(2011-04-04) Sam Adams Beer Related Microlending

Boston Beer Company, makers of Sam Adams Beer, is working with Accion International to do hospitality-related MicroLending. Helping other small businesses — even other craft brewers — keeps his company in the mind-set of a start-up and close to its entrepreneurial roots, he said.

An interesting approach to the Innovators Dilemma? Maybe not, since the lending is pretty divorced from its core operation. And if SamAdams decided to do something competitive with one of its lending clients ("great idea, thanks!"), that would create all sorts of weird issues.