beer wars???

Heard from bar manager that very soon Stations Casinos in Vegas were giving the boot to ALL Anheuser-Busch beer products. No Bud, no Bud Light, no Mich Ultra, etc. Supposedly, will carry only Miller/Coors products moving forward. Curious if this was rumor or reality. Was told top management decision. Think there might be some pay-to-play action going on? Let the beer wars begin!!

Quote: oldbudman

Heard from bar manager that very soon Stations Casinos in Vegas were giving the boot to ALL Anheuser-Busch beer products. No Bud, no Bud Light, no Mich Ultra, etc. Supposedly, will carry only Miller/Coors products moving forward. Curious if this was rumor or reality. Was told top management decision. Think there might be some pay-to-play action going on? Let the beer wars begin!!

This isn't all too uncommon for large establishments. I like my girls lite as my local bartender calls it when I order coors light.

Same reason places serve Pepsi products only. They get a steep discount

Quote: gamerfreak

Same reason places serve Pepsi products only. They get a steep discount

I think it's pretty tacky to serve Pepsi products, at least in nice restaurants. It's like hey I'm at a 5 star restaurant can I get a grey goose martini and they're like nah we only got popov.

I could write about this subject all day but it is nice to see someone saying NO to AB InBev for a change. They are the devil when it comes to world (beer) domination. Nevada is a pay to play state and you see it everywhere, usually with AB as the leader. Casino Royale sells more Michelob and Michelob Light than other location in America. This is a dead brand other than the line extension of Ultra, which is a totally different product. They pay around $9 a case after rebates, double their money and get to offer a cheap swill.

But the bigger AB threat is how they are trying to corner the craft market and working to limit access of small to midsize breweries. In the past few years they have purchased Goose Island, Elysian, four Peaks, Golden Road,10 Barrel, Wicked Weed and others to push under their High end division. So what happens is they use their money and clout to take shelf space from independent breweries in bars and stores. Look at your local grocery store and see how many of these brands are offered. The average customer has no clue these are Bud brands, they are just looking for a "craft" brand.

This hurts locals and mid sized companies everywhere. Even long time national brands like Stone and Green Flash are feeling the heat from losing space to Bud brands. The problem is it isn't about having the best beer, it's about getting access to the customers. The national grocery chain Kroger just signed a deal with Bud that pushes most other craft brands out. Money talks and no one can come up with the money and deals AB can.

Make no mistake, their goal is to sell low, buy space and kill the competition. Obviously when there is less competition prices will rise and the customer loses. There will always be bars that cater to the craft customer like Aces & Ales in Vegas but they will have less choices if AB gets their way. Just ask a small brewery like Lovelady, Hop Nuts, Banger, Teneya and others in the valley what they have to do to get on tap at a casino. It isn't about the quality of the liquid, it's about how much you are willing to pay for the tap.

So seeing someone say NO to AB isn't a bad thing even if it's Miller Coors, who isn't much better.

The problem with craft beers in casinos is they tend to be fairly regional and a city like Las Vegas draws people from all over. It makes sense that casinos carry national brands that people are familiar with. It might not be there first choice, or even their second, but it will be something they know.
You also have economy of scale. Few craft brewers could supply CET with the volume they need for their various casinos. Yeanling(sp?) had this problem 15 years ago. Demand far outpaced production. They could sell to the many out of state distributors who craved the product, or keep their original customers happy. They eventually bought a second brewery to expand the brand.

Quote: oldbudman

Heard from bar manager that very soon Stations Casinos in Vegas were giving the boot to ALL Anheuser-Busch beer products. No Bud, no Bud Light, no Mich Ultra, etc. Supposedly, will carry only Miller/Coors products moving forward. Curious if this was rumor or reality. Was told top management decision. Think there might be some pay-to-play action going on? Let the beer wars begin!!

That would be a huge mistake and if they do it it won't last. You can't get rid of two of the top three selling beers.

Quote: DRich

That would be a huge mistake and if they do it it won't last. You can't get rid of two of the top three selling beers.

I dunno; I've never based my gambling decisions on what beer the casino offered.

Quote: Calder

I dunno; I've never based my gambling decisions on what beer the casino offered.

I have. It is the main reason I visit Casino Royale.

Quote: billryan

I have. It is the main reason I visit Casino Royale.

I remember signing up for their card in '06, one of the coupons they had was for a free beer. My friend got it and it was in a cup just a tad bigger than a small Dixie cup.

Quote: Ibeatyouraces

I remember signing up for their card in '06, one of the coupons they had was for a free beer. My friend got it and it was in a cup just a tad bigger than a small Dixie cup.

In the days of good signup bonuses, they were the worst. Hell in today's lack of sign up bonuses, you are still better off than the ones CR offered 10 years ago. Unless you wanted a huge foot long Hotdog for .99 or 2/1 Nobel Romans slice of pizza.

But a homeless bum can dress themselves for a week for less than $20 there......from the waist up.

I used to mostly stay at Harrahs and took advantage of their coupon sheet every day. I forget the details but their was a BJ coupon, a VP one and 25 coin bonus for the a Wheel of Fortune Spin. Plus a BOGO for Ice cream sundaes and $1 Michelob's. Lo Roller Heaven.