The decline of craft beer

[dmclone]

Looks like Green Flash was a little too aggressive. I can't think of the last time I had anything from them but I did like a few from Alpine but the price point was ridiculous.

https://www.brewbound.com/news/come...flash-new-investor-group-via-foreclosure-sale

Podcast from the previous owner of Alpine. In the last few minutes he gives some good advice for breweries.
https://overcast.fm/+IiGRJ-CNY

 

[srjclone]

somebody forgot to tell the Twin Cities that Craft Beer is on the decline. got 3 more breweries opening in St. Paul this year.

 

[Al_4_State]

Green Flash beer has sucked for awhile, and I've never understood the Alpine hype.

The market is going to get tougher for mediocre beers that are distributed nationwide. This doesn't surprise me at all.

 

[dmclone]

I think it will be really hard for big craft brewers trying to go nationwide. Where 5 years ago people in Iowa would give their left nut for brewers like Dogfish Head, Surly, Alpine, Lagunitas,etc. to come to the state, now they are finding better beers from local brewers.

It's crazy to think that just 4 years ago everyone was making a big deal about Surly coming to Iowa and now they are shelf turds.

 

[SoapyCy]

somebody forgot to tell the Twin Cities that Craft Beer is on the decline. got 3 more breweries opening in St. Paul this year.

At what point do all the people who drink craft beer have enough choices? At this point you either like craft beer or you don't, right? Aren't new craft breweries just taking market share from other craft breweries?

 

[FerShizzle]

Already? This seems to have just become really popular, I mean mainstream popular, in the last couple years.

What’s next? I hope craft distilleries can take off. Booze is where it’s at.

 

[srjclone]

At what point do all the people who drink craft beer have enough choices? At this point you either like craft beer or you don't, right? Aren't new craft breweries just taking market share from other craft breweries?

Yeah, but my girlfriend and I try to make it to a new brewery as often as we can, and we still haven't been to every one in the Twin Cities. We enjoy that aspect of it, but I can see how some see it as market saturation.

 

[Bewilderme]

Nope. Just a few ****** ones going under. Green Flash just expanded too fast. Craft beer ain't going anywhere but up, in general.

 

[Nader_uggghhh]

I think it will be really hard for big craft brewers trying to go nationwide. Where 5 years ago people in Iowa would give their left nut for brewers like Dogfish Head, Surly, Alpine, Lagunitas,etc. to come to the state, now they are finding better beers from local brewers.

It's crazy to think that just 4 years ago everyone was making a big deal about Surly coming to Iowa and now they are shelf turds.

I would liken Surly to Founders. They make some of the most consistently good beers around.

I think that Dogfiish Head will become Iowa's shelf turf company. They make a bunch of marginal beers with a few terrible ones scattered in.

 

[cdface]

Green Flash priced itself out of the market, IMHO, in combination with expanding too much. It's good beer, but not that good. I've noticed a lot of companies seem to be testing themselves at $1-2 higher over the past year. I get that prices will go up over time, but $2 changes in sixer pricing makes for a big difference in what you're comparing to (I'm sure I'm not the only one that goes into the store with an idea of what I want to spend). There are fewer and fewer good beers at $6.99-$7.99 all the time, but it's getting awfully crowded with great stuff at $8.99-$9.99.

 

[BillBrasky4Cy]

Nope. Just a few ****** ones going under. Green Flash just expanded too fast. Craft beer ain't going anywhere but up, in general.

Yes, there is still room for Craft growth but over the next 5 years the breweries that survive will be the ones that make a really solid product. Just here in DSM there are way too many dog **** breweries that don't make a good product. The only reason some of these places are surviving is because of the trend and that isn't going to last forever.

 

[Clonefan32]

I'm not a craft beer guy, but in my observation it seems like most craft beer fans enjoy seeking out new beers rather than consistently drinking their mainstays. So let's say you find something you really like-- you probably aren't buying that every time you need some beer. You're going to look for something else you may like.

 

[knowlesjam]

Still plenty of great crafts out there in the $6.99 to $7.99 range, including Boulevard Wheat, Odell's 90 Shilling, Fat Tire, Breckenridge Oatmeal Stout, etc. The brewery's need to stick with what sells...not trying to come up with a Peanut Butter Hazelnut Chipotle Pale Ale that costs 10 bucks a six.

Market oversaturation will take care of itself...

 

[dmclone]

Green Flash priced itself out of the market, IMHO, in combination with expanding too much. It's good beer, but not that good. I've noticed a lot of companies seem to be testing themselves at $1-2 higher over the past year. I get that prices will go up over time, but $2 changes in sixer pricing makes for a big difference in what you're comparing to (I'm sure I'm not the only one that goes into the store with an idea of what I want to spend). There are fewer and fewer good beers at $6.99-$7.99 all the time, but it's getting awfully crowded with great stuff at $8.99-$9.99.

I agree with this but I find myself having no problem paying $9.99 for a bomber but $12.99 for a 6 pack seems ridiculous. That $12.99 6 pack would be a $4 bomber if you priced it per ounce. If my math is correct

 

[BoxsterCy]

Would like this to be true. With friends and groups wanting to go to breweries all of the time it is hard to find anything there I like that isn't an alcohol bomb. If I drive I am pretty much limited to a max of two beers or maybe just a sampler flight.

Forget craft beer. The next craze is non-alcoholic brews
http://money.cnn.com/2018/02/09/news/beer-non-alcoholic/index.html

 

[SoapyCy]

my girlfriend and I try to make it to a new brewery as often as we can, and we still haven't been to every one in the Twin Cities.

I'm not a craft beer guy, but in my observation it seems like most craft beer fans enjoy seeking out new beers rather than consistently drinking their mainstays. So let's say you find something you really like-- you probably aren't buying that every time you need some beer.

ding ding ding.

There is a difference between liking craft beer and liking A craft beer. Unless enough people like A craft beer it's going to fail.

 

[srjclone]

ding ding ding.

There is a difference between liking craft beer and liking A craft beer. Unless enough people like A craft beer it's going to fail.

Every Craft Beer fan has their favorite beer or brewery. Doesn't mean they won't seek out others to test the field.

Idk if that means it is set up for failure, however.

 

[WhatchaGonnaDo]

Yes, there is still room for Craft growth but over the next 5 years the breweries that survive will be the ones that make a really solid product. Just here in DSM there are way too many dog **** breweries that don't make a good product. The only reason some of these places are surviving is because of the trend and that isn't going to last forever.

Yep, we're seeing that with all the trivia nights that go Facebook viral. Parks and Rec trivia, Friends trivia, etc.

Fun time for fans of those things...but it really just gets a crowd in the door for one night and the people that actually care about craft beer get a chance to taste their average product

 

[CYdTracked]

I'm glad some of the breweries here in DSM you can finally find their stuff on the shelf at the grocery store and they keep expanding how many of their brews they offer too. It wasn't that long ago that Confluence finally started putting out cans of DM IPA and Farmer John's and now they seem to keep releasing more in cans and have at least half a dozen different beers on the shelf. Cans are so much better than the growlers they used to do as you feel if you paid for the growler once you opened it up you need to drink it all in 1 setting else it goes flat where the cans are so much more versatile where you can pack them up in the cooler and if you don't drink them all you just put what is left back in the fridge and drink another time.

The price point is where things get tough because I am not going to pay over $10 for a 4 or 6 pack to buy a new beer I have never had, heck some of them are way more than that or come in these huge bottles. I love the $9.99 mix and match at Hy-Vee because I can pick out some of those beers I have never had and if I don't like it at least I only had to drink 1 of them and not have another 3-5 left in the pack to do something about. I get that some of these are expensive to make or are limited runs thus the mark ups but even some of the Boulevard limited releases are running like $14.99 a 4 pack. I get it, it's basically pay $3.75 a beer which is still cheaper than buying at the bar but when I can get a 6 pack of another craft brew I really like for $9.99 which is about $1.67 a beer which one do you think most people would buy more often?

 

[Al_4_State]

Would like this to be true. With friends and groups wanting to go to breweries all of the time it is hard to find anything there I like that isn't an alcohol bomb. If I drive I am pretty much limited to a max of two beers or maybe just a sampler flight.

Forget craft beer. The next craze is non-alcoholic brews
http://money.cnn.com/2018/02/09/news/beer-non-alcoholic/index.html

I would actually keep this around for being DD, or because I like to be sipping on something all night, love the taste of beer, but don't need it to be alcohol. Going back and forth between alcoholic beer and legit tasting NA beer wouldn't bother me at all.