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Craft Beer Is the Strangest, Happiest Economic Story in America

theatlantic.com

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Re: Craft Beer Is the Strangest, Happiest Economic Story in America

#91

Post by marpstar »

mylons wrote: post #89
partiallypro wrote: post #87

I, for one, absolutely hate the craft beer revolution in the U.S.; a lot of restaurants are changing out their taps of beers that are universally liked for craft beers. It's basically impossible to get a Stella or Heineken on tap now, everything on tap is Bud Light and a ton of craft beers. There are a few places that haven't fallen into this, but it's a big problem. I hate it. I love Belgian and German beers and it…

i guess they weren't universally liked if they're getting changed out for craft brews.

you can charge more for craft beers.

Re: Craft Beer Is the Strangest, Happiest Economic Story in America

#93

Post by phaus »

mylons wrote: post #89
partiallypro wrote: post #87

I, for one, absolutely hate the craft beer revolution in the U.S.; a lot of restaurants are changing out their taps of beers that are universally liked for craft beers. It's basically impossible to get a Stella or Heineken on tap now, everything on tap is Bud Light and a ton of craft beers. There are a few places that haven't fallen into this, but it's a big problem. I hate it. I love Belgian and German beers and it…

i guess they weren't universally liked if they're getting changed out for craft brews.

Since we've decided to be unnecessarily snarky to strangers, I guess you've never seen a business make a decision that doesn't necessarily have a positive impact on its customer base. That makes you essentially the only one in the known universe that hasn't noticed such a thing.

Re: Craft Beer Is the Strangest, Happiest Economic Story in America

#94

Post by toomanybeersies »

chx wrote: post #14

Eventually alcohol usage will be looked upon with great fascination of a custom of a barbarian age: "They used to actually drink poison for thousands of years but we have moved on." It'll take time but it'll happen.

Humanity has always tried to find a way to get intoxicated, whether it's beer, or drinking hallucinogenic reindeer urine. It's a basic human instinct.

Maybe society will move past alcohol, but it will still be getting inebriated on something else.

Re: Craft Beer Is the Strangest, Happiest Economic Story in America

#95

Post by xzel »

partiallypro wrote: post #87

I, for one, absolutely hate the craft beer revolution in the U.S.; a lot of restaurants are changing out their taps of beers that are universally liked for craft beers. It's basically impossible to get a Stella or Heineken on tap now, everything on tap is Bud Light and a ton of craft beers. There are a few places that haven't fallen into this, but it's a big problem. I hate it. I love Belgian and German beers and it…

I'm not sure where you're drinking but I've most bars will have a basic Pils on tap, most likely a Stella or Heineken at that. Any decent bar will have some random German or German style beer made by a more local brewery on tap.

Regardless, your premise of bars changing out taps of universally liked is incredible subjective. Wouldn't they be pick beers that they think you be more liked by their public to increase sales?

I do agree the purchasing of craft beer lines by conglomerates is something to be concerned about but I like to think of those beers just being consistently available. It normally doesn't change the taste. The taste of Goose Island Sofie and Matilda beers, for example, are still great, and Blue Moon is still terrible, in my opinion of course.

Re: Craft Beer Is the Strangest, Happiest Economic Story in America

#96

Post by partiallypro »

mylons wrote: post #89
partiallypro wrote: post #87

I, for one, absolutely hate the craft beer revolution in the U.S.; a lot of restaurants are changing out their taps of beers that are universally liked for craft beers. It's basically impossible to get a Stella or Heineken on tap now, everything on tap is Bud Light and a ton of craft beers. There are a few places that haven't fallen into this, but it's a big problem. I hate it. I love Belgian and German beers and it…

i guess they weren't universally liked if they're getting changed out for craft brews.

Craft beers are cheaper for restaurants and have a higher profit margin, and there's the "community" factor of having local brews; and in some cases just some "good ole boy" attitude. There are a lot of incentives. It has not much to do with net sales, because it is offset by other incentives. Customers don't often complain, especially in bars that are for partying and generally just getting drunk. Who cares if this local brew tap doesn't get much requests? There is no feedback, and it just drives the people who like "imports" to buy bottles and the profit margin is even HIGHER there. It's a win/win for the restaurant/bar.

Re: Craft Beer Is the Strangest, Happiest Economic Story in America

#97

Post by chipotle_coyote »

aidenn0 wrote: post #81
wil421 wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is this a bad thing? I have so many more options than the cheap beer I started drinking. The Everyman beer still exists and many people still drink it. There are plenty of non $10 or $15 dollar pours to keep me happy. You don’t have to wait for releases. I only participate in lottery systems for limited liquor releases, screw the lines.

Totally OT, but maybe someone in this thread knows why my favorite everyman beer (Busch) seems to not be sold in California.

Walmart claims to have it in stock at their store in Mountain View, so I'm guessing it's sold here. I haven't gone looking myself, but Anheuser-Busch certainly distributes their big brands in California. It's possible that Busch itself just isn't that popular out here by mass market standards, though?

Re: Craft Beer Is the Strangest, Happiest Economic Story in America

#98

Post by nkrisc »

ovrdrv3 wrote: post #35

Love craft beer and I am glad my 125K city has 5 of them, but /r/starterpacks was dead on with this one: https://i.redd.it/fio3hqlmuofy.jpg I will be confused if I ever walk into a microbrewery that doesn't look like that!

Within about three miles of my home in Chicago there are about five or six craft breweries plus two additional off-site taprooms for two of them. They all look like that. They're still great, though.

Re: Craft Beer Is the Strangest, Happiest Economic Story in America

#99

Post by EpicEng »

adventured wrote: post #88
fendmark wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not to be overly contrarian but it does seem that we are getting close to the peak for the craft beer industry. Smuttynose Brewery going up for auction is a great example of this. https://www.pressherald.com/2018/01/18/smuttynose-brewing-in... Many areas are getting over-saturated with microbreweries and there eventually won't be enough demand to sustain them. In retail, $10+ average price for a six pack, the even mo…

I agree the movement is likely nearing saturation on total number of microbreweries. However, $10 +/- a few dollars, for a six pack, is not a problem. The mediocre old domestics cost $7 to $10 around most of the US. Paying more is perfectly fine for a superior tasting product. Product price scaling works that way in most consumer goods, it makes sense.

>The mediocre old domestics cost $7 to $10 around most of the US

No they don't, not even close. The beers you're referring to cost that for a _12_ pack. 6 packs are ~$5.50, and you can walk into a bar and get a draft old domestic for around $2.00. Wherever you're buying your e.g. Bud Light, it doesn't represent "most places".

Re: Craft Beer Is the Strangest, Happiest Economic Story in America

#100

Post by hirsin »

mberning wrote: post #70

It’s very hard for me to reconcile. I love what craft brewing has done for the industry. But it has gone to a ridiculous and antithetical place. The culture has more in common with wine than beer at this point. It is no longer an “Everyman” drink. Waiting in line for releases. $10 and $15 pours. It’s a turnoff.

The high end of craft beer has flourished (Jester King, Perennial, Holy Mountain fetch insane prices imo on secondary markets and in person) but that didn't come at the expense of cheaper good beer too. Fremont makes 20 buck bombers but also puts out tons of Universale at $9 a six pack. Elysian too, but they've got ABI money.
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