The Problem with American Craft

Don't we want our great breweries to be able to execute every style well? Isn't this why FW and others like them are so highly regarded?

 

In my opinion, there are many breweries who do not produce a single beer I would buy after initially tasting it. I, like most, have variations in almost every style than I can appreciate for what they are. However, this is simply the way the world is. Not everyone will like everyone's products. Hence the unending supply of garage bands. Breweries, like many bands, often start in garages. Some should remain there because all they can produce are mediocre imitations and covers of the style they enjoy. The funny thing is, it is in no way limited to America. If you enjoy European styles more, then naturally you will feel that many more American Style brewing companies are "unnecessary". I'm not a huge fan of 80% of canned beer or Nickelback, but that doesn't mean that mediocrity doesn't have a HUGE market.

 

Absolutely but then people will get into the whole Sierra Nevada and Sam Adams debate. I'm not going down that road.

 

Several states allow self distribution by breweries. And they can work with a distributor, but to cross state lines they have to work with a distributor. E.g., Russian River does self disribution to the north SF Bay area and uses distributors for other places in CA. Their beers that get into the Philly area come through a well known local distributor.

 

It was a great pleasure to watch the triumph you all had against the forces trying to stop homebrew and local brew in your state. It was featured on BA for quite a while, and a goodly number of BA's were active in the movement. Here's hoping your future can be what we are having now.

This is the latest development for us, man, the future's so bright for beer here I gotta wear shades.

http://www.lohud.com/story/news/politics/2014/11/13/cuomo-signs-bill-craft-beer/18975847/

 

As has been mentioned previously, Alabama is relatively new/early to the American craft beer movement. If we consider the more mature American craft beer markets (e.g., Pacific Northwest, California, Southeastern PA, etc.) as models then hopefully it is just a matter of time before Alabama becomes a more mature market for American craft beer?

Maybe the analogy of you must first learn to crawl before you learn to walk applies here?

Cheers!

 

You know the old saying, The cream rises to the top.
My neck of the woods is just seeing the craft boom happen what was 2 craft breweries and 4 brewpubs in a province of under 1 million people, its now up to 15, with 5 more opening in the next year or two. And as much as id love to see each on flourish and prosper the fact is we need 15 more just to push the mediocre stuff out, sometimes better things happen from others failures.

 

Permit me to suggest attending the Belgium comes to Cooperstown event. I went one year and the Ommegang brewery setting is truly an idyllic setting; photographs do not genuinely do it justice. Plus there is lots of great beer at the event; both imported and North American brewed!

Cheers!

 

“…sometimes better things happen from others failures.” Another thing to consider is that competition does have the ability to get folks to learn how to make better beer. I have seen this on more than one occasion in SEPA.

Cheers!

 

sadly, having lived in huntsville for a year, that process may take a while from what i saw. But hey, better late than never.

people are stuck in their ways down there, if you know what i mean

 

The real question is when isn't it?

 

Thanks for the info. Mental model of 3 tier system amended. :-)