(Escondido, CA) – Stone Brewing CEO, Greg Koch, does his best Twisted Sister impression.



Stone beers are being shipped to countries where Stone doesn’t officially distribute and Koch is not gonna take it. Australian Brews News reports that Stone beers are illegally (may just be breach of contract) being imported to Australia along with beers from Sierra Nevada Brewing and Flagstaff Brewing. Quite different from trading with an overseas buddy, these beers are actually available for sale on shelves without an importer’s stamp on them. A U.S. distributor (or multiple distributors) is likely either a) disposing of old product the easy way to a region starved for American-made craft beers that, otherwise, can’t get them or b) are making a quick profit by charging importers in other countries a premium for them….or some combination of both.

Some in Australia are applauding those distributors and retailers partaking in this “grey market” as Robin Hood-like saviors but the breweries aren’t happy about it. Koch is stern about the damage this causes for his brand in the video above and Sierra Nevada stands issues a decisive statement on the matter in that post on ABN. Where possible, small brewers are increasingly moving toward all-refrigerated distribution as a way of upholding the quality of their beer during long periods of travel to the point of sale. It would seem that Stone and Sierra Nevada aren’t big on the idea of legal exporting either. Stone is even going to the lengths of looking into opening a European brewery rather than ship beer there.

On the other hand, there are many small brewers who view *legal* exporting as perfectly fine. In fact, the Brewers Association has been heavily pushing its export development program and has another shipment going to the UK through Vertical Drinks sometime this winter. One of the leaders in the craft beer export program, Rogue Ales is even available legally in Australia and as far as Asia. But it makes one wonder…how do the quality of these exported beers compare to the same brews available on shelves here?

The shady practice of distributors sending around bootleg brews isn’t exactly a new one. A New York City bar was caught with 50 cases of New Glarus Spotted Cow at this time last year. This past summer, New Belgium Fat Tire meandered into another New York City bar somehow…despite not being distributed in New York.

Then there are the stories about people hand-bottling beers from bars for their friends. A Google search for “hand bottle” on the two largest beer sites on the internet, Beer Advocate and RateBeer, yields around 4,000 results. Most brewers would probably contend that they don’t want their beer reviewed at all if not served directly on tap or from one of their own bottles.

The issue came to somewhat of a head in 2008 when a 3L bottle of one of the top-rated beers in the world at the time, Struise Black Albert, was shared at a tasting party. The bottle did not travel well and some of those who tasted the beer posted poor ratings online. The issue caused much strife as it affected Struise’s reputation as a beermaker.

No matter where you stand on these issues, it serves as a reminder of just how much selection many of us craft beer drinkers have here in the U.S. in 2010. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, that is something for which to be very thankful.