Are We Killing Beer?

Oh, wasn't so great last time they asked that question.

 

Here is the inevitable result of a brewery that opened with their own ideas, didn't consider a niche for themselves, tried to add some beers they saw were more popular than the ones they put out to poor response, but never really put out beer we liked. North River Hops And Brewing had a killer location, but posted this today.

"As we near our four-year anniversary, it pains us to announce that we will be permanently closing our doors on June 30th.

These last four years have been an adventure. We have had ups and downs, trials and tribulations, but we have always dug in our heels and persevered. However this time, this time unfortunately, things must come to an end.

To our employees - your loyalty and dedication have been paramount to our success. Your willingness to learn, your unwavering support for our product and the craft, your flexibility and your patience have made all the ups and downs tolerable, and have made the trials and tribulations worth it. We owe you more than what these words can even begin to express. We thank you from the depths of our hearts.

To our customers - you have been our rock; you have kept us going! Thank you for being there for us, supporting us, cheering us on - but most of all, thank you for including us in your lives. We have seen relationships blossom, and friendships deepen. We have seen engagements and breakups, weddings and babies, birthdays, reunions, and anniversaries. You have come to us after tough days at work, to celebrate new beginnings, and sometimes, just because you forgot your onion and needed to make another grocery store run. You. In a world where you are surrounded by seemingly infinite options, you continued to choose us, and we are forever grateful.

So much has gone into this business since its inception in 2012. We have poured our hearts and souls into its existence. We have painstakingly crafted recipe after recipe. This was one of the most difficult and necessary decisions we have ever had to make, but we leave with spectacular memories, giant smiles, and love - so much love - in our hearts."

 

You can feel for them, lots of $ invested for sure , gone now.great example of your point.

 

It's a good thing people make and drink all kinds of IPA. That does not sound good too me at all.

 

And yet, there is no NEIPA that I have tried that matters to me. They are often good/great beers, but jeez, who the fuck just keeps caring so hard? Move on please. There are great beers everywhere........

 

At one point, beers drinkers pissed and moaned that the market was dominated by Big and even Bigger.
Now there are more breweries and hence beers than we can count.
What the hell? Dying?
Beer is alive and well.
Enjoy it in all its glory.
For tomorrow, wine coolers could make a comeback.

 

Nope, not losing its soul but finding it.

 

Indeed. They arguably had the best location of any brewery in our area. More people passed them on a daily basis than any brewery I can think of around here.

 

I love it. For the the first time ever in the most recent months, I no longer have to even seek out beers at a bottle shop since there is so much good distribution here now in AL. Even at wal mart i can get Ballast point founders etc

Now if we could just catch up to socal and have 2 rows of Sierra Nevada Firestone and lagunitas single 16 and 19oz cans at every gas station.

 

Which is great for Alabama don't get wrong. The thing is some of us have had these options for many years, and from my point of view with the recent influx of new beer with established breweries that distribute something has to give. They can keep spreading it around to every corner of the Unites States, South America, Europe, even Canada but the writings on the wall for some of us.. Enjoy the vast beer choices trust me I do but don't be naive. This double edged sword could cut the best brewery and promote the most mediocre beer on the shelves. People are that dumb.

 

no, just you

 

So what's next for these brewers ?.

 

are you serious? Micro and nano breweries popping up all over the place- some great. Styles and beers never seen before all over the place and plenty of great original styles out there. You may not, but I remember when Ballentine IPA was the only decent beer available on the east coast or when the sight of Magic Hat or Otter Creek you send your heart fluttering. You gotta be kidding me.

 

More beer doesn't mean better beer or more selection. Very few small, local breweries are doing things that I would consider to be "great" by any stretch of the imagination. Great Old World beers are harder to come by and almost nobody stateside is bothering to brew said styles of beer because the new craft beer consumer is a myopic moron that only recognizes hazy or pastry or barrel aged or fruit bomb as worthy of purchase. There is a give and take with this explosion of craft breweries. Personally, I'd rather have as many breweries as we did in the early 2000s, simply with better distribution. Yeah . . . I think I'd be on board with that.

 

Brewer, the artist who creates trends or brewery owner, the businessman, who follows them. Which one do you choose if you want your brewery to succeed?

The answer 99% of the time is...both.

If you open a brewery, rub your hands together and say ‘let’s make some money!’ and start trying to copy the hottest beers at the moment, your insincere, Johnny-come-lately nature will become quickly obvious to the average consumer. You’ll either have to capitalize on your ‘newness’, rapidly expand and sell high, or you’ll suffer a delayed, sometimes drawn out, but inevitable death.

If you start your brewery with, ‘I’m the professional and I decide what to make and I’m not interested in making popular styles...well, you will likely fail because, believe it or not, most people’s palates don’t line up 100% with yours.

The answer is to do both. If you are a small operation, just keep pumping stuff out and see what sticks. Try to get more hits than strikeouts. That $6 can of double-dry hopped hazy that people lined up for will more than offset that traditional sticke altbier that no one bought.

For the bigger guys, investing in and promoting your flagship allows you the luxury of creativity with your one-offs. That IPA or pale ale that makes up 50% of your barrelage may be a case of just giving the market what it wants, but it pays for ingredients for that best bitter that you wanted to brew, but knew would have a hard time finding an audience for.

It is romantic and incorrect to believe that brewers are free spirited artists, brewing whatever the goddess Ninkasi divinely inspires them, regardless of marketability, sales, and bottom line. Brewers are trying to turn a profit and put food on the table just like anyone else.

But it is also cynical and incorrect to believe that all brewery decisions are carefully crafted business moves, manufactured in marketing brainstorming sessions, with passion and artisanal value an afterthought. Almost every brewer in this industry is passionate and romantic about beer. There are many beers brewed simply because the brewer loved the style, even knowing it would not sell well. Hell, there are beers that a brewed knowing full well that they would lose money.

The trick is to find your golden mean and never be pulled too far away from your passion or your common sense.

 

Killing beer would mean that you walk into a store and see no good beers.

I walk into a store and see too many good beers.

I'm going to have to take a break from IPA's in the next few weeks just because of all of the awesome Autumn seasonal beers that will be dropping.

 

Next time you hit the store, just for a laugh, don't look at any IPAs/hoppy beers and see how good of a selection they have.

 

Stouts, sours, a whole wall of the heavy hitters from Belgium and Germany.

I come out with no IPA's frequently.

 

To be honest I have killed a few six packs.

 

Nice.

Well done, but what percentage of their beer is hoppy beer?