What We’re Seeing Across Craft Beer: Craft Beer & Brewing Article

A lot of these are pretty obvious, and it makes wonder how breweries that don't see these things manage to dress themselves in the morning.

 

Agreed much of this seems very obvious
Many local breweries are focusing on improving their tasting rooms with food, entertainment…
It is getting very competitive there. I’m not sure there isn’t room with a top level beer to drive distribution (in Vermont it still seems to be working for Fiddlehead)
I’m not convinced that the need for innovation is diminishing. I’m always looking for a new beer.
I’m probably just an old stick on the mud, but I’m not looking for more sessionable (ie: more boring ) beers

 

Why do you equate sessionable with boring? I would think that, by definition, a beer you want to drink a lot of would be the opposite of boring.

My example of this is the OG version of Bale Breaker's Field 41 Pale Ale. When it released it was a 4.5% ABV Pale that punched you in the tongue with hop flavors from the first sip to the end of the sixer later that afternoon.

 

I'm seeing this play out locally at a brewpub - Good Word Brewing in Duluth, GA. They start with quality beer. Have put the effort into quality food. They have liquor and cocktails available because of their liquor license. Then they promote seasonal events and beer pairing dinners. Owner/brewerTodd DiMatteo takes the multi-prongued approach to solidifying his establishment in the community. He has not put much into expanding distro but you can't blame him because it is not all that profitable and success depends on volume that you have little control over. It has been enlightening to watch. I'm seeing a few other breweries trying to duplicate it too. The article seems pretty spot on.

 

I'm not sure how old you are but I've reached an age where I really appreciate a well-crafted session beer. The <4% English style Dark Mild has become a favorite of mine. My liver gives it a thumbs up too.

 

I've got one brewery here that does a stellar job with the English styles. And cask ales to boot!

 

And I find a lot of those Big Beers to be boringly similar. I'm often bored with a barrel aged stout by the time I'm only part way through my pour.

 

I think it takes just as much skill to make a great session beer as any other. Thoughtful approach and excellent execution makes good beers.

 

Good article. My mantra for a while is that you have to consider a brewery as a business, not just making beer. Focus local, understand the ramifications of expanding (or not), and decide whether to focus on quality, cost, or other variable.

This weekend, I'm going to a 12th Anniversary Celebration for a San Jose Brewery (Clandestine). They have focused on making good beer and staying local. They have built a nice little community. Owners have day jobs. Not perfect (inconsistent marketing and communication). Just one example...

 

I live 14 miles from town. If I drive to the brewpub there, I can maybe risk drinking 2 of their 8% beers, so I hang out for no more than an hour. If they had good beers at 3.5% I might spend 3 hours there, and eat dinner before heading home. The low ABV beers are cheaper to produce, they sell at close to the same price as the mid strength beers, and the longer a customer stays the more money they spend. I can still save the high alcohol beers for enjoying at home.

 

As I approach 70 years old I agree 100%. Years ago I brewed 15 gallons of a fairly hoppy brown ale that was around 3.5% for my company picnic. You really couldn't get drunk from it if you tried, and some employees did try. But everyone thought it was delicious, and it was a much more pleasant afternoon than it could have been with people pounding Imperial stouts and such.

 

A good short read. The next to last paragraph sums it up:

"Community connections. Clear flagship brands. Thoughtful brewing calendars. Experiences that bring people together. Sessionable options balanced with memorable premium offerings."

I've been a fan of session IPAs for many years. They work well for my lifestyle.

 

Notch's Tenner is rated at 4.32 and is the top rated Czech Pale Lager on this site. It's 4% ABV.

In fact, it's their second highest rated beer on this site for beers they brew with 10 or more ratings.

Quality ingredients, attention to process and detail, and methods like triple decoction will go a long way.

Their highest rated with 10 ratings is 4.4% and was a one-off beer (and was delicious if I recall).