Comments on The State of The Craft Beer Industry

Today in Washington D.C., the Brewers Association held a presentation going over the current state of the industry. Here are some items that popped out at me, along with my comments. Cheers

Craft Pricing up 3.5%/$1.11/Case in Scans

Good for craft brewers, bad for beer drinkers.  My dad fell in love when he had Samuel Adams Alpine spring on tap at a restaurant, but was floored when he saw it was $10.00 a six pack at his local liquor warehouse.  Let’s hope this doesn’t go up every year, and that brewers can still grow with volume.

409 Openings in 2012, 1,254 Breweries in Planning, 15% Volume Growth, 43 Craft Breweries Closed in 2012

Unfortunately, there will be some Johnny come latelies who are looking at the growth numbers  and are looking to make a buck.  As mentioned in the teleconference, the ones who have passion for making craft beer will survive.  Hopefully some of the under loved regions of the US will benefit from this.

Nearly 100 Craft Breweries over 15,000 BBLS

It will be interesting to watch how the game is changed over the next 5 years with breweries like Sierra Nevada, New Belgium, Oskar Blues, Deschutes and Stone Brewing Co.  Relatively speaking, the once little guys will be soon be big guys in the market, and am wondering who will go public, and what will these pioneers do to keep their foothold and continue growth.

U.S. Craft Brewer Exports is 189,050 BBLS

All fluff aside, commercial brewers at all levels have to sell their beer to keep their lights on.  As a kid, grownups made a big deal about drinking Import beers, it’s amazing to see folks from around the world buying and enjoying US made craft beer.

SymphonyIRI Top 10 Craft Beer Styles in 2012: 1. Seasonal 2. IPA 3. Pale Ale 4. Variety 5. Amber Ale  6. Amber Lager 7. Wheat

Um…Seasonal and Variety are not styles. So let’s forget those are mentioned.  As a lover of IPA and Pale Ale, I am glad to see that being the trend. 5, 6 and 7 are great gateway styles, and also something old school beer drinkers would like as an alternative to their fizzy yellow stuff.

Top 5 States for 2012 Brewery Openings: 1. California 2. Colorado 3. Texas 4. Washington 5. Michigan

We love our beer here in CA, and the weather is beautiful.  Texas is great news, as they have a ton of thirsty people, and their stupid alcohol laws are slowly loosening with the times.