Has Craft Beer Jumped The Shark?

I don't think so yet, I can get great quality beers for a decent price still.

 

Other than Prairie Artisan, I've not seen craft prices rise in three years of constant beer buying. In fact, most prices have been static, neither rising nor falling.

 

This handwringing is so weak. We are living in a golden age. Appreciate and support it.

 

There is no shark to jump. We're just rearranging the deck chairs for the good view.
The last had an English bull terrier, the new one, a pitbull.
They play nice with the children, and make damn good beer.

 

The only thing I noticed is in Total wine, they love to sell singles, and you go down this long isle and its mostly IPA. I do not think the phrase fits in good beer. But there is a fad. and IPA is one of the big ones. Some do sours. Sours are not a fad, but are way to pricey IMHO. It will all settle out. The young ones out there will be able in 40 to 50 years to look back and see it. If you live that long.

What some forget beer talk is like bs at the bar, you can talk about anything at a bar, specifically after you had 4 or 5.

I rather have a silly or off the wall topic, than the same old, best state, top 5 bs we get day after day. and If you really want to know whats jumped the shark thread. Its frankly what beer are you are drinking now.

Do we not have untappd for that, geez.

Sarcasm...

Post original I say. Or just do not read it.

/end thread please

 

Not sure what qualifies as "jumping the shark" but I'd say that there are certainly too many craft breweries around and I expect a significant contraction to occur within the next decade.

I think about it this way:

If you run a brewery and you cannot manage to brew an amber lager that is close to the quality of SA Boston Lager or a pale ale that is close to the quality of SNPA, then you need to either appeal to an exclusive sub-niche market within the craft beer niche market or consider shutting down.

 

Whoa! Now let's be logical here.Who has actually jumped a shark we know? Fonzie is the only one I have known to jump shark. How that is not even a beer name or associated with one should be the question.

 

The issue I take with the "jumping the shark" talk is that often there's this harkening back to the "good old days" of craft beer, before IPAs were ubiquitous, before crazy riffs on styles were being brewed everywhere. I'm sorry to say it, but 20 years ago, most of the craft breweries I recall were doing a helluva lot of the same thing. Everyone had an Irish red. Everyone had a pale ale. Everyone had an American wheat. Etc., etc. If I'm being forced to choose between what I commonly find at today's breweries, or or today's shelves (where the changes are even more stark), you can be darn sure I'm taking today over 20 years ago.

 

Well, Trillium is building a huge new facility about 10 miles south of the current one. With the capacity that one will have, they won't be selling it all out of the shop. They will be distributing out to retail and bar accounts. (They had previously done this one a somewhat limited basis, until the demand at the brewery went through the roof.)

How many breweries opened in 2014? Depending on numbers, if the number is, say, 5% or less closing compared to new ones opening, I would say that's near zero, especially when you take into account how many have opened over the past 5 - 7 years.

 

It's very simple to me - craft brewers keep making amazing beers. So no. Hell no.

 

Yeah, their new facility in Canton should open by the end of the year hopefully. Their output is going to increase gradually after that time until they can brew at full capacity. I think this will just increase the quantity of the beer that we see at the brewery/retail/bar accounts, but I am not sure if they actually plan on increasing the distribution footprint overall.

If you want their beer you are still going to have to make the trip, but you'll have a much better chance of getting something while you're there

 

Well, I think using the term "craft beer" has certainly jumped the shark.

It's just beer. Enjoy it. Don't worry about "craft" or sharks or whales or standing in lines hoping to get a bomber of ..... something. Just enjoy beer. It's a pretty fun ride.

 

This question is a bit silly. Just like with everything in life, if enjoying craft beer is something you enjoy, then who cares about hype or any other nonsense? I don't know why people think it is a good use of time arguing whether craft beer or some tv show or some band has jumped the shark - if you enjoy what is being offered now, then great. If you don't, then don't participate.

Things don't have to be complicated or angst ridden.

 

In spirit I totally agree with you.

But it's also a real designation with criteria defined by the Brewers Association.

 

Pumpkin beers have jumped the shark by...making lots of money for breweries so they can make other beers you might enjoy more?

 

... and re-defined, and re-defined, and ....

 

I had never even heard of the term "jump the shark" until now. But yes, there are breweries that have gone over the top with style and pricing, but this is to be expected. It's just a part of growth. The only way to solve the problem these breweries are creating is to stop buying from them. Sadly, there will always be a guy out there that sees expensive and weird, and assumes good/hard to get/tradeable/etc.

 

Over exposure sucks the beauty out of most things, but these things go in cycles, and soon enough the peripheral engagers will move along to something else, like organic airballs - and then craft will return to its former modest self.

Me, I get easily embarrassed - for example, if someone pointed to me and said to someone else "he is CRAZY about all of those weird craft beers". I'll walk away. I don't wish for preconceived notions to be cast upon me - and at this point in time, if you are perceived as a beer geek, the misconstrued associations which come along with that tag are gross. Feeling this way says to me, that in some way, craft was jumped the shark a bit....maybe just a cunthair, but it has

 

It seems like some of the pricing has jumped the shark, especially with bombers. Why should I pay double or triple the price per ounce because it's in a larger bottle? That $14.99 bomber you want to sell me, that's $45 for a 6-pack. And while these are good beers, they are not Walez. But even worse some of Avery's prices have jumped the shark. $9 for a 5 oz taste of their biggest beers. They do growler fills that are $110. That's like paying $129.60 / 6-pack.

I really appreciate how Pliney the Elder bottles are like $6-7.

 

Excellent point. (But showing your age... )

A very large number of people posting in this thread and on this site weren't even legal drinkers 20 years ago.