Ballast Point is Dying

[ILiftWithRoyce]

Things do not look good out in San Diego. According to the article, Constellation has pretty much ran the company culture into the ground since acquisition and sales are quickly following suit

https://www.goodbeerhunting.com/sig...b-lXvWiKDvn7XmZFRgKzeOWDFIDsI_M-3UOMkbGPSdmHc

 

[discydisc]

Are they still in Iowa? Sculpin was always a solid beer but can't remember the last time I had one. If I'm after a west coast ipa its pretty much exclusively been stone or FSW

 

[Cycsk]

Too bad. It is so hard for a great founder-run company to be taken into a conglomeration. Just listen to that word. "Conglomeration." Sounds yucky. Just like this story.

Ballast Point Red Velvet is one of my favorites. Red in color with a nice sweetness from beets. And awesome artwork on the packaging.

 

[enisthemenace]

I really liked Ballast Point...for a while. After a bit though, I kind of felt all of their beers, except the Habanero Sculpin, tasted the same. When they jumped into the “fruit” beers, they were a little ahead of the fruity IPA movement, and they weren’t that good.

Others started making really good citrus IPAs, and Ballast Point never changed their formula.

 

[cycloneworld]

Sours, barrel aged, and unique brews are what is hot and driving the market right now. These corporate macro-breweries that think they are micros need to adapt or die. Just like Ballast Point right now.

 

[ianoconnor]

Their price point is what kept me away most of the time. There are so many other beers I can buy that aren't 12.99 for a 6-pack. I'd rather support local breweries.

 

[NickTheGreat]

I've never been a huge Ballast Point fan, but I've had many of theirs. The beer is fine and all.

But I think people underestimate how much beer drinkers value independent breweries. I don't disagree with that line of thinking either. Not to say I don't drink beers from those types of breweries, but it factors into it.

 

[CloniesForLife]

Their price point is what kept me away most of the time. There are so many other beers I can buy that aren't 12.99 for a 6-pack. I'd rather support local breweries.

I agree with this. There beer is decent but nothing spectacular and I will almost always support local if I am going for a craft beer.

 

[thatguy]

I've worked in the booze industry for about 15 years, and I have never seen anything like i'm seeing with beer right now. Beer is DYING on a National Level. There were some huge changes in the industry, mostly millennial females don't drink beer, and the drink local movement has had a huge effect on national brands. The growth of the cocktail market, the growth of RTD's and the growth of bubbles has all had a huge effect on beer. Luckily my current companies are wine and RTD so I'm set up fine.

Constellation just sold 1.3 billion worth of SuperValue (under $10) wine brands to Gallo, because they needed to fund all their marijuana business in Canada. Wine is growing double digits between $11-$18. That is where everyone wants to play right now. People are paying more for wine/spirits then they ever have because they are more worried about what they are putting into their bodies.

 

[CloniesForLife]

I've worked in the booze industry for about 15 years, and I have never seen anything like i'm seeing with beer right now. Beer is DYING on a National Level. There were some huge changes in the industry, mostly millennial females don't drink beer, and the drink local movement has had a huge effect on national brands. The growth of the cocktail market, the growth of RTD's and the growth of bubbles has all had a huge effect on beer. Luckily my current companies are wine and RTD so I'm set up fine.

Constellation just sold 1.3 billion worth of SuperValue (under $10) wine brands to Gallo, because they needed to fund all their marijuana business in Canada. Wine is growing double digits between $11-$18. That is where everyone wants to play right now. People are paying more for wine/spirits then they ever have because they are more worried about what they are putting into their bodies.

A lot of craft breweries in the Twin Cities are coming out with hard seltzers to appeal to the non-beer drinkers. I think it is a great idea because there are certain groups of friends I hangout with that don't really care for beer so we would skip breweries. We can now go to these breweries since all those people like hard seltzers.

 

[BillBrasky4Cy]

I've worked in the booze industry for about 15 years, and I have never seen anything like i'm seeing with beer right now. Beer is DYING on a National Level. There were some huge changes in the industry, mostly millennial females don't drink beer, and the drink local movement has had a huge effect on national brands. The growth of the cocktail market, the growth of RTD's and the growth of bubbles has all had a huge effect on beer. Luckily my current companies are wine and RTD so I'm set up fine.

Constellation just sold 1.3 billion worth of SuperValue (under $10) wine brands to Gallo, because they needed to fund all their marijuana business in Canada. Wine is growing double digits between $11-$18. That is where everyone wants to play right now. People are paying more for wine/spirits then they ever have because they are more worried about what they are putting into their bodies.

I too worked in the beer, wine, & spirits industry and yeah beer is dying. Everyone see's the number of new breweries popping up as a good thing but none of it is sustainable. What is killing the craft beer industry is that there is ZERO brand loyalty at the sales account or consumer levels. Everyone wants the latest and greatest and it's not just the small breweries that are taking the hit. Every time I see or hear that a new local brewery is opening in DSM i just shake my head because 10 years from now maybe 3 out of 5 will still be in business. The overhead is huge and you have to sell A LOT of beer to keep the lights on.

 

[BillBrasky4Cy]

A lot of craft breweries in the Twin Cities are coming out with hard seltzers to appeal to the non-beer drinkers. I think it is a great idea because there are certain groups of friends I hangout with that don't really care for beer so we would skip breweries. We can now go to these breweries since all those people like hard seltzers.

Seltzer is a hot category right now but it will be a flash in the pan. That is pretty much how the business works.

 

[ArgentCy]

I feel like we need a oh millennials in here.

What is an RTD or hard seltzer for that matter?

 

[ArgentCy]

I really don't get the obsession with always needing something new. I will try new things because I might like them but those will be few and far between. Give me a really good beer, at a good price and I will drink a good amount.

New is not better but then again I have a lot of German heritage and their beers are like 500 years old.

 

[BillBrasky4Cy]

I feel like we need a oh millennials in here.

What is an RTD or hard seltzer for that matter?

A hard seltzer is literally flavored seltzer water with alcohol in them.

RTD's (Ready to Drink) are cocktails that are premixed and ready for consumption.

 

[DeereClone]

My thought/take on craft beer is 98% of the reason people drink it is so they can tell the people around them that haven't heard of it/drank it themselves how much they are missing out on it. Then once that beer becomes popular people look for the next one that no on has heard of, so they can brag to everyone at a party again that they have had the best beer in the world and all the simpletons there drinking national brands or old, boring, micro-brews that have become "too mainstream" for them to drink.

 

[cyclonesurveyor]

I feel like we need a oh millennials in here.

What is an RTD or hard seltzer for that matter?

I am not a millennial but RTD is Ready To Drink (premixed cocktail in a can or bottle) and hard seltzer is alcoholic flavored seltzer water (the ladies love them).

 

[cyclonesurveyor]

A hard seltzer is literally flavored seltzer water with alcohol in them.

RTD's (Ready to Drink) are cocktails that are premixed and ready for consumption.

Dammit - Brasky beat me.

 

[BillBrasky4Cy]

My thought/take on craft beer is 98% of the reason people drink it is so they can tell the people around them that haven't heard of it/drank it themselves how much they are missing out on it. Then once that beer becomes popular people look for the next one that no on has heard of, so they can brag to everyone at a party again that they have had the best beer in the world and all the simpletons there drinking national brands or old, boring, micro-brews that have become "too mainstream" for them to drink.

Beat me to it. The craft industry did this to themselves. The early players like Sierra Nevada and Sam Adams didn't feel the need to produce new style after new style. They made really good craft beer that consumers enjoyed. Even the big boys have either sold out to InBev or they have had to produce new beers year round.

 

[Colorado]

My thought/take on craft beer is 98% of the reason people drink it is so they can tell the people around them that haven't heard of it/drank it themselves how much they are missing out on it. Then once that beer becomes popular people look for the next one that no on has heard of, so they can brag to everyone at a party again that they have had the best beer in the world and all the simpletons there drinking national brands or old, boring, micro-brews that have become "too mainstream" for them to drink.

Or, the reason might be that people like to try new things