Pyramid leaving Nebraska?

I just got the latest Beertopia newsletter and while I am not a fan of Pyramid beers, I have never had Snow Cap which I have heard is good, I was a little surprised that they were pulling out of the Midwest including Nebraska.

So first of all, if you are a fan of those beers, head out and pick them up before you no longer can. On a different note, I hope this is not a sign of things to come. Pyramid was a publicly traded company and was recently bought out by Magic Hat. That connection may have something to do with it but I doubt it. I hope they are pulling out because other beer brands have squeezed it out of our market as we have become more educated customers in Nebraska and the Midwest. I hope that more regional craft brewers have become successful and have taken market share from Pyramid.

What I don't want to see is those regional breweries we love to see here to start pulling out and I don't want to see non-regional breweries not wanting to enter our market. I am hoping this is just a Pyramid/Magic Hat problem and not an industry problem.

I think our local craft brewers would agree that competition is good and the better the competition and the better the palette education the better the sales. So losing, what I consider a entry level craft beer, may reduce competition but I am hoping it is just a trend and a sign that the Midwest palette is maturing past easy entry level beers and into more adventurous beers. I hope Pyramid is retooling and this is just that process and will be back with less of a entry level feel in the future too.

A guy can dream and hope.

Also, be sure to get your tickets for Beertopia's Extreme Beerfest, they go on sale next week for the event on March 7th. More details to come.