The Craft Beer Boom Has Gone Flat

If things are flat now, does this mean we'll stop seeing lineups and we can all stop talking about NE IPAs then?

 

Exactly. So, in terms of looking at "craft" as an investment opportunity, like the article does, the growth seems to be slowing. However, if you're just considering the overall tastes of the general public, that aspect still seems to be increasingly moving towards beers with greater character than the industrial AALs.

 

That is a thing...the category has been declining at an increasing rate (but still represents more than 6 of every 10 beers sold). The acronym is actually ALL (American Light Lager)

 

AAL (American Adjunct Lager): Bud, PBR, Miller High Life, Coors
Light Lager: Bud Light, Old Milwaukee Light, Miller Lite, Coors Light,

(According to BA beer style listings...)

 

Yep, most locals still just call it the Cannery.

 

A lot of intelligent posts about this. Taking beer out of the equation a lot of start up businesses fail in the first few years and a lot of times it was not doing enough planning. Also,I'm self employed and after building a business it always hits a saturation point. I can't grow much larger and if I had a steady 5% increase every year after becoming established I would be in fantastic shape.

 

As you mention before dismissing it, local focus is a nationwide trend. It's not particular to being from Vermont. You could go around to all 50 states, and in many states specific regions within those states, and find people who will argue that it is THEIR local focus that is particularly special and unique and awesome for being better at being locally focused than all those other local focusers.

Anyway, I don't have a bone to pick, just thought it was worth a friendly eye-roll.

Cheers from the most locally focused heartland of Iowa.

 

I try not to take the BA too seriously since its primarily a political organization any more, so my bad - I go by the Beer Judge Certification Program since I use it regularly

 

Actually, it is. Even though other areas might also be focusing on what is made locally, Vermont is, and really always has been, over the top in this regard.

 

BA (in this instance) = Beer Advocate (you know, this site!)

Sorry for being less than specific, confusingly vague, even!

 

By my experience, so is Oregon (where my daughter lives).

 

I think the western US is pretty staunchly locavore, but, having never been to Oregon, I don't know if they're more so than the rest of the west.

 

Brewers Association is of course what I was referring to . That made me laugh. Speculating, but I think Beer Advocate organized, simplified and either consolidated or more narrowly defined styles to make it easier for members to identify with preferred styles and to add beers. Since the ratings have more to do with how well a person liked or didn't like the beer (which is hugely important), it was probably a good move. I know I like reading what others think of the beer.

 

I know in Colorado we are fond of our local beers - any ingredient in beer available here (though hops aren't as good as those in the more northern latitudes - like Oregon). AC Golden (owned by MillerCoors) makes all its beers soley from Colorado Ingredients; one, in fact, comes from just one part of Colorado; Olathe (pronounced O-la-tha - really Montrose County).

Within 4 miles of my house there are 8 breweries, within 4 miles of where I work there are 7. Its super easy to buy local.

 

Indeed. Lived in Littleton (unincorporated Jefferson County) for almost 7 years. Where you at?

 

Highlands Ranch (unincorporated Douglas County) - though its a Littleton address.

 

While I admittedly have not been to Iowa to compare, Vermont's local-vore and local artisan history runs deep and long.

FWIW, I'm not really cheerleading for VT, just stating a fact that the culture there is different. I know first-hand their [inwardly-focused] local mindset has benefits and negatives... Great local beer is a benefit, but other aspects of life sometimes not so much.

 

That's true of their Colorado Native branded-beers but they claim that both Herman Joseph and Barmen Pilsner use imported Noble hop varieties (Barmen exclusively, HJ a blend of imported and "North American" hops).

 

LOVE that beer.

 

I may relocate to the Front Range.