A question regarding "boutique" beers/breweries

You can't start out producing a type of beer that isn't going to be accessible to the average beer fan. New breweries are fighting for tap lines at bars and attracting new people to their brewery. You want to be as accessible as possible, and currently that style is very much IPA, double IPA etc...

 

From a homebrewing perspective...it's because that would boring.

 

Your "far better model" is pretty much exactly the model that is currently in place. With the addition of the "regional/national brewery that has a core line up and special releases" bridging the gap between "boutique" and "local" (also limited or no distribution beers from "local" breweries are often the most sought after, "boutique" if you well, as well as being highly regarded).

"Boutique" w/distro - Bruery, Eclipse etc
Wide distro w/sought after limited releases - Founders, Stone, New Belgium etc

 

The most efficient mix of margins and turnover.... IPAs are much cheaper+quicker to make, and people also buy->drink->repeat on IPAs at a much higher rate.

I know people on BA act like they'd buy a 12x22oz of parabola to get them through the average week, but really, they wouldn't. Who buys a case of dragon's milk a week?

 

I think we are seeing this already. The Bruery, the Rare Barrel, Cascade, Side Project, Perennial, and Almanac are all breweries that are dedicated to producing high quality beers (most of which are barrel aged) instead of focusing on the standard Pales, Wheats, Porters, or otherwise your regular drinkers. I believe the reason for breweries like firestone and cigar city still focus on core offerings is because that's what made them successful to begin with, and im sure its just as profitable as the "boutique" beers they produce. For the up and coming brewery, I think focusing on specialty beers is a great way to make a name for yourself, but probably has tons more startup costs involved, and you cannot produce beers in a reasonable amount of time to keep cash flow going. If all your beer has to age in barrels for years, you cannot quickly produce a product to sell. Also, "boutique" beers such as barrel aged and sour beers have a much higher chance of failure due to infections and other conditions in aging, which means labs and other sophisticated equipment many start-ups may not be able to afford. Just my opinion from a business standpoint.

 

Ever heard of Hair Of the Dog?

 

$

 

Isn't this what the Bruery does?

 

A thread title, perhaps vague?

 

The Rare Barrel. end thread.

 

If Cigar City stopped making Jai Alai I think they'd lose a lot of fans

 

Often times the profit margin on these rare "hyped" beers is much smaller given the time required to age them.
Also, if they were more readily available, the hype and ratings would drop. Which would make it that much more difficult to sell them at the high prices needed to make a profit. The market for $35 750ml bottles is pretty limited.

 

Put your beer down and walk away from this tread, sir.

 

I wish the opposite really. More sessionable six packs, less big boutique brews.

 

I like the idea of sticking to high quality only but that also limits your market. Not everyone is willing to pay top dollar for the latest barrel aged beer or whatever you're making.

 

to this not unreasonable question i would propose that even if a product made by a company isnt their best seller, carrying a variety of goods can increase all around sales, a first time craft beer drinker wouldnt pick up lagunitas sucks if that was the only beer on the shelf, and other brewers had four or five beers. you figure out what you like by trying lots of beers, and to do that you need variety. so its possible, for example, that sierra nevada breaks even or makes a low profit on Narwhal, flipside and bigfoot barley wine, but that wide variety makes their better movers gain exponentially more traction, increasing their overall net profits, but this is just speculation.