Emersons sold

[Colin Slater]

Interesting news.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/small-business/7911796/Lion-buys-Em...

[mattd2]

That puts a new spin to the Moa IPO. If it remains business as usual it could be a great thing for Emersons allowing it to expand even more and getting NZ beers out of NZ and into the world market even more than they are now.

Hopefully Lion are smart enough to leave well enough alone, this could be a big thing for the NZ craft industry - an actual craft brewery with the backing of a large brewery.

Best of luck to them!

[Grant R Baker]

Macs & Monthieths are both great examples of how bad beers go when the big boys get them.  I find this news depressing.

[Vesku]

I agree with this, pessimist that I am. I really don't want to support big breweries anyway, so sadly no more Emerson for me. I'm not going to pay premium price for a beer to big corporation to cash in.

But I guess now was very good time for Emerson to cash in. Somehow I feel, that the golden age of craft beer is over. There's so many craft breweries now around that there's going to be a lot more competition on the market. And now with the big boys buying in the craft...

I hope that Emerson starts a new brewery with all the money he now has ;)

[mattd2]

From the article it sounds like there is no change in the management team at the Emerson level... how long that lasts for is the big question though.

Really this could go either way, I'll be the optimist and hope Lion leaves them alone and just gives them a shitload of capital to play with! Please Lion....

[mattd2]

Fair call, Mac's was sold to Lion before I was legally allowed to drink so does anyone remember what it was actually like?

I bought some of their Shady Pale the otherday as I wanted to see what they would do with a pale ale and man I wish I hadn't. Very very bland for a pale ale. Then I read online people were saying that it falls between their Gold lager and Hoprocker Pilsner and that just made me very sad that a pale ale is apparently somewhere between a lager and a lager! Oh well that's NZ macro beer for you - mutton in lambs clothing!

[Colin Slater]

One of the only beers i have ever poured down the drain - 6 bottles of it. Utter pish - not a pale ale, not a lager, not a freaking drink really. God help me i would have preferred a Heineken. Yes it is that bad.

[mattd2]

I know what you are talking about, I had to go to 4 square and their selection of "craft" is limited for anything over singles - Monteiths, Macs and Boundry! Worst is I have 40 litres of homebrew waiting either carbing of finishing fermenting. Even worst is that 40 litres only cost about the same as 4 of those 6 packs!

[Grant R Baker]

I accidentially drunk some Resident (re-bottled Boundry) at Beervana.... used mouth wash.

Luckily the BlackRock homebrew stall was right next door so I didn't have to go far to cleanse my pallet.

[Grant R Baker]

Ahhh the good ole days.. I remember Mac's Black with fondness and sadness now that it is stank murky water.

 

It was dark, malty, slightly sweet (maybe a slight bit gritty) and had the weirdiest effect of numbing the hands (very usefull is some bars).

 

I do hope that the Ememrson beers doesnt' suffer from this... the massive warning sign will be 'Made in Auckland' on the bottle a year from now.

[Adam Tristram]

I remember what Macs Gold was like..., it was amazing. Then Lion brought them out and as you say, rest history. Bland rubbish! No doubt Emerson's will go the same way...

[Adam Tristram]

I also remember the PR spin that Lion did about nothing changing and not moving anything. Last one was a goodie, how big cafe and museum opening up in home of Macs, well it has finally but a long time after the last keg was filled. Many a job lost.. Much the same way F & P is going in Dunedin. But you cannot blame Mr. Emerson, quids in!

[Colin Slater]

I would dearly love to see Emersons push their beers further than NZ. Well done to the team to get something to this point and maintaining the quality and integrity of the product should see them a bigger success. Always nice to see the haters get steamed up about hard working people making a successful exit strategy work. You can criticise when you have been there and had to make the same decisions.