I seriously won't care until there's no beers for me to chase. My wife and I do this because we enjoy it. Not because other people care. Most of the people we shared with regularly pre-covid barely care about geeking out anymore. We aren't trying to find new things to connect with those people over. So far, we haven't had any trouble meeting new people who share our passion for beer.
Like most other hobbies/endeavors, we need to encourage new participants (even if inconsistent). Dogs and kids are necessary, kind of like snowboarders We need the dues to help prop up this passion.
For some it can the cheaper option. If they can bring their own food it’s a much cheaper outing than going to a restaurant.
Not an option for the brewery taprooms that have a kitchen onsite. But I take your point otherwise. Cheers!
I agree about there being fewer geeks now than 15 years ago, but I’m pretty sure that beer is bigger now than it was in the 90s. Does anyone have any hard data comparing now to the 90s?
Perhaps craft beer drinking (geeks) will shift towards the wine drinking (geeks) category. Hard core wine drinkers are always older, and that sustains the industry. Perhaps craft beer, given the rising costs, will focus more on the older crowd. I'm fine with that. Maybe breweries will become more like wineries.
I, personally, don't have a problem with kids or dogs in a bar. My dad was taking me to brewpubs and bars when I was a kid. I used to take my dog with me when I'd go check dog-friendly places out. And I like to pet dogs, so good dogs are a plus. The issue is with people who let their children treat the place like a playground, or bring dogs that aren't well heeled. Our problem isn't with the children or dogs, it's with the younger generation of parents and owners. I feel the same way when I go to the grocery store, a museum, or pretty much any public space. My sister's kids are like this, and my mom has pretty much given up on them. Mom doesn't understand the disconnect, because we turned out pretty decent, but those boys are little shits.
There may be less beer geeks but I think allot of it is optics making it appear there are less today than 10-20 years ago. - more craft beer selection is sold in a lot more stores in an given area today, so there isn’t the “1 store in town” that has a wide selection of craft beer where all the geeks would go to - a lot more breweries today in many local areas vs 10-20 years ago so the beer geeks that want to have a craft draft beer are more widely spread out - the brewery taproom has evolved. Where it used to resemble a distillery tasting room, it’s now more like a restaurant. So 10-20 years ago (maybe closer to 20 years ago), you’d have people visit the brewery for a tour and sample some beers at the end in the tasting room, talk about beer etc. Like visiting a distillery, it was more likeminded “geeks” outnumbering the normies. So with all that, the 1 beer geek in a public space may be hidden amongst lots of non- beer geeks.
Just one datapoint, but our local cask ale festival, NERAX, seems to be growing in popularity. Cask is a niche within the craft beer niche, and the fact it's increasing in popularity year over year suggests to me beer geeks aren't going away. I like @Beersnake 's wine analogy a few posts above.
how expensive is your craft beer, i wonder? in my neck of the woods, a bottle of, say, regular grohe pilsner is 89 cents and their craft beer (pale ale) is 1.09€. the difficulty is to find it because most supermarkets offer an ocean of pilsner and a few imports from bayern for weizen and helles. and now also the us „bud“ that noone buys, hahahahahahah
Like you said, without actual numbers it's just conjecture, but even with the massive growth of the industry I feel like there are actually less people who are passionate about (craft) beer and more that just kind of accept it as part the culture. I guess that's the difference. What was counter-culture in the 90s is normal now. I wouldn't hate that, as long as beer kept its blue-collar attitude. Interesting perspectives. Kind of beer geek camouflage? Because good beer is so available and because not everyone who seeks out good beer is a beer geek, the geeks blend in more than they used to? Merry fucking Christmas to me! Me too.
It's going to range depending on where you are in the US, but a bottle/can (12 oz) of the bigger craft brewers is going to be around $1.50 at the cheaper end.
There were beer geeks years ago smashing cookies into a French press to add more flavors to their beer. Beer geeks population =\= breweries thriving. Any given hobby has a spectrum of participants, from ultra casual to strict professional. The small band of more serious consumers cannot single handedly support an industry. It's all anecdotal, but I do not think the number of beer geeks has changed in any meaningful way, instead I think the landscape has shifted as casual beer consumers (not geeks) or trend-chasing consumers reduce their craft beer consumption, perhaps driven by other interests, changes in financial obligations, etc..
Although I would agree, I'd venture that they are a big part of the foundation of said industry, along with those who are maybe less passionate, less informed, and less hyperaware of the industry, but still consistent, dedicated consumers. The latter probably making up a larger percentage. So, would you say that you feel that the shake-out in the industry should result in, on the whole, shoring up existing consumers rather than recruiting new ones?
There are some already who operate like this. Very limited distro, clubs, "destination" locations, limited releases, uncommon styles. I'm think of places like Alesong and Wolves & People.
Starting up businesses is different from the support required to maintain (or grow) business. Beer Geeks are certainly still around and responsible for running a healthy number of breweries (and events and QC programs and tap line cleaning services, etc.) as people who pursue their passion tend to do. What I find difficult to believe is that Beer Geeks propped up an industry - that seems more the function of average consumers seeking something different, novel, or improved vs. their typical options. For those consumers, they may enjoy craft beer, but do not pursue it in a way that would label them a 'Beer Geek.' I would think this would always be the goal - shore up existing consumers and recruit where you can. Retaining customers seems the easier of two options, but I am not a businessman (though Ryan does say that in The Office). Once people latch onto brands they trust, spending your money anywhere else is gambling whether the product will match or even exceed expectations. That's if the consumer even notices the other brands or skips straight over to the tap handle or label art they recognize.
