Oldenberg's Heidrich addresses Kentucky beer wholesalers.

David Heidrich, president of the Oldenberg Brewing Co. in Ft. Mitchell, KY, addressed the Kentucky Beer Wholesalers Association this past fall at their annual convention and trade show, held October 15-16 in Lexington's Campbell House Inn. His remarks were reported in the December\January edition of the KBWA newsletter.

"I like wholesalers," Heidrich said. "I really do. The three-tier system is obviously working and is the best system we have. I think that wholesalers do add value to the system, and wholesalers need to find new ways to continue to do that."

Then, Heidrich paused and smiled. "Here it comes, the but."

"But, from a microbrewers point of view," he said, "I wish we could work together on developing new and innovative ways to market our product together to the public. Don't be so quick to shut the door and close out opportunities. We need to work together to develop solutions on how to distribute products in the future."

Heidrich challenged the wholesalers to develop innovative ways to market microbrewed beers to select markets, using some of the same methods that wholesalers have used successfully for bigger brands.

"Microbrews need the same level of service and expertise," he said. "In some cases, even more so.

"Over the last few years," he continued, "the number of microbrews that have come into existence has been huge. But, within the last year, we are seeing more and more of these microbrews fall by the wayside. part of it is the natural rise and fall in the marketplace. Part of it has to do with market trends and the notions of consumers. Part of it, to be sure, has to do with management. And part of it, in my opinion, has to do with the TV piece on the Samuel Adams issue of where some microbrews are actually brewed. Whether you were for the piece or not, I think it did great damage to the credibility of the entire microindustry. If people are going to pay a premium price, they ought to have confidence they are getting a premium product"

In his conclusion, Heidrich said, "We've seen a lot of change in the beer industry, and I think we will continue to see change. But if I had a Christmas wish list, one of the things I would ask for is for wholesalers to develop a way to better distribute microbrewer's product lines."