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Victor Tandofsky <vtandofsky@gmail.com> wrote in news:ss46hj$d3kr$17@news.freedyn.de:

Fag beer anyway, probably tastes like piss smells.

New York
CNN
—
Pour one out for Anchor Brewing: America’s oldest craft brewer is shutting
down after 127 years in business.

The San Francisco-based company announced Wednesday it’s ceasing
operations and liquidating the beloved business “following a combination
of challenging economic factors and declining sales since 2016,” a press release said. Craft brewers, in particular, have been struggling for a
variety of reasons including changing consumer habits, rising costs and lingering supply-chain challenges.

Another problem has been Sapporo, the Japanese beer company that bought
the brand in 2017. Employees complained to VinePair last month about
Sapporo’s alleged mismanagement and lack of understanding of craft beer in
the US. In addition, a 2021 rebrand of Anchor was also criticized for
pivoting too far away from the brand’s classic look.

“This was an extremely difficult decision that Anchor reached only after
many months of careful evaluation,” said Anchor Brewing spokesperson Sam Singer. He added that the “impacts of the pandemic, inflation, especially
in San Francisco, and a highly competitive market left the company with no option but to make this sad decision to cease operations.”

Workers at Anchor, which employs 61 people, were given a legally mandated 60-day notice Wednesday and will receive “transition support and
separation packages.” Brewing has stopped immediately and beer on hand
will still be sold through the end of July.

Last month, Anchor cut national distribution, limiting its sales to just California, and announced it was ending production of its fan-favorite Christmas Ale after nearly 50 years in production. (A “small volume” of
its Christmas Ale is now being sold at its tap houses until it runs out.)

Anchor said that those decisions were made to “reduce costs while final attempts were made to evaluate all possible outcomes,” however, “in the
end, expenses simply continued to outstrip revenues, leaving the company
with no other viable choice.”

Sapporo has made “repeated efforts” over the last year to sell the
business, Anchor said. But those efforts have failed, though Anchor did
say it’s “possible that a buyer will step forward for the brewery as part
of the liquidation process.”

Anchor got its start in 1896 in San Francisco, becoming the nation’s
first-ever craft brewery. Fritz Maytag, a descendent of the Maytag
Corporation, bought Anchor in 1965 when it was on the verge of bankruptcy
and helped usher in the craft beer industry in the US. Its most notable
brew was Steam Beer, a pale ale.

Under Sapporo’s ownership, production of Anchor’s beer has largely
declined every year (except in 2021), according to the Brewers
Association. Brewbound, a beer industry website, previously reported that Sapporo’s recent purchase of craft brewer Stone Brewing sparked concerns
among Anchor’s employees of how their brewery fits into Sapporo’s plans.

Sapporo didn’t respond to a request for comment.

The state of craft breweries hasn’t improved this year. NIQ data given to
Craft Business Daily showed the category’s sales are down nearly 4% year
to date and volume is down more than 7%, showing that “craft has had a
tough start to 2023,” the publication said.

“This is a sad day in the history of craft brewing in America,” Harry Schuhmacher, Craft Business Daily’s publisher told CNN. “I know Fritz must
be heartbroken. He literally nurtured that brewery from insolvency in the
60s to becoming San Francisco’s hometown beer and symbolic of America’s
craft beer resurgence.”

Anchor’s closure “highlights the sustained economic headwinds” facing
craft brewers, Brian Crawford, CEO of the Beer Institute, told CNN.
“Between unnecessary and harmful tariffs imposed on aluminum, to continued supply chain disruptions, to dubious tax loopholes for hard liquor
products, the beer industry faces significant challenges.”

https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/12/business/anchor-brewing-shutting- down/index.html

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