Craft Beer Still Leading Beverage Market in Growth…
Forget about what you may hear about bottled water, energy drinks and ultra low carb (i.e. ultra low flavor) beer; the craft beer segment is outpacing all of them. The large breweries are quite aware of this fact, as it has been happening again and again for the last three years. They have seen a loss of market share to these small, creative renegade brewers called craft brewers. Many of the big boys are trying to get in on it, but because a good portion of craft beer consumers tends to be somewhat “anti-establishment,” the door is closed. Even true-blue craft breweries like Samuel Adams (Boston Beer Company) are being shunned because they appear too large, too widely available.
The growth trend for wine has also slowed down and has shifted toward the more premium priced labels. The craft beer segment is gaining market within the same consumer demographic as for premium wine, typically the highly educated consumer. Apparently the door has been opened by these “epicurious” consumers wanting to try something new and cutting edge such as craft beer. This is why we see more and more perennial wine critics and editors talking about the virtues and complexity of craft beer. Food and Wine magazine’s senior wine editor has recently been making the rounds on the Morning shows and even on The View to proclaim to the ladies that “Beer is the new wine.”
West Virginia’s consumers are largely missing out on this trend. This is due to our beer laws which have hardly changed since the repeal of Prohibition. Nearly every other state has seen to it that their beer laws were modernized to assure its citizens have access to world-class products. West Virginia has kept up to date when it comes to wine legislation, but because of pressure from large brewery lobbyists, such changes for beer have been stalled. Prohibition wiped out almost all of the small local breweries that existed in America, leaving large companies like Miller and Anheuser-Busch standing to basically dominate the post-prohibition market, and they want to keep the status-quo. I truly hope Ms. Carrie Nation and her bible and hatchet wielding “Temperance” friends have been sent to a nice warm spot in hell with no beer to quench their thirst! (Not even Michelob Ultra!)
So what is a craft beer? The Brewers Association (www.beertown.org) is a trade and lobby organization that defines craft beer as basically small production (less than 2 million barrels per year) and made by independently owned breweries. Very few come close to exceeding those criteria. For the verbatim definition or to look at more in depth market stats click here.
August 21st, 2007 at 2:13 pm
[…] Contact the Webmaster Craft Beer Still Leading Beverage Market in Growth… » This Summary is from an article posted at Beers To You on Tuesday, August 21, 2007 Craft Beer Still Leading Beverage Market in Growth… August 21st, 2007 by rich ireland [ beer-growth.jpg] … and even on The View to proclaim to the ladies that “Beer is the new wine.” West Virginia’s consumers … modernized to assure its citizens have access to world-class products. West Virginia has kept up to date Summary Provided by Technorati.comView Original Article at Beers To You » 10 Most Recent News Articles About West 8 […]
August 24th, 2007 at 8:30 am
The summary is wrong, DUH! Yep, Carrie, Elliot Ness & Billy Sunday. Down there with old Alphonse Capone & Dillenger, Luciani & the rest of the prohibitionist. Look at what they did to this country. We lost the tavern culture.So, many people die on the highways, thanks to them & the temperance/prohibitionist!!. Because other people have not been educated like in Europe. Alcohol has been put on such a pedstal & demonized, thus an abstance only ads are being seen on TV & other media. (See also: sex education) Which has been proven to be an utter failure! Thus, the 21st Admendment.
August 29th, 2007 at 9:44 am
[…] Am I over reacting? Have I been so “beer starved” that I’m acting like a state-pen inmate on “Ice Cream” night? No! We have really seen some change in the area and no, I am not experiencing the “beer-geek held hostage” equivalent of Stockholm syndrome when I thank the Budweiser behemoth Central Distributing for the change we are experiencing. The three beers that I mentioned are really available in Charleston and it’s all due to Central Distributing Company’s apparently recent realization and acceptance that selling good quality beer along with the usual macro-swill is a sound business decision. Many such large distributors must be seeing the growth numbers, and I am sure they want to get in on the success. They now know that they can’t just sit and wait for their “mega brewery” masters to endow them with the right products to sell; it cannot and will not happen. In fact, some of these macro brewers are in craft beer denial. They think this is just a passing fad. What products do they think will capture the palates of the American consumer? How about Miller Chill! You know, the one with the lime and salt already added. That sounds like such a profound product that I am sure its luster will never fade…. Yuk! […]
September 27th, 2007 at 6:42 am
If AB. aand Millers won’t make the specialty brews then the enterprising small guys will, besides, there’s room in there for everyone. Let free enterprise go!! I’ll drink to that.(will U be my Designated driver?)