Where Would Craft Beer Be Today...

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by 5thOhio, Jul 6, 2018.

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  1. 5thOhio

    5thOhio Pooh-Bah (1,571) May 13, 2007 South Carolina
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    Got to wondering while enjoying a tasty malt beverage, where craft beer growth would be today if it weren’t for the appearance of flavored beers. While IPAs are, from what I understand, still the biggest selling style, there has been an apparent explosion in the past few years of beers with flavorings. Chocolate, coffee, habenero, tangerine, lavender…you name it and some brewery somewhere has probably brewed it.

    So, I’m just musing as to how much of the growth in craft beer is due to people who don’t actually like beer, but will drink it if it has sufficient other taste profiles. Just like people who say they drink wine when they actually drink wine coolers, I’m guessing there are a number of beer drinkers who only drink flavored beers, who will order a porter brewed with vanilla, chocolate and nutmeg, but would never actually drink an unflavored porter. Plus, those beers appeal to the tickers, who have been there, done that at the brewpub across town, but they haven’t had the latest citrus-infused pale ale!

    Case in point is Great Lakes Christmas Ale. It’s their biggest selling beer. The news stations in Northern Ohio even announce the date every year that Christmas Ale will be available. Now, yeah, I know winter warmers are a legit style and have been around a long time, but I have heard people say that they don’t like beer but they like GL Christmas Ale. There are apparently a lot of people in that state who will never drink another beer all year.

    Since it’s hip these days to go out with friends to a brewpub, ya gotta drink something, amIright? I’ve even been to a few places that had almost no plain beer styles on tap. Everything was flavored. If your significant other loves beer but you don’t, you want your market niche covered so you don’t sit there for a couple of hours sipping ice water.

    Now, I’m sure there are BAs reading along who are ready to burn the keyboard when they finish this post so they can write, “I love flavored beers but I love unflavored ones too! So, you talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? Then who the hell else are you talking to!?” And, of course, I’m not referring to beer drinkers who drink both types of beer. Just seems to me there’s a significant segment of the craft beer market who only drink beers that don’t actually taste like beer.
     
    #1 5thOhio, Jul 6, 2018
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  2. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,145) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
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    The heirs of the creator of SASSY (and owners of the Weber Waukesha Brewing Co.) are still annoyed that Grandpa was half a century too early...
    [​IMG]
    More flavored beers showed up about a decade later when the malt liquor segment first took off - Malt Duck (National), Hop'n Gator (Pittsburgh), Lime Lager (Lone Star), Right Time - 4 varieties- Red, Gold, Tropical and Apple (Hamm), etc.
     
    #2 jesskidden, Jul 6, 2018
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  3. EvenMoreJesus

    EvenMoreJesus Initiate (0) Jun 8, 2017 Pennsylvania

    Agreed, but significant =/= the majority. Craft beer would be just fine if breweries only made beer-flavored beer, they simply wouldn't be selling as much beer as they are today.
     
    #3 EvenMoreJesus, Jul 6, 2018
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  4. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,145) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
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    BREWBOUND's got an article on the growth of the "hard seltzer" in the FMB segment (apparently these things do fall under "MALT BEVERAGES SPECIALITIES - FLAVORED" definition of the TTB) - and how they're up over 200% in dollar sales in the past year. The 3 largest sellers which make up 90% of the sub-segment - White Claw (Mikes), Truly (BBC), and SpikedSeltzer (AB) - are growing by triple digits.

    As US Temperatures Rise, Hard Seltzer Sales Heat Up
     
    #4 jesskidden, Jul 6, 2018
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  5. dennis3951

    dennis3951 Initiate (0) Mar 6, 2008 New Jersey

    How can seltzer be considered "Malt Beverage" flavored or not?
     
    #5 dennis3951, Jul 6, 2018
  6. readyski

    readyski Pooh-Bah (1,557) Jun 4, 2005 California
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    There's no doubt the "flavorings" did expand the market a bit, but I enjoy them too and I consider myself a craft beer drinker (snob) :grin:
     
    #6 readyski, Jul 6, 2018
  7. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,145) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
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    Yeah, I was surprised. I guess they - the ones that qualify as "malt beverages" anyway (I don't thnk they all do, some are just fermented from sugar) are "brewed" ("created" ?) just like any other FMB - using barley malt + adjuncts + the tiny amount of hops required and then filtered and otherwise processed to strip the flavor and color to create a neutral alcoholic base liquid and then add the flavorings? (Think "Zima" as far as the lack of color and beer taste).

    The advantage is that they can be sold under states "beer" regulations, which are more liberal and have more possible retailers than many states' wine or spirits laws.
     
    #7 jesskidden, Jul 6, 2018
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  8. 5thOhio

    5thOhio Pooh-Bah (1,571) May 13, 2007 South Carolina
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    Well, that's what I was saying too. Significant means a sizeable minority. I never contended it was the majority.
     
    #8 5thOhio, Jul 7, 2018
  9. nc41

    nc41 Initiate (0) Sep 25, 2008 North Carolina
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    I would think where would craft beer be without Jim Koch and Sam Adams going big in the 80's. IMO he brought better beer into many households. Back then I thought it was bitter and upfront with taste vs the Rolling Rock I was drinking then. It might be passé now but 35 years ago it was revolutionary.
     
    #9 nc41, Jul 7, 2018
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  10. Amendm

    Amendm Pooh-Bah (2,589) Jun 7, 2018 Rhode Island
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    I prefer beers that are basic and true to style, that said I did not join this site to drink the same ol’ same ol’.

    After trying several different styles and new to me breweries I can’t imagine overlooking a beer for not being in my “wheelhouse”.

    Some of the flavored beers I have tried are borderline between Fruit/Veg beers and Pale Wheat Ales with added fruit flavors. I have tried a few beers that I have no reason to revisit but now I know this instead of guessing what they are like.

    I think that the craft beer industry would not be as interesting if not for the flavored beers and unusual combinations.

    Two things I have learned, most beer drinkers are happy with their AAL. (dilly dilly).
    Most craft beer drinkers will try anything once.
     
    #10 Amendm, Jul 10, 2018
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  11. Bitterbill

    Bitterbill Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,036) Sep 14, 2002 Wyoming
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    ...if it weren't for Fritz Jack and Ken.
     
    #11 Bitterbill, Jul 10, 2018
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  12. FatBoyGotSwagger

    FatBoyGotSwagger Grand Pooh-Bah (3,999) Apr 4, 2009 Pennsylvania
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    And you know what the hard seltzer trend reminds me of? The alcoholic soda boom from years past. For a year or two everyone was going ape shit for alcoholic root beers, ginger ales and other flavors. They had similar gains comparable to alcoholic seltzer growth this year. Thing is they are almost no where to be found today, possibly what will happen to the seltzer segment in years to come.
     
    #12 FatBoyGotSwagger, Jul 10, 2018
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  13. Amendm

    Amendm Pooh-Bah (2,589) Jun 7, 2018 Rhode Island
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    I saw a case of Zima in my local packy yesterday, I didn't think they still made that _____.
    Fill in the blank.
     
    #13 Amendm, Jul 10, 2018
  14. marquis

    marquis Pooh-Bah (2,313) Nov 20, 2005 England
    Pooh-Bah

    But "craft beer" has been around in other countries for a very long time.
     
    #14 marquis, Jul 10, 2018
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  15. TongoRad

    TongoRad Grand Pooh-Bah (3,884) Jun 3, 2004 New Jersey
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    And they were even nice enough to send some to the US during that time :wink:.
     
    #15 TongoRad, Jul 10, 2018
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  16. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,145) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
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    Yeah, that Brewbound article discusses that, linking to a BevNet article on this same topic:
    Well, not really "still" - MillerCoors revived it last summer and it actually sold out
    ... so they've released it again for '18.
    https://www.millercoorsblog.com/news/zima-is-back/
     
    #16 jesskidden, Jul 10, 2018
    Last edited: Jul 10, 2018
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  17. bubseymour

    bubseymour Grand Pooh-Bah (4,800) Oct 30, 2010 Maryland
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    I wonder how much of the people on gluten free diets are contributing towards the non-beer alcoholic options? My wife has to (health reasons) eat gluten free and she generally prefers wine but has now started buying those hard seltzer products (she was buying regular seltzer anyway). Just wondering if that segment is growing.
     
    #17 bubseymour, Jul 10, 2018
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  18. TonyLema1

    TonyLema1 Pooh-Bah (2,890) Nov 19, 2008 South Carolina
    Pooh-Bah

    Reminds me of the Not Your Fathers Root Beer craze of a couple of years ago, we couldn’t keep it on the shelf, now it collects dust. Now it’s the alcoholic seltzer’s and friggin Zima reborn. Enough!!! Drink beer or liquor and get off of my lawn
     
    #18 TonyLema1, Jul 10, 2018
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  19. EvenMoreJesus

    EvenMoreJesus Initiate (0) Jun 8, 2017 Pennsylvania

    Nobody cares about other countries. 'Merica!
     
    #19 EvenMoreJesus, Jul 10, 2018
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  20. EvenMoreJesus

    EvenMoreJesus Initiate (0) Jun 8, 2017 Pennsylvania

    I'm sure it has a great deal to do with it, as fads drive many industries.

    The problem with lectins/gluten lies not within the molecules themselves, but in the body's ability to process them and the amounts that one ingests.

    A decent read, if anyone's interested:

    https://www.realnatural.org/debunking-lectin-free-diet-fad/
     
    #20 EvenMoreJesus, Jul 10, 2018
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