Posted on 11/11/2018 8:54:19 AM PST by Olog-hai
Pabst Brewing Company and MillerCoors are going to trial, with hipster favorite Pabst contending that MillerCoors wants to put it out of business by ending a longstanding partnership through which it brews Pabst’s beers.
The case has high stakes for Pabst, whose lawyers argue that the company’s very existence relies on the partnership with Chicago-based MillerCoors, which produces, packages and ships nearly all its products, which include Pabst Blue Ribbon, Old Milwaukee, Natty Boh and Lone Star.
MillerCoors, meanwhile, says it’s not obligated to continue brewing for Pabst and that Pabst doesn’t want to pay enough to justify doing so.
The trial in Milwaukee County Circuit Court begins Monday and is scheduled through Nov. 30.
Pabst’s attorneys have said in court documents and hearings that MillerCoors LLC is lying about its brewing capacity to break away from Pabst and capture its share of the cheap beer market by disrupting Pabst’s ability to compete.
At a March hearing in which MillerCoors tried to have the lawsuit dismissed, Pabst attorney Adam Paris said “stunning documents” obtained from MillerCoors show that it went as far as hiring a consultant to “figure out ways to get rid of us.”
MillerCoors has called that a mischaracterization of the consultant’s work. …
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
Pabst, don’t subcontract your beer.
Pabst, it really was not so good to know you.
They can solve it over a beer?
Hey Pabst: The old Olympia Brewing is vacant and ready to start producing cheap beer again - why not buy that and actually make some beer yourselves?
Yeah, I don’t know how Pabst wins this one.
Flexing their monopoly position in a regulated industry.
Pabst vs Miller
I choose Genny Cream Ale. :)
Sounds like Pabst is screwed. Miller/Coors contract is up 2020. Don’t think Miller/Coors can be forced to brew for Pabst.
Pabst is definitely the best of the cheaper standard american beers. I have to admit it’s been a few years since i had one though
There are some truly awful, horrible beers being discussed here.
None of these named beverages are worthy.
Subcontracting beer, from a competitor,
then complains when competitor acts like a competitor
The dirt is in the contract details...
Just as all mergers must just Justice Department approval, a business move such as this is anti-competitive and could be a “trust” violation.
They also make Schlitz. Mmmm.
why does’t Pabst just brew its own beer?
Why would a brewery pay competitive brewery to make its products, then whine about it?
That would be as ridiculous as the United States paying Russia to produce engines for our space rockets.
(Oh... wait)
The old names in American brewing are not the worst examples one could use to point out how the third generation scuttles a family business.
I'm sort of a European beer snob. I probably hadn't had any Pabst since I was too young to drink it legally (so pre-1968).
But a place I go to every once in a while sells 16 oz PBR cans for two bucks vs at least four for any other brew. So I've had some in the past couple of years. And in those limited quantities, I rather enjoyed it.
ML/NJ
From what I understand, Pabst stopped brewing its own beer and contracted with Millers/Coors to brew their beer for them.
Now Millers/Coors wants to use their own factories to brew their own beers when the contract with Pabst expires. Pabst is suing have a court force their competitor to continue brewing beer for them.
I’m long past the point where I’d rather have a 6 pack of cheap beer than one or two nice beers, so I don’t have a dog in this fight. But Millers/Coors position seems very reasonable, even it means the end of PBRs.
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