Cock & Bull sale

[vdog]

Has everyone else seen this? http://goo.gl/Ufhc9

Assuming it's all true, does this mean Steam will stop producing the C&B beers, or will we see them in a packaged format or through other pubs? 

Also, does anyone know when the sale and the Lion deal actually take effect? It'd be good to get into a few Monks Habits before that's not possible anymore, or before doing so will put any money into Nourish's pockets.

So gutted - just when it looked like the craft scene in Auckland was getting up some proper momentum, this is a massive backward step.

[Bryan Livingston]

Agree...very sad news. Enjoy the last of the beers because the change will probably happen fast!

[vdog]

Went in tonight for a couple of beers, and had a wee chat with the bar staff while I was there. The changeover is due to happen in the second week of August, so if you want any Monks, Fuggles or their other beers, get in before then. The guy I spoke to also mentioned that the brewery is being sold - not sure exactly what that means.

Shane M or anyone else - if there's anything you can tell us without getting in the shit with your employers that'd be handy? I'm really hoping there's still an opportunity for us to see at least a couple of those beers in the market, if not through C&B.

[Greig McGill]

Hi Shane,

Who retains the right to the C&B recipes (as opposed to the brands)? That is to say, can Steam still brew, for example, Monk's Habit so long as it's called something else?

[Hugh Grierson]

So it might be a positive, releasing Steams potential and maybe some contact capacity?

The Nourish Group were always going to go to Lion, those guys are tight.

And they love cheap (shit) beer for big greedy margins.

I think it's a really bad move, I am sure a lot of the C&B customers went there for the beer, not because of (or despite) the fake English PubWash.

[Tilt]

I'd include myself as one of those - and more than happy to drink C&B/Steam beers wherever they might turn up. 

I hope this doesn't make the future too uncertain for Steam though.

Shane, please keep us up to speed about where Steam beers are going to be available next - I for one will be looking out for them!

[Kelly Milligan]

I was thinking that about the contract capactiy! That could be quite an amazing opportunity for some new craft brands that are just waiting to be given a little nudge.

[Greig McGill]

Kelly - not many new breweries can afford to jump to 100HL batches. The spillage and line waste is more than our brew length! ;)

[Stephen]

How about home brewers crowdfunding the money to buy the recipes from Nourish and release the recipes into the wild? Not being a particularly good brewer, I know I'd pledge a few $$$ to be able to brew my own authentic Fuggles and Monks Habit :-)

I wonder whether they would sell, and, if so, for how much? Even better if they did it gratis as a gesture of good will. Yeah right.

[Ralph]

I would think that the capacity will soon be filled. A number of other breweries that contract seem to not have much space for contract brewers to fit brews in and so I would think that once word is out some of this contract brewing will go to Steam.

[Bryan Livingston]

Does anybody have a good clone of any of the C & B beers that they are willing to share?  I know Monks Habit was one of the previous Western Brewers competitions recently.  It seems a waste to see good beers die!

[Matt P]

Newmarket still has some Blue Goose, Dark Star and Classic Draught available as of today, so I'll be heading in to say my (final) goodbye tonight. The C&B beers were the first I tried in New Zealand and I'm sad to see them go.

I'd like to second the recipes idea -- if crowdfunding is a possibility then I'm keen to help out. Does anyone know whether Steam has the recipes or do they go to the new C&B owners? If it's handled by Nourish I'll see what I can get out of Phil when I talk to him after the handover. Wouldn't quite make up for it, but it would be nice to see the line live on one way or another.