More bad news for beer lovers

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mattwnz

20107 posts

Uber Geek

#713541 7-Nov-2012 14:42

LookingUp: If F&P were world class they would be worth worrying about. Read the dishwasher thread - who in their right mind would by an F&P product these days? Yes, once they were something to be proud of, but those days are gone, and their sale is but the final nail...

Beer on the other hand, is significantly more important than white-ware! I can buy a German appliance that will last 20 years and I can effectively forget about it, but I buy beer somewhat more often and certainly get a LOT more enjoyment from it.

Their washing machines are good, and fridges are ok. They are mid range, not top of the range, so you do get what you pay for. German appliances cost a lot more, so you expect them to last longer.
Beer is very low tech compared to the tech that has gone into developing the smartdrive and their new fridge coolant system, which I believe is so good, that they had licensed to other manufacturers. The chinese got it for a steel.
The entry into making beer is very low, hence many are started in the garage. So I don't see any great loss at all. Heaps of competition too as a result of this. But it is almost impossible now to setup an appliance manufacturer in NZ, even if it is all made offshore and designed in NZ, like apple does. F&P is still a very good name overseas, and I would say the brand name in NZ is better than most other appliance brands in NZ in that mid range market.

LookingUp

411 posts

Ultimate Geek

#713586 7-Nov-2012 16:00

Ahh, but we're talking top of the line beer here, not "mid range", which is entirely my point.

If I want "blah" beer I've got lots to choose from and may as well make my choice on price, just as there's a plethora of mid-range white-ware that is generally bought on the same basis. I find it about has hard to get excited about F&P since they shut down a lot of their NZ manufacturing as I do to get excited about DB or Lion branded "beer", including several that used to be nice when imported but now taste generic now they're made under licence.

Craft beer on the other hand requires more (consumer) investment but delivers far greater reward in terms of flavour and involvement.

Tui, an East India Pale Ale - Yeah Right!

Things are LookingUp.... A photo from my back yard :-)

stevenz

2802 posts

Uber Geek

#713587 7-Nov-2012 16:04

F&P make mediocre products that perform boring functions. The fact that the functions are fairly vital is easily overlooked, still boring.

A mans beer is something entirely different!

I remember my student days used to involve a fair bit of Emerson's Bookbinder Bitter. It's become too expensive to justify buying from bars these days sadly.

Supposedly it's good business to always view your business from the standpoint of making it attractive to people to buy as a going concern.

History doesn't speak well towards hopes for Emersons ongoing quality, but these days there are so many quality alternatives, it's not the loss it once would've been. Mr. Emerson has presumably done well out of the deal, good on him.

Is Meenan's still in Dunedin? They made a pretty serious brew.

@KnightNZ

mattwnz

20107 posts

Uber Geek

#713589 7-Nov-2012 16:08

Some of F&P's stuff is top of the market, at least the price is, although I personally haven't purchased any of it so don't know the quality.Some of it though is possibly rebadged. The quality of craft beer varies, but sometimes the only difference is just the brand name on it. Look at Vodka, much of it is the same, or very similar, yet the brand name on it is the point of difference. Water is possibly the same. People will pay more for a good brand name on the bottle, even if it is basically the same thing.

kiwitrc

4123 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#713730 7-Nov-2012 19:22

Just had a Lion Bookbinder. It already tastes crap.

oxnsox

1923 posts

Uber Geek

#713810 7-Nov-2012 20:55

LookingUp:
For anyone in Chch looking for a decent pint or 3 check out Volstead in Riccarton. Well hidden, but worth the search. A very good range of Moa on tap, 5 "hand pull" craft beers that change as fast as the 20 litre casks run out, and a fridge full of exotic bottled beers. A worthy spot!

...and Golden Eagle brewery from Rolleston are apparently relocating to the building next door, along with another micro brewer.