I found this article interesting. They make a good business case for this particular wave of new breweries and tap rooms. (if you've don't subscribe and have viewed more than 10 NYT articles this month you may hit a pay wall) https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/17/dining/beer-gypsy-brewing.html
Really neat article. Gypsy brewing and alt-props are very analogous to food truck proliferation. You get chefs/brewers who have experience, but not enough money for a bricks and mortar establishment, so they do the next best thing until they can afford to do so. Raises the question, however, what if you're an independent gypsy or alt-prop brewer who is brewing out of a "non-craft" facility? What if you're a brewing company that is having your beers contract brewed out of a "non-craft" facility? I understand that ownership dictates whether or not you're considered craft or not, but if you're using non-craft facilities to make your beer, I think that it's a little disingenuous to consider yourself craft when the facilities and/or labor that you're using isn't.
A very interesting article. I took note of a couple aspects: “But now, consumers are increasingly seeking beer at the source: Since 2010, sales at breweries and brew pubs have risen more than 500 percent, according to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Beer lovers routinely troop to breweries for releases of cans and bottles, and a sense of belonging to a particular place has become as important as the beer itself.” A growth of 500% over 6ish years is significant. Also: “Taprooms also serve as consumer focus groups. Mr. Lohring uses his to test richly flavored old-world lagers and pale ales featuring new hop varieties. “We get immediate feedback from customers and sales,” he said, “and that informs us on our next steps.” I have discussed this topic a number of times in BA threads. The fact that small, local breweries can readily obtain feedback from their customers is a genuine competitive advantage for them. Cheers!
I agree with the Grimm quote about there being an asteriskish stigma next to the gypsy brewed batch. Consistency is not always the easiest to manage (even though Grimm does a good job of being consistent). Especially in NJ, I tend to, at least subconsciously, if not consciously, ignore certain orange cans contracted in a different state, whereas I'd buy the same can about an hour south of me in a second from the actual taproom. I do appreciate Jeppe's statement about giving back to the gypsy community/the brewers that have helped him along the way by inviting the brewers into his "house". I think that this'll help create a wave of newer creative and innovative brews (or, in his words, "experimental whims").
