Ratebeer sells to AB InBev

I am happy for you Joe and hope this turned out well for you. The chance for a better ratebeer gives me hope. But its Budweiser. These are not friends of good craft beer and you know my politics are not of someone with a kneejerk hatred of corporations. But this corporation? You had to expect a negative reaction.

I still plan to re up next month. Maybe we can have a beer when i am in Portland this summer.

Originally posted by JK
I am happy for you Joe and hope this turned out well for you. The chance for a better ratebeer gives me hope. But its Budweiser. These are not friends of good craft beer and you know my politics are not of someone with a kneejerk hatred of corporations. But this corporation? You had to expect a negative reaction.

I still plan to re up next month. Maybe we can have a beer when i am in Portland this summer.

A few things I know.
1) RateBeer is really important to me. It’s actually scary how much so. Many, if not most of my friends I hang out regularly with are due to RB is some way or another. I love rating. I love drinking. I even enjoy spending time in the forums. I’ve organized a Summer Gathering and I’ve been an admin for about eight years. During that time I’ve spent countless hours working on the site and just having fun. I’ve traveled all around the world and met RBians and seen the most amazing generosity- it is truly amazing and singular. No other site does this like RB does. I’ve probably had 20+ people crash at my house who I’d never met in person or only met once. But I never had a single concern or issue. RB is a great place. But honestly, it has been stagnant for awhile even while the beer scene explodes.
2) I know JoeT. He’s a friend and has been for many years. He’s smart, careful and honest. I trust him.
3) I don’t trust AB InBev. I don’t know how much I worry about them, but I do worry. Undoubtedly they have shady practices and would destroy the very beer scene that I love so much if they could. But they cannot. And they know that. This is important. Perhaps this is less about killing craft beer and more about riding the wave. That still sucks in some primal way: after all, they were/are the enemy for most of us. I still drink all of the brands that they’ve bought out and hell, I’ll drink a Bud if there isn’t anything else. BCS is still good. But I’m worried about this for sure.
4) 1+2 overcome 3. By a lot. I’ll keep working for RB and planting my flag here. But I worry. I know that RB really differentiates itself by the history it has and the connections to breweries and the beer scene. Many will be less forgiving than me.
I’m drinking a beer tonight for RB. Here’s to this working and to a stronger website.

Originally posted by douglas88
A few things I know.
1) RateBeer is really important to me. It’s actually scary how much so. Many, if not most of my friends I hang out regularly with are due to RB is some way or another. I love rating. I love drinking. I even enjoy spending time in the forums. I’ve organized a Summer Gathering and I’ve been an admin for about eight years. During that time I’ve spent countless hours working on the site and just having fun. I’ve traveled all around the world and met RBians and seen the most amazing generosity- it is truly amazing and singular. No other site does this like RB does. I’ve probably had 20+ people crash at my house who I’d never met in person or only met once. But I never had a single concern or issue. RB is a great place. But honestly, it has been stagnant for awhile even while the beer scene explodes.
2) I know JoeT. He’s a friend and has been for many years. He’s smart, careful and honest. I trust him.
3) I don’t trust AB InBev. I don’t know how much I worry about them, but I do worry. Undoubtedly they have shady practices and would destroy the very beer scene that I love so much if they could. But they cannot. And they know that. This is important. Perhaps this is less about killing craft beer and more about riding the wave. That still sucks in some primal way: after all, they were/are the enemy for most of us. I still drink all of the brands that they’ve bought out and hell, I’ll drink a Bud if there isn’t anything else. BCS is still good. But I’m worried about this for sure.
4) 1+2 overcome 3. By a lot. I’ll keep working for RB and planting my flag here. But I worry. I know that RB really differentiates itself by the history it has and the connections to breweries and the beer scene. Many will be less forgiving than me.
I’m drinking a beer tonight for RB. Here’s to this working and to a stronger website.

Has anyone figured out how to export their RateBeer ratings to a site that isn’t ABI-affiliated?

Originally posted by ClarkVV

Originally posted by northropfrye

Originally posted by ClarkVV

Originally posted by northropfrye
I get that they’re probably not going to try to "AB InBev-ize" ratebeer or mess with the ratings. I don’t think anyone’s worried about that. But it does make you wonder what AB InBev gains from this? What is their motivation? We know what their motivation is in buying craft breweries - they want to kill craft beer and take back market share, etc. So, if their motivation in buying craft breweries is to kill craft beer, what would be their motivation be in this investment?
This aids them in their mission because it pisses off a lot of users. That’s their goal. Get the principled craft beer fans angry, so they’ll stop rating or realize their fight against big beer is futile.
I get that if you’ve got a few thousands ratings on ratebeer, you’re probably not going anywhere, as you’ve got too much time invested in it already.
But how is ratebeer going to attract new users now that this news is public? The next time you go to a pub, are you going to admit to people you’re a RateBeer user? The first thing they’ll say is "It’s owned by InBev." So people are going to stop telling others to join. And if RateBeer does attract new users, it’s going to be sort of people who don’t care about the war against big beer...and, in that way, the ratings will get skewed. Eventually it becomes like UnTappd...just a social network with lots of people who are not really into beer and don’t really know anything about it.
Or this could just be paranoia talking....

Dude. AB InBev did not buy a share. No, Im not splitting hairs. People are missing this very large point. Yes it is still Big Business but they are independently run companies with widely different business models and aims. You should inform yourself about ZX Ventures before posting.

I get the moral objections to a company funded by them but ZX Ventures is not here to do any of what you posted, including pissing off users....

Well, they had to have known it would piss off users. How could they not know that? From ZX’s own website: "ZX Ventures is a global incubator, operator, and venture capital team backed by Anheuser-Busch InBev." They’re not hiding the ABInBev connection. You can say they have different aims than AB InBev, but then you have to ask why is AB InBev backing them if their aims are different? Follow the money, right?

This is a better question than your first one by a mile.
I hate to enter in to speculation but I would guess ABI are backing them for a purely monetary aim. Just further diversifying their portfolio.
I believe ZX Ventures would not do something that would piss off ABI and I’m sure on major financial decisions, ZX has to take in to account what ABI’s position and interest would be.
However, this is not a major financial decision for ZX. This is literally peanut shells to ZX and ABI. I think this is an organic endeavor (well, as organic an endeavor as you’ll get from a firm the size of ZX) by ZX that has nothing to with ABI.

Some users are saying they are leaving RB for moral reasons.

A number of these same users found it morally acceptable to use RB without putting a penny into it and then complain that Joe sold out.

Maybe if everyone who used the site regularly, had a premium account, as would be morally correct. Ratebeer would have had the funds to progress alone.

I certainly see a lot of cherry picking of what people are going to be morally outraged about.

For those people who have paid in or put in time and effort to help run or develop Ratebeer who feel this is unpalatable. I feel for you guys, but would say give it a go, let’s see what happens at least.

I can see "corporste speech" but what does "disruptive growth " mean?

Originally posted by SarkyNorthener
Some users are saying they are leaving RB for moral reasons.

A lot of these same users found it morally acceptable to use RB without putting a penny into it and then complain that Joe sold out.

Maybe if everyone who used the site regularly had a premium account, as would be morally correct. Ratebeer would have had the funds to progress alone.

I certainly see a lot of cherry picking of what people are going to be morally outraged about.

For those people who have paid in or put in time and effort to help run or develop beer who feel this is unpalatable. I feel for you guys, but would say give it a go, let’s see what happens at least.

Originally posted by Reid

Originally posted by SarkyNorthener
Some users are saying they are leaving RB for moral reasons.

A lot of these same users found it morally acceptable to use RB without putting a penny into it and then complain that Joe sold out.

Maybe if everyone who used the site regularly had a premium account, as would be morally correct. Ratebeer would have had the funds to progress alone.

I certainly see a lot of cherry picking of what people are going to be morally outraged about.

For those people who have paid in or put in time and effort to help run or develop beer who feel this is unpalatable. I feel for you guys, but would say give it a go, let’s see what happens at least.

..if any anti In-Bev thread is shut down i will leave