Anheuser-Busch InBev has a minority stake in the online beer community. Sam Calagione, founder/ceo of Dogfish, thinks that’s a conflict of interest. So do we, because of the Golden Rule.
Not the Golden Rule you learned in Sunday School, but the Golden Rule of the real world of commerce: “He who has the gold makes the rules.” ABI may never suggest to the folks who run RateBeer.com that they should slant their ratings to or from ABI’s line, Dogfish or anyone else. But the people who run the site know who’s funding them.
“It just doesn’t seem right for a brewer of any kind to be in a position to potentially manipulate what consumers are hearing and saying about beers, how they are rated and which ones are receiving extra publicity on what might appear to be a legitimate, 100% user-generated platform,” Calagione said in his statement. “It is our opinion that this initiative and others are ethically dubious and that the lack of transparency is troubling.”
The Society of Professional Journalists has an ethics code which warns against conflicts of interest, financial favors, special treatment and similar issues. It’s based on the same sort of thinking that led Congress to prohibit tied houses as part of the Federal Alcohol Administration Act.
Burley Oak Brewing Co. has also asked RateBeer to removal all mentions of Burley Oak from its website.
“This is another tool for them to basically continue their anti-competitive pricing and shady distribution practices,” Brushmiller said.