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There have been two very hot topics in the world of craft beer over the past few years.
First, there are the buy-outs.
Today, Oregon had another one. The Brewbound blog reports that a majority stake in Hop Valley has been acquired by MillerCoors for an undisclosed sum. The purchase follows on the heels of 10 Barrel, Ballast Point, Elysian and Lagunitas being bought for massive sums of money. In the case of Ballast Point, a billion dollars.
But unlike those other breweries, there will be no mourning period for Hop Valley. They make very, very average beer with shiny packaging. It's the IPA your mom brings over for dinner because she knows you like hoppy beers and it says "hop" right there on the label.
Related: We Drank All The Double IPAs Available in Portland To Find The Best
Nikos Ridge, co-owner of Ninkasi, another Eugene Brewery, did throw a little shade, which will likely be the last you hear of it.
"We are always disappointed when a member of the craft industry becomes part of one of the big two macrobreweries," Ridge told the Register-Guard. "The craft industry was built on being the antithesis of big beer, and has been competing successfully with the global conglomerates for the last 30 years."
But there is a second big issue in play over the past few years: the increasing awareness of sexism in craft beer.
Hop Valley is also notable for being embroiled in controversies related to sexism in their naming. They make a beer called Double B Blonde, which has been dubbed "eyeroll worthy" in their town, in an era when strip club crawls at beer industry events have become a divisive topic.
They also once sold a beer called Mouth Raper.
Yup, Mouth Raper.
That whole scandal was called out by Beervana blogger and local treasure Jeff Alworth, and I won't repeat all the details but, uh, you can imagine how well this went over with Jezebel. But the people responsible for that name are still involved with the company now, as they say they held on to a large stake.
"As more and more women get into the craft of brewing, perhaps it's a good enough time as any to seriously consider the message you might be sending, even with something that you think is as meaningless as the name of a beer," Jezebel wrote.
And yet, they still make Double D along with Citrus Mistress.
How are names like that going to play out in the years to come? It should be interesting.
Willamette Week