The best beer... statistically

So let me ask you this, assuming I find your position accurate. How do you explain the popularity of craft beer and imports among a fairly large segment of the population? If your post is accurate, then we should all be drinking lightly flavored AAL's, and there should be no market for lambics, BA stouts, NEIPA's, etc.

This is just my impression, based on anecdotal evidence and years of consumption, but I find that consumers consume AAL's for a variety of different reasons. In my experience, cost still seems to be the biggest factor in deciding what beer to buy. Comparatively speaking, craft beer is very much a luxury item for a lot of people, and so they tend to purchase a cheaper product (which is typically going to be a mass produced AAL). Next, there's predictability. When buying an AAL, I think most consumers have a pretty good idea what they're getting in terms of taste. I'm not entirely convinced that most consumers necessarily want a fairly bland, lightly flavored beer, but at least they're getting a known commodity when they order a macro. I've heard a number of consumers tell me that one of the things they like about bud, is that a bottle of bud ordered in Miami is going to taste pretty much identical to a bottle of bud ordered in Seattle. Conversely, I've been drinking craft beer for years, and I still am often surprised (sometimes in a good way, sometimes in a bad way) by what's in my glass when I order a "new to me" IPA. I don't mind being surprised like that (hell, it's actually another of the things I like about drinking craft beer), but my guess is that a lot of beer consumers don't like to be surprised in that manner.

Generating an appreciation of craft beer takes time, effort and money, and I think a lot of consumers simply don't want to be bothered with that. Personally, I encounter a lot of BMC drinkers who tell me that this is what they grew up on, they're entirely satisfied with it, and so why should they go to the trouble of trying something new to see if there's something they might like better?

To get back to your post, I'm not sure I agree with your proposition that large breweries are simply responding to demand in making light, adjunct lagers. Speaking for myself, when I was first drinking beer, I was hoping to find the most flavorful beer available on the market (that I could afford). This may sound crazy to you, but at the time, I actually did think there was a qualitative difference when it came to buying BMC products, and so I would try to buy what I felt was the "best" macro on the market, as long as cost was reasonably the same. There was never a time I set out to buy a beer just because it was lightly flavored. That's what was generally available at the time, so that's what I tended to buy, but I wouldn't characterize that decision as "demand" on my part. I realize I'm not everyone and I don't want to over generalize here, but I've always had the impression that my behavior and perspective were fairly typical. I got into craft beer when, much to my shock and surprise, I found out that comparatively speaking, AAL's were not all that flavorful, and that there was (I felt) a better and more interesting product available.

Again, just my opinion, but I've always had a difficult time accepting the proposition that large macro breweries are just responding to demand when they make almost exclusively light lagers. Like a lot of people I suspect, I was interested in sampling alcoholic beverages when I became an adult, and so beer was pretty much a no brainer (given widespread availability and cost). In deciding what beer to drink, I relied on advertisements on TV and what I could find at the local store or pizzeria, and what I could reasonably afford. Then as now, that meant almost certainly I was going to try a macro AAL. Given that I had no other reference point, and as I decided I did like beer (to quote a certain junior supreme court justice), in no time at all I was a confirmed macro drinker. My guess is that my experience is fairly typical. You feel this is just an example of a large brewery responding to demand for AAL's?

 

[QUOTE="MNAle, post: 7104866, member: 619313"
Second, you need to read some beer market history. The progression to lighter and lighter lagers has been going on for at least a century, driven by consumer demand. This is world wide.[/QUOTE]

I don't believe I denied that anywhere in my post. I essentially agreed with your original post on that issue, but questioned the reason behind it. You indicated that the BMC's of the world make light fizzy yellow beer because that's what consumers want. I simply questioned that premise. I suggested that there might be a number of other factors contributing to that decision, not all of which are based solely on demand.

Again, just using myself as an example, I first started drinking fizzy yellow beer when I was young because a) it was relatively affordable; b) it was easily available; c) I had only recently become interested in alcoholic beverages and beer seemed to be the easiest away to acquaint myself with alcoholic beverages (given accessibility, pricing and a relatively low abv.; d) TV ads made it seem relatively harmless and quite enjoyable; e) for the most part, fizzy yellow beer was pretty much all that there was available (yes, you could find imports and things like anchor steam at the time, but it took a special effort and was priced at a premium - not what I was looking for as a beginner).

I discovered I did like beer at the time, and that equated into my becoming an AAL consumer. It wasn't something I looked for specifically; it was what I equated as beer for some years to become before becoming interested in craft beer.

I realize there are many more options at the present time, and yet consumers continue to overwhelmingly purchase and consume "light fizzy yellow beer." As I indicated in my original post, that may be for reasons other than what you stated in your OP. For many consumers, it may simply be a matter of inertia (i.e.,, this is what I've always had; I'm satisfied with it; why should I ever change?). I wouldn't equate that with demand per se, but perhaps you would?

 

[QUOTE="unlikelyspiderperson, post: 7105809, member: 723104]
but the market dominance of the lighter end of the spectrum is so massive that its hard to draw any conclusion other than that the "best" beer must at least fall solidly to that end of the spectrum[/QUOTE]

This reasoning always reminds of a crude, supposedly humorous observation I used to see on tee-shirts.

"Eat Shit!!! One trillion flies can't be wrong."

The point being of course, that considerable consumption of a product does not necessarily equate to quality of that product.

I don't know if you've ever talked to a bud drinker (or miller or coors drinker) and asked them why they drink bud. I've done this a number of times over the years, just to assuage my curiosity. The answers I heard were interesting, but not once did anyone ever tell me that bud was their beer because they liked the fact it was a lightly flavored lager, or (for that matter) because it was such a richly, satisfying beverage (which is certainly what AB's ads would suggest is the reason). Some folks mentioned that it was the beer their father drank, and so they got in the habit of drinking it from him. Some simply stated that it wasn't something they gave much thought to, but that it was just a beer they had always drunk (and couldn't see any reason to stop).

When I was in Dingle Ireland some years ago, I talked to this young woman who had gotten a pint of bud over ice (something I saw a lot of young women doing over in Ireland). From talking to her, it was clear she was consuming bud for health reasons. She assumed that because the beer had so little flavor (her words), it likely had very few calories. It was part of the reason (she told me) that she would get it over ice. It would keep the beer cold and diluting it wouldn't affect the flavor much (as the beer had so little flavor to begin with, according to her).

When my GF's oldest daughter was in college some years ago, I noticed that most of the young women at college parties were drinking either bud lite or coors lite. I expressed my surprise to the daughter, who told me quite candidly that she and her friends really didn't like the taste of beer very much. However, it was expected that they would drink something while at the party, and beer was seen as perfectly acceptable by most of the frat guys, and so they would drink lite beer. Caroline advised me that bud lite in particular had so little flavor, that she wasn't bothered all that much by the "beer flavor," and so it was her favorite. She knew that the alcohol content was fairly low, and that she wouldn't get buzzed while nursing a couple of BL's over the course of the party (which she felt was important, given the propensities of a lot of the frat boys). It was also relatively low in calories, which was important to her as well.

Finally, a story I like to tell involves a party my GF and I hosted when I lived in Baltimore several years ago. I invited everyone from work to come over, most of whom advised me they were avid bud drinkers. I told everyone I would provide plenty of beer and wine at the party, and asked that no one bring any additional beer. However, people being people, and not wanting to arrive empty handed, a lot of folks came with 12 packs and 6 packs of bud (some miller and coors as well, but mostly bud). So in addition to all the craft beer and imports I had on hand, I ended up having about 3 and half cases of bud (I also had purchased a case of bud, as my GF assured me some of our guests would want it and we needed to have it on hand). Any guesses as to how much AAL was consumed at the party?

One of the judges I worked with had brought a 6 pack of bud light, and he drank 3 cans of it. He told me he really wanted to try some of the locally made craft beer, but was concerned about his weight and was worried about the alcohol content (as he had to drive home). No one else drank a drop of BMC products at the party (and in fact, I ended up having to run down to the liquor store to buy more beer, as I ran out of craft and imports).

We can all draw our own conclusions for why "light fizzy yellow" beer continues to such a big seller, but I would at least suggest that it might be for reasons other than they really, really enjoy drinking bland, lightly flavored, insipid swill.

Cheers!