Craft Beer is the New Black
I pride myself on ONLY drinking craft beer. A friend asked me the other day, "what do you think about Blue Moon? Or Shock Top? Or is that too 'corporate' for you?" I responded, "You already answered your question." How can I legitimize myself as a beer snob if I drink anything but local, independently-brewed ales and lagers? In light of NPR's All Things Considered Craft Beer analysis, I experienced the saddest day in my beer consumption after finding out so many beers marketed as craft were funded partially or entirely by the Big Two, Anheuser-Busch InBev and MillerCoors. Not only did I feel shame as a drinker and a craft beer enthusiast, but I was angry that the marketing deception techniques outsmarted me in the grocery aisle. After doing some extensive examination, and becoming obsessive about researching a craft brew before I purchase it, I have vowed to myself to never drink or purchase another beer claiming to be “craft” when it doesn’t abide the Brewer’s Association guidelines. When a company succeeds on successfully selling its product based on proper consumer awareness, it wins because of honest business and marketing strategies and not deceitful practices to make an extra dollar. If you ever took a business class, you know that earning a quick buck almost NEVER pays off in the long run.
While there are the obvious "corporate beers," such as Budweiser, Miller, Coors, etc, many people don't know that the two leading beer manufacturers (that’s a more appropriate term than "brewers" because CLEARLY they are more concerned with the bottom line than they are with the quality of their brands) Anheuser-Busch InBev and MillerCoors own more than 250 brands combined. 250! Even Samuel Adams, the leading independent brewery in the United States, hasn't even made 250 different types of beers. This is no reflection on Samuel Adams of course - how is a the US’s leading independent craft brewery with 840 employees, three breweries, and 2.5 million barrels of production per year supposed to compete with even Anheuser-Busch, which employs 116,000 people in 13 breweries in the US, generating over $8 billion in revenue a year?
One could argue that AB InBev and MillerCoors provide more JOBS for the struggling economy, that they are companies started by German and South African immigrants that made the "American dream" a reality, and that because of this rich history, they are tightly woven into the American culture. I can't disagree with these facts; they are true and indisputable.
But I can argue that our country prospered on small, independent businesses that focused on the quality over the quantity, that local communities were built around the culture of where the product was nurtured, and the local pride for a regional beer that was created based on the influencers in that area. What does AB InBev and MillerCoors have that is local? Considering they are all over the planet now and can only harken back to their modest roots from the mid-19th/early-20th century, I’d venture to guess they are grasping at straws to make local connections that are ultimately irrelevant in the modern day beer industry. How do singing frogs or even the emotionally evoking Clydesdale horse and owner relationship connect to an individual in a local way? While these big-budget commercials pull on our heartstrings and make us chuckle, they are AB InBev’s interpretation of America as a WHOLE, not an individual. The past was in the past, boys. Your roots were humble beginnings, but your corporate hunger and greed has diminished what your founders once started.
This is why I take a stand against large, corporate beers. They are SO BIG and SO RECOGNIZABLE due to their shareholder dollars and obscene marketing budgets, they have now rendered themselves generic. While not so literally are they falling prey to generic trademarking like Band-Aid, Kleenex, and Jell-O once did, but metaphorically speaking, they have forgotten the entire purpose of what beer means to consumers. Their rat race has distracted them from what started it all: making great beer that brings individuals into a thriving and cultural community.
So it comes of no surprise when the craft beer industry started to emerge on the scene in the mid-1980s/early-1990s. A recession was taking over and people began to see the cracks in the economy-controlling corporations, which I believe, lead consumers to build the need for a sense of local community that the Big Two clearly couldn't provide on a national level, nor cared to. Homebrewers started to think to themselves, “Hey, I made a pretty good lager or IPA that isn’t being created by anyone else… why not try to make a business out of this?” Small breweries started to pop up here and there, and fast-forward about 27 years, we now have over 2,400 breweries in the United States. And while these breweries collectively only account for 6.5% of the market share in the United States, four years ago, that crafty piece of pie was only 4%. In 2012, the number of operating craft breweries in the US increased 18%, employing over 108,000 people in 2012 (a 4.6% increase from 2011), and growing a $10.2 billion dollar value growth (17% increase!). The statistics released by the BA continue to reveal a very true theme: craft beer is becoming a demand and the growth of the industry is certainly reflecting that prospect.
Companies that focus on the product and their consumers on an INTIMATE level have proven to build more brand loyalty than tens of millions of dollars worth of Super Bowl commercials. I congratulate those larger independent breweries that experience healthy growth and success – it is the most basic example of how capitalism works and how it has prospered so many American brands that are now the world standard. But when the importance of growth begins to become more important than the purpose of the company (aka BREWING BEER), companies like AB InBev and MillerCoors lose their way and focus, thus, losing their loyal consumer-base overtime because our needs are no longer considered top priority.
The craft beer industry is continuing to grow, albeit gradually, but the Big Two are also declining in sales, creating an outlook that is promising for craft beer enthusiasts and an environment that is threatening to the big guys. Due to this, the Big Two have sprung into panic mode in order to combat the competition, buying large portions of shares in local breweries (Craft Beer Alliance - Redhook/Widmer/Kona; North American Breweries - Pyramid, Magic Hat), purchasing them in whole (Rolling Rock, Goose Island) and launching their own “craft beer” lookalikes (Blue Moon, Shock Top, Landshark, and Wild Blue). It is KEY as a true craft beer drinker to acknowledge the misconceptions that the Big Two are feeding the general public and to be true to businesses that are independent and on their own – not only do they create quality craft beer, but they aren’t asking the big guys for dollars to do it.
Craft beer is about tradition. It’s about quality and taste over quantity. It’s about the recipe and the integrity of the ingredients, the brewing process, the thoughtful packaging, and the virtues of the finished product. It takes a community of people to create a quality craft beer steeped in convention but a receptive company that continues to adapt to the changing trends of consumers. The Big Two have so much money, they have no need to listen to consumers until they feel threatened by a competitor. However, independents must listen to their drinkers and keep a voice in order to be successful while retaining brand loyalty and respect. Ultimately, the latter strategy creates a better drinking experience, hands down, 100% guarantee.
Fortunately, I feel that the declaration I’m making is one that would be supported by any other craft beer enthusiast, homebrewer, blogger, and brewmaster. The patriotism that these craft beer companies exhibit as the underdogs fighting the Goliaths for the respect of the American people is causing the Big Two to notice shifting trends and tides. Craft beer is gaining the regard of all drinkers despite their level of understanding – breweries are creating beers that ask, “What do YOU want to drink?” rather than, “Here is a watered-down, bulk version of what we give everyone.” The craft beer industry is in full bloom - in some cities and states, it's been a tradition for tens of years; in others, like Los Angeles, we are only beginning to see what culture is forming thanks to the local breweries, homebrewers, and bloggers. It is a BEYOND exciting time for the craft beer industry and those who are actively participating. People are raising their beer standards and making connections in their local communities based around a delicious beverage brewed with thought, time, and ingenuity for the individual, not mass-market appeal. Beer hasn't just become a thing we drink, but a topic of discussion, a shared experience, and an adventure to seek out.
Craft Beer is the New Black.
