Beervana: Surviving the Stress Test

This has been coming for a while, many people including myself see an impending implosion of breweries and only a few will be left standing. It is not wise to open a brewery or expand in the current atmosphere, but hunker down for the coming storm.

 

Smuttynose?

 

Green Flash and Smuttynose were two we sold in the early 00s. They were two of my favorites. They both got overstretched in distribution strategy, and both had some management liabilities. They were great people that made great beer. I miss Smuttynose more than Green Flash.

 

Smuttynose is still around, at least up here in MA.

 

John, I have been feeling this way for my area (SEPA). I would have told you 1-2 years ago there were already enough (too many?) local breweries but many new ones have opened in the past 1-2 years. I now have within 2 miles of my house two HUGE local breweries that opened up within the past 6 months. Is there genuinely a market for these two new breweries? Needless to say I would answer no since I though there was already enough/too many breweries around but every few weeks I learn of more new breweries opening up. Either I have a poor understanding of the market demands here or these new brewery owners don't have a good understanding. I wish these new guys well so I sincerely hope that I am the person with the poor understanding in this matter.

Cheers!

@rotsaruch

 

I visited Portland for the first time last year and found the level of overall quality to be extremely high. While I planned to visit a few famous stops, once we arrived it become very easy to try random beers of all sorts. For a city with so many breweries I wash shocked how few were average to poor. That's taking into account traditional styles (like German lagers) as well as new school styles like flavored stouts and fruited milkshake IPA's. Plus unlike many other cities I feel like there was a lot of variety. It's not like everyone was making the same type of IPA and/or stout.

 

Ding, ding ding....this checks all the boxes of a mature beer culture IMO. Random high quality...similar traits to England, Belgium and Germany

 

I'd say that is an accurate statement. There aren't many other cities in the US I'd say that about. At most there are 3-4.

 

I would say similar traits to Brussels, Munich...etc., specific cities. Rather than name the entire countries.

I’m sure there’s plenty of mediocre beer cities in those countries.

 

You are probably correct. I have never been (yet) so I'm no expert.

 

But you are now witnessing some 'corrections' in Portland with: "...closures. Breweries have shut down (BridgePort, Alameda, Burnside), brewery pubs have closed (Widmer, Lompoc), and other pubs are in their final days (Growler Guys, Steinhaus)." Wouldn't this situation seem to give pause and maybe breweries should no longer be opening "every week" in Portland?

Cheers!

P.S. FWIW I personally have not noted a similar level of 'corrections' in the Philly area but....

 

I guess we will see what 2019 and 2020 bring?

Cheers!

 

This is true. Their overall baseline is higher than the US, but the beer scene in say...Tampa is more robust than Frankfurt, Charleroi, etc.

 

It's absent here now. Finestkind was/is(?) a fine IPA .

 

It was one of the first (if not the first) IPAs I ever had.

I still remember how much the grapefruit character popped in that beer. It was one of those "aha!" moments.

 

The beautiful and refreshing dry finish also contained an intriguing white pepper aspect. Finestkind is/was one of my all time favorites.

 

One pressure on the breweries and bars in Portland is the real estate being worth more as a high rise condo. I can't think of an example of a place closing, but I remember stories of the rent increasing by multiples of what they were paying (growler guys?). I know a few people in Portland, they are not happy with highrise trend changing the city.

Edit - The area around Bridgeport was a gritty warehouse area circa 2000. Now it has gentrified, and there are highrise condos on 3 sides. I fully expect that the Bridgeport property to be developed.