America's Favorite Beers

Glad.

I'd probably hate the day when craft starts being more popular. The influences of it going mainstream so far are (mostly) unappealing to me.

 

the only beer on that list that i could enjoy multiples of is blue moon.

 

From Wikipedia - Stella Artois has been nicknamed "Wife Beater" in the United Kingdom, due to a perceived connection with aggression and binge drinking. AB InBev lobbyists, Portland Communications, tried to remove all "wife beater" references from the Stella Artois Wikipedia entry.

 

Yeah every bar has a pbr special normally. 16 oz can for $1.50. Craft is definetly a growing market here as colingaiser mentioned. Pbr is my lawn mowin beer.

 

For all the hullabaloo generated by the total sales of craft beer exceeding the sales of Budweiser, this is a bit more sobering:

America’s Fastest Growing Beer Brands

From the article:

8. Michelob Ultra
> Sales growth (2008-2013): 21.5%
> Brewer: Anheuser-Busch Inbev
> Barrels shipped (2013): 4,100,000

7. Bud Ice
> Sales growth (2008-2013): 26.9%
> Brewer: Anheuser-Busch InBev
> Barrels shipped (2013): 2,125,000

6. Yuengling Lager
> Sales growth (2008-2013): 34.2%
> Brewer: D.G. Yuengling & Son
> Barrels shipped (2013): 2,180,000

5. PBR
> Sales growth (2008-2013): 71.5%
> Brewer: Pabst Brewing Company
> Barrels shipped (2013): 2,710,000

4. Blue Moon
> Sales growth (2008-2013): 88.4%
> Brewer: MillerCoors
> Barrels shipped (2013): 2,025,000

3. Stella Artois
> Sales growth (2008-2013): 95.4%
> Brewer: Anheuser-Busch InBev
> Barrels shipped (2013): 1,475,000

2. Modelo Especial
> Sales growth (2008-2013): 106.9%
> Brewer: Constellation Brands
> Barrels shipped (2013): 3,745,000

1. Dos Equis
> Sales growth (2008-2013): 116.6%
> Brewer: Heineken USA
> Barrels shipped (2013): 1,570,000

 

I feel sorry for people that enjoy this "Beers"

 

heres the link, for those interested.
http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2015...ll-foreign/?intcmp=obmod_ffo&intcmp=obnetwork

 

I posted the link to the source article for that one, but I liked the quote in the Fox article about how the "foreign" brands are really brewed in the USA, and how PBR was "craft"!

 

I don't have exact numbers but I bet there are 50+ craft breweries with 1000% growth in the same period.

 

sorry, didnt really it was hyperlinked. yeah i found that a little surprising too. maybe they meant blue moon (even though its not actually craft) and just had a typo. or theres always the "hipsters drink pbr and they seem to like crafty things so pbr must be craft" way of thinking

 

Yeah... the rule of small numbers... Going from 1 bbl to 10 bbl is 1000%!

 

Most interesting man in the world clearly has been the greatest marketing pitch of the last 5 years in beer world. Sales growth figures say, many agree with his choice in beer (when he decides to drink beer).

 

For everyone on this site who thinks macros are dying...

BTW, I'm glad macros are alive and well. It's already difficult to get my favorite rare barrel-aged brews. Imagine if every chucklehead wanted some - we'd have to win death matches for 2 ounce pours.

 

I saw a guy today that asked for Hop Slam, was told the release was next Tuesday, and he walked out with and 18 pack of PBR. Who cares?

 

Macro market share is dwindling. That is a fact. However they have a nearly insurmountable lead. Year over year double digit growth from craft is impressive but it becomes unrealistic sooner rather than later.

I think 25-30% of the market is realistic. At that point, the infighting and price points kill growth. Craft drinkers have zero brand loyalty.

 

I think the loyalty is there to craft brews but distribution hurts. I love offerings from Avery, Goose Island even Heavy Seas, who ships some selections to grocery stores, except Uncharted Waters. Hence the need to explore other brands they can get. But I digress, I think the general public don't realize what they are missing. I did for years. But I'm quickly making up by cellaring the brands I like that cellar well. Cheers

 

That's one more problematic aspect of the Brewers Association constantly "tweaked" Craft Brewer definition. Since they have often claimed they don't define "craft beer"* only "Craft Brewer" - what keeps Pabst Blue Ribbon "non-craft" now that primarily-adjunct brewers can be considered "Craft"? Pabst Brewing Co. is independent, owned by a US citizen (not a Russian company as he quickly corrected the media ) and a US equity firm, and has fallen below 6 million barrels a year.

* They briefly stated that "a craft beer can only be made by a craft brewer" circa 2007 when the original version of their Craft Brewer definition was created, but soon dropped that reference. In recent years, though, former B.A. Chair Sam Calagione has stated it here on the BA forum:

...and pretty sure I saw it suggested recently in an interview about the AB purchase from Dick Cantwell, another former B.A. exec. But the B.A. has never commented on the opposite that I know of - can a "Craft brewer" brew a non-craft beer? Are Utica Club Beer or Point Special from Matt and Steven Point "craft", even though they are clearly AAL's? Will Yuengling Premium be a "craft beer" come the new listings?

 

All of which suggests thet "craft" has no meaning.Or perhaps it has as many meanings as users of the term.It doesn't matter anyway because it's what you think about the beer you have in your glass that's important.

 

Hoist on their own petard?

Anyway, I thought the BA was firm in their statement that they did not define craft beers, only craft brewers.

 

Exactly. I have no concern for those pontificating one way or another what the definition of "craft" may be. I know that for legal reasons the definition of "craft" may "need" to be nailed down and airtight, but that definition may still be not quite correct. The bureaucracy and self importance surrounding the modern beer scene bothers me less every day. I'll have a damned good beer, read, cook, hang out with family and friends, work.....and that's enough!