WEEK 104--the MUTATION of craft to MACRO-CRAFT

这期的英文是没按照报纸专栏中文版本，而是有点随心而写。

Yes--this is old old news already by the time it show up here.

五月第一个星期，很多不同城市啤迷都在议论美国酿坊wicked weed被国际大厂啤酒巨无霸AbinBev（曾烧大钱打广告讥讽craft啤迷只是装模作样一群）收购事件。

大厂啤酒国际大公司收购craft品牌不是第一次发生，啤迷反应基本离不开"失望"，"不屑"，"嘲讽"这些字眼。当然，也有表示"理解"，"赞成"，"是件好事"的人。对一般人来说，这只是一桩交易，有必要各种情绪反应？

啤酒一直有不同的两个世界，一个是只注重卖三几个单调产品，以追求市场占有率盈利最大化为目标的MACRO BEER。 

另一个是craft beer --小量酿造，注重不同类别风格口味的美味世界。

But it's still worth a shot to at least try to let people know that there's indeed a world split into 3 :-MACRO BEER, craft beer----and the mutation which is MACRO-CRAFT 

在出现千变万化不同类型风格口味啤酒选择craft之前，啤酒世界只有大家都熟悉的大厂啤酒(MACRO BEER)，那是基本没口味类别选择的世界，长期那样淡出鸟来情况下，有人开始试着酿造自己想喝啤酒，于是craft慢慢从自酿自供变成现在的百花齐放。

两个理念迥然不同的啤酒世界之间是界限分明的。如果把MACRO比喻为有钱有势，生产成本利润都有明确指标的豪门企业，craft就像刚出来创业的普通人，有的只是想把啤酒变得更有趣美味想法，对抢占市场低成本高利润这些生意概念不会放在第一位。说白一点，MACRO就是市场至上，利润为尊的生意人，craft则像是有点理想化的创作人。
In Asia--beer is obviously not a daily necessities--people would buy more other types of beverages than alcoholic ones--and if we zero in on craft beer segment--it's even much smaller.

With low awareness about craft beer--where generally people would only associate BEER as the whole and only truth they could think of when asked about beer--let's try and point out the differences:-

MACRO--multi national corporation giants--only focusing on a few famous brands-usually simple lager or pilsner and keep producing in mega volume--easy access is the key--flooding market is the aim- cutting down/out market competition is the means.

craft beer--thousands of small breweries--all sorts of beer styles/ varieties--flavour profile is the key--producing "what we could/ what we want" is the motto--fighting to be number 1 best selling beer in the market is NOT encourage by any means(though aiming to get rated as number 1 could/would be ;)

MACRO-CRAFT--the mutant born out of the marriage of MACRO and "once a craft" breweries--in other words--the MACRO-CRAFT are those craft breweries which for one reason or another decided to hold the hands of MACRO giants through a sell out deal.

了解craft文化的啤迷几乎都从喝MACRO BEER开始，因为那样，更能体会craft酿坊致力提供不同类别风格口味啤酒享受的努力，对只以三几个畅销品牌单调无趣啤酒抢市场的MACRO没好感。

换个角度看，可以说因为MACRO长期“市场专制”导致craft的出现，一定程度上，挑战“市场垄断”，“既定规则”的叛逆意味很浓。

MACRO和craft既是完全不同理念，不同经营手法，不是一条路上的人，怎么会走到一起？答案很简单，卖掉的craft要钱，MACRO要市场。

so why would MACRO buy into a craft? and why would craft sell?

the reasons:-

MACRO needs to grow market share--and the only way to enter the craft market is by buying up existing craft breweries- what's better than using craft to fight craft?
craft sold out for MONEY( it could be for betterment of future growth-reaching out to more drinkers-retirement or maybe simply being naive--you name it- but end of the day it's MONEY- period)

跟不久前卖给同一家MACRO的上海拳击猫(BOXING CAT)一样，wicked weed卖的理由是因为可以凭借国际大公司的财力和分销网更好的发展。对出钱收购的MACRO来说，近年美国市场销售额下滑意味着必须做点什么制衡已经抢占啤酒市场十多巴仙的craft，既然自家品牌啤酒肯定不能跟那么多类别风格啤酒抗衡，那就来个以craft制craft，有什么有效过隔岸观火，利用原本同理念的酿坊打击自己打不过的敌人？

表面看起来，卖给MACRO的酿坊可以造更多啤酒，至今没有供应链的地区也可以连接上，酿坊可以更好发展，更多人可喝到优质啤酒，怎么看都是双赢，有什么好说三道四的？

实际上，被大厂收购的craft例子中，啤酒质素不见提升，相反的因为收购後为了业绩盈利而省时省力导致啤酒质素下滑的例子不少，这也是啤迷反应消极的主由。

By choosing to hold the hands of ABInBev - WW has chosen to become a CATEGORY of products under the wings of MACRO BEER -and by doing so -- contrary to what WW might think - they have also chosen to leave the craft community- yes, its only beer and friendship might stay - but the one thing WW might not realized when deciding to take the money and support from AbinBev is that the craft community is a wicked bunch - people in this community has got common belief that craft should remain craft - associating with MACRO is NOT. 

或许这样比喻，喝被大厂收购的MACRO-CRAFT有点像是去挂名米其林星级的连锁餐厅吃东西，可是，我们都知道，在本店以外吃到的，绝对不是星级食物，吃的只是宣传效果。

MACRO收购craft一定程度上也带来情绪挫折，像球迷拥护球会球星那种，打个比喻，如果梅西转会皇家马德里，或者说C罗转会去巴塞罗那，对一般人来说就是普通的球星转会买卖而已，可是，对皇马或巴塞球迷来说，这根本是天塌下来的大事，如果最能象征球会的核心人物转到死敌怀中，那种情绪反转只有迷才能理解。

There are some who slam geeks for being a bunch of "cry babies" who cannot see others getting a handsome pay off for years of hard work to build up that craft brewery/brand name--No Doubt--it's the absolute rights of the owners to decide what to do next with their own business/brand/brewery--that part is clear--there's no doubt they can decide to sell out to whoever they like.

Craft当然是生意，任何生意都有买卖可能，这是正常现象，只是，craft是有点特别的生意，有一定文化因素存在，没有MACRO那种各种手段砸钱抢占销售管道做法，也有反大企业垄断市场的"叛逆"心理因素，如果说一家craft酿坊最终目的是要成为百亿生意，那并没有错，啤迷唯一会觉得有问题的只是，酿坊是按照自身路线一步步前进，又或是说，一旦出现大厂收购这个捷径时候就改道了？

任何酿坊都可以决定抄小路走捷径，那是酿坊品牌主人的决定，那之后，啤迷也会决定那家酿坊的定位，不再会是craft，而是带讽刺意味的新名词-MACRO CRAFT。

Also--there's no shame at all if a craft brewery declare openly that their aim is to be the number 1 best selling beer by volume in the craft market--or say to be a 100 million dollar business--there's nothing wrong to aim for that since craft beer is after all still business.

BUT--the moment a craft brewery took the short-cut of taking money from MACRO giants--that's where all the "complications" starts.

WHY CAN'T craft brewery merge/side with MACRO? is MACRO that evil? while a deal of MACRO buying into craft is generally perceived as nothing more than business--it is a big deal in many aspects (culturally-emotionally-and in the longer run market competition wise) to craft community and beer geeks, imagine these scenario:-

-ask yourself if it feels right to buy Messi if you are a Real Madrid fan? or buy C.Ronaldo if you a BARCA fan?

-if you love hand made/gourmet coffee--would you like Nescafe/Starbucks to own your favourite beans company to "make better coffee" more accessible to drinkers?

-if you love food--and you just heard McDonalds bought your favourite gourmet burger shop--so as to help grow the gourmet burger market?

It's true craft beer is a business hence every breweries/brewers can't run away from the harsh test of business competition/pressures of making a business sustainable/profitable--BUT--what makes craft business a little special is the unspoken community spirits--the craft culture--most geeks understand the common languages of craft--tying up close with MACRO giant's money/power is NOT one of them.

it is clear MACRO-CRAFT is aiming at newbies- people who would try craft beer for the first time--the ignorant, the "beer is just BEER- who cares who owns what" crowd.

By acquiring craft and making good use of them to fight the fight MACRO could not enter with their own beers--it is a "smart move" since they are capitalizing on the IGNORANCE of most drinkers who either don't know what are the differences between craft and MACRO--or just simply don't give a fxxk of who owns what.

In a small way--saying beer is only BEER or "i just drink--it's too complicated to understand craft beer" or " do i need to know who owns what to decide which beer to drink?" is a little similar to we earth people upon hearing about Global Warming or when maybe London- New York or Bangkok might completely disappear from the horizon--it's something which many would brush aside as "none of my concern- too complicated to understand--too distance from my daily routine".

to say the need to protect craft community from the clutches of MACRO is almost like trying to save planet earth is a little far fetch- but if we take a closer look at what JEAN of CANTILLON posted on FB both on 2nd APRIL & 10th MAY about rejecting 1 time craft turned MACRO-CRAFT Birra Del Bogo and how giants killed off competition and hence the closing down of lambic breweries in and around Brussels some 40 years ago--then maybe it's not that far fetch....( here's screen-shot of both posting--for more detail please check Cantillon FB)