Pay to play in the beer biz

Deb Carey, co-owner, New Glarus Brewing Co. wrote:Brewers call Chicago a whores' market.

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/ ... tion-finds

nr706 wrote:http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20101120/ISSUE01/311209986/pay-to-play-infects-chicago-beer-market-crains-investigation-finds

Excellent article. Thanks for posting, NR.

"Mike Roper, who owns Michael & Louise's Hopleaf Bar in Andersonville, says large brewers and bars have a strong incentive to keep pay-to-play alive. The bars get free beer and lower costs while the brewers gain access to lucrative outlets. Though Hopleaf is one of the city's best-known gastropubs, featuring 34 regional microbrews and specialty beers from Belgium on draft, a bar in Wrigleyville will sell more draft beer on a Chicago Cubs game day than Hopleaf will sell in a month, he says."

Economic realities dictate that some places cut deals to increase profitability. Thank goodness there are places like Hopleaf that are able to hold their own by offering non-mainstream brews.

Yeah, great article; thanks. All I could think as I read it was that this is why Chicago is not as great a beer town as it should be and why it likely will not become one without some fundamental changes.