpoint. It means that for the eastern seaboard the SN doesn’t have to be shipped all the way across the country. major reduction in carbon footprint. Even if the ingredients are still shipped there from chico, just not having to ship the packaging is a major reduction in cost and environmental impact.
Dr. T, what would be the drawback?
Hopefull they will duplicate their current operation and keep the quality to the same standards.
I guess it depends on how far it goes. I just worry when breweries become macro in size that their products will be macro in quality. It signifies a shift in how the business is operated, and it might not be for the better. It might be awesome, but it already IS awesome, so in this case I fear change.
Agreed.
But this area is an un-tapped market and I’m sure that is what they are looking at. There are several craft breweries that have been established in the past few years and they have done very well; R.J. Rockers and Thomas Creek to name two within 30 miles of here and they are balls-to-the-wall with sales. This is in an area where Coors light used to be concidered gormet beer and when they came out with Bud Light with Lime, well, it was described as Heaven on Earth .
The job market here (upstate SC and western NC) is booming and new companies are locating here by the droves because of cheap labor and easy access…I-26, 85, 20 & 40…crossing the landscape along with the ports of Charleston, Savannah & Wilmington and the GSP and Charlotte airports. Not to mention the climate :) USC, UNC, Chappel Hill, Mars Hill,Clemson, Wofford and Converse College, etc… are located here also.
This has brought folks from all over the country and along with them a taste for the better stuff.
First they have to get past the NLRB. :
A little east coast presence would boost the business IMO…as long as they uphold their current standards…that’s the key to their success. Quality beer is the secret ingredient.
I hear you tom. I worry about the same thing but I think of SN as a pretty huge brand already and the quality and willingness to experiment seems to still be there. I guess we will have to wait and see.
IF they stay focused on the beer for the long term I’m sure it will be ok.
Starting to sound a bit like west coast elitism…
I have no idea where you get that from.
I would much rather see one or more smaller east coast breweries grow to fill the need than to have a larger company come in from anywhere and do so.
The big boys consistently brew the same lackluster beer all over the country. Which is quite the challenge as I’m led to understand. I’m sure SN can do better. But wondering as to the how. Grain source. Hops brought in. Water challenges.
Demand all taken care of.
Oh I don’t know… maybe it’s the 48 point font
Water challenges? Really?
Transporting fresh ingredients? How in the world can anyone on the east coast ever have a prayer of brewing a fresh beer? :
Pretty weak euge.
As much as I dislike AB products, I think they are an excellent example of maintaining consistancy in their products across a WIDE region of brewing. I would challenge anyone to be able to discern differences in their beers produced at any of their breweries nationwide.
I think if there are any microbreweries capable of pulling off a simular feat, Sierra Nevada would certainly be at the top of the list.
Jeeze guys, such cynicism!
No I’m being realistic and brainstorming about what might be their challenges. What’s so cynical about that?
It’s not cynical at all to worry about beer quality when a change like this happens. For me it’s not about whether they can brew a beer that tastes the same in both places, it’s about whether the quality will remain the same over the long term, or will the pressures of this expansion cause some penny pinching measures that will affect the beer. And I’m not talking about the beer in the new place, I’m talking about the beer company wide. It happened with a certain local brewery who expanded to an east coast location about 15 years ago.
and that’s a big if. 
I foresee a reduction in quality, if this happens.
I visited that brewery in N.H. a year or so ago. I can attest that they lost their small business “charm”. I remember the slogan “ya sure ya betcha” from the early nineties on a bottle of Ballard Bitter. Bigger is not always better, but if any company can keep its focus during growth, I’d bet on Sierra Nevada.
I thought that sierra nevada was building a plant outside of Nashville? That sucks if they changed their mind and decided to plant it in the carolinas. Nothing out there but huckleberry and hillbillies. 