Beer in 2018, As It Was Foretold

My New Year's resolution is to branch out from IPAs. I drank my last NEIPAs yesterday. Boss Tweed and M43 from Old Nation. What a way to finish!

 

I nominate lager as the official shower beer.

 

One prediction: increased tension between bars and brewery taprooms, particularly in states that provide aggressive tax breaks to “farm breweries”.

 

"AB InBev (ABI) will axe more employees and poor performing brands... "

Like several craft brewers have done, also...

 

Prediction: We will all drink a lot of beer this upcoming year.

 

Pricing has hit a ceiling, so expect to see some price wars as consumers lean heavily toward perceived value and brands that offer affordable options.

Not even close, but people will certainly be looking harder to compare similar products of differing prices to determine if the increase in price represents an increase in quality.

 

I really don't see the competition here. Where the competition would become intense is between craft beer bars and brewpubs that offer a full bar, more on-tap than just their beer, and a decent menu.

Craft beer only and a food truck isn't competition for most craft beer bars.

 

India Pale Ales will unfortunately continue to dominate. Maybe 2019 will be The Year of the Lager? (Our fingers are crossed.)

I would definitely cross your fingers instead of holding your breath.

Not sure why IPAs being popular is unfortunate, though. It's not like there aren't a wide variety of other beers out there for people to drink.

 

• The term craft beer will be replaced by independent (or indie) beer. Finally, terminology that can’t be co-opted by Big Beer and its minions!
• AB InBev (ABI) will axe more employees and poor performing brands from its crafty tentacles in order to maximize profits.
• The Brewers Association will continue to push its powerful indie message, resulting in at least one more hostage-like video reply from ABI’s The High End (its portfolio of sellouts). Unfortunately, the trade group’s #TakeCraftBack campaign will continue to embarrass itself.
• ZX Ventures, ABI’s disruptive growth division, will continue to disrupt the industry by investing in those willing to sell their integrity.

Wow . . . the rhetoric is real. More unfounded propaganda. That's not a good look, but I guess that's what this article is all about.

Couple questions:

How does craft beer changing its name not allow Big Beer to infiltrate its ranks? A change in name does not make the entire industry impervious to being co-opted.

Which former independent breweries, that are now members of The High End, have fired employees since being bought by ABI? How many independent craft brewers have fired employees over the past year?

How many non-ABI owned breweries have sold out to other concerns?

How does outside investment corrupt one's integrity? Unless these businesses made claims of remaining independent at all costs, nobody who has "sold-out" has any less integrity than before they did so.

 

"Outlook hazy" was clever, but the line about the High End "hostage video" cracked me up.

Hope you're right about the price wars. I'll pass on the shower beer trend,though. Especially in WBAYDN.

Happy New Year!

 

AB InBev has a business model geared towards products sold in supermarkets. Like any overly large organization, people with heart and vision will be able to survive in the periphery but they will not be the heart and soul of the organization. They acquire creativity by buying it and when that dies out they buy more. They are like the social security of the brewing industry - put in your time, do well and eventually AB InBev will buy you out so you can send your kids to college and buy that lake home you've always wanted.

There is some tension between taprooms and bars. Many taprooms here are replacing the dive bars and neighborhood bars of the past. Actual bars typically offer greater variety and better food. You go to tap rooms and bars for slightly different reasons. Most taprooms have far fewer TV screens than bars. This is a good thing.

The actual creative stuff will continue to happen in the craft breweries and the ones on the edges will do the most interesting stuff and also the biggest screw ups. Bottom line - we will continue to get creative, interesting beer.

 

Sometimes sarcasm in the written word is easy to identify (The term craft beer will be replaced by independent (or indie) beer. Finally, terminology that can’t be co-opted by Big Beer and its minions!). But sadly, even the most blatant sarcasm can go over the heads of the easily triggered. I enjoyed a good laugh as well @Todd

 

Another prediction for 2018: Sales of beer sold by small, local craft breweries will notably grow in 2018 but sales of beer produced by the larger, distributing craft breweries will grow less or be stagnant.

Cheers!

 

I agree, #DrinkLocal will continue to be the highest growth area in beer, IMHO, both because that's the way the math works (it's easy to grow a smaller number significantly year-over-year than a larger number) and because the market is moving that way, and has been for a couple of years.

 

Indeed, but sometimes it is thinly veiled sincerity. It's also a convenient way for people to escape poorly supported stances.

 

Be careful, dude! You don't want to burn yourself. Set your coffee down before you read my posts. Preferably on your coffee table. Next to the new, quarterly copy of BA Magazine.

 

And yet another prediction for 2018:

Beer Club growth will continue its expansion, both in the number breweries offering them and the memberships for existing ones,

As businesses realize that by offering benefits such as:

• Advanced and/or exclusive access to releases
• Convenient ordering, pickup and/or shipping options
• Exclusive pours, crowler and/.or growler fills
• Discounts
• Exclusive events
• Good Customer service

That they can increase customer loyalty and capture more of the high end market.

 

YOU MEAN TO TELL ME PEOPLE USE SARCASM AS A DEFENSE MECHANISM?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?