traditional brews versus "craft"

A wise US beer marketer once said "Traditional German beer is like classical music, and US 'craft' beer is like rock and roll." (And I think same could apply across European traditional styles.) Thing is, a classically trained musician can play rock and roll easily, but a rock star typically can't play classical music (at least not very well). So while traditional brewers may easily be able to make US style 'craft' products, the fact of the matter is they will never be rock stars. And many of the fans of the new beer generation don't want great beer -- they want rock stars.

 

I have more of a comment than an answer.

The appeal for big bold fruity IPAs is very obvious. The appeal for rather more nuanced European styles is not so. Not to disparage American style craft in any way, but the bolder stuff appeals more to people that don't normally drink beer in the same way that sweet grapey wine appeals to those that don't normally drink wine. Fifteen years ago in UK pubs it was Witbiers that were kicking off. I got hooked on Hoegaarden because it had obvious 'flavour', unlike the 'warm groggy crap' in the old men's pubs.

As for 'traditional' European beer being overlooked, I think that's perhaps just by the craft community. However varied the craft selection purports to be, the emphasis is massively on the APA / AIPA. Outside of Europe though the market for European beer stretches to the Far East.

 

I think the appeal of American style craft beer is first and foremost due to the flavor of the beers, which offer something which is distinct and different from the standard mainstream beers of any country. So taste is certainly critical to the success of those styles, both in the form of exports, as well as imitations produced elsewhere. Secondly I think the marketing helps a great deal, the underdog, alternative, counterculture marketing appeals to alot of young people (and can be used for larger businesses as well, like Pabst Blue Ribbon). Thirdly I think American craft beer has a huge advantage in being from the US specifically, in being a form of cultural export similar to other popular culture such as music and entertainment. The English language facilitates the spread of this culture to other countries.

Those are three important factors at play here I think.

 

So not too different than, say, Starbucks...?

 

Well not all flavors and tastes which differ from the mainstream will obviously find appreciation by the same group of people. The people who drink American style craft beer do so because they enjoy the flavor of American craft beer, that is my belief anyhow, just as I believe that a majority of those who drink AALs, German pilsners or Swedish Export lagers enjoy drinking those beers. American craft beer represents a discovery, by some people, of flavors in beer which they previously had not tasted, and which they found to be enjoyable. But at the same time it is so that not all people will enjoy all things, or enjoy them to an equal degree. Why some people enjoy a hoppy pale ale more than a rauchbier, or why some people enjoy eating meat and potatoes type dishes more so than pasta, or asian food over barbeque, or coffee over tea etc., can be debated of course, but when it comes to this question I am fully in agreement with JackHorzempa's often used quote "de gustibus non est disputandum".

I would posit that there are people out there, for example, who would enjoy the taste of rauchbier if they had the chance to try it who currently have not, but I think here is where the two second points (or three) of marketing, being an American cultural export and being promoted/discussed (marketed) in English becomes of great importance. Germany is no longer an exporter of culture to the same extent as it was in the 1800s for example, nor is the German language as widespread or influential. The other factor, that of marketing, or the lack of it, or the lack of the right kind of marketing, is also a factor here I think. The same could be said for Belgian or French beer (and I doubt that many outside of beer-nerd circles would even think of putting those last two words together in a sentence)

 

One could say that there are alot of similarities in that Starbucks offers an American brand and American products which they partly export, and which is partly imitated elsewhere both as it pertains to the branding (corporate franchise type coffee-shop) and the products it offers. If we also include the imitators into the Starbucks analogy, I think it makes sense. This comes down to how we view businesses and companies to some extent, some would make a distinction between Starbucks and a craft brewery, I would argue that they are both companies formed to make money by putting out a product.

What to think of the products that Starbucks and its imitators produce is a different question and one of taste, and I will refer here to Jack's often used quote.

 

I find that to be a strange assumption to make, that people who drink American craft beer do so not because they enjoy the flavor but for other reasons. And I don't understand why one would need this assumption to make sense of the popularity or impopularity of other kinds of beer. Are you trying to prove that there is a kind of false consciousness at work preventing people from seeing the truth about American craft beer? Are you trying to prove that people who drink American craft beer are misguided fools?

Why is it improbable that German upstart breweries would be inspired by American breweries in "rediscovering" Gose, a type of beer which to my knowledge had a pretty lowkey existence in Germany up until recently. As more breweries produce such a beer and market it in a way which is effective, more people try it and find that they like it. The question here is not "why are people drinking American craft beer which they do not enjoy when they could be drinking Gose and Rauchbier?", but rather "how can brewers of other styles of beer compel more drinkers to buy and try their beers and find a larger market, i.e more consumers, for those beers?".

 

Could you please expound upon the concept of “transform taste (expectations)”. What exactly is marketing accomplishing here?

Cheers!

 

Or why young people prefer 'craft' pils served in hipster bars in Berlin and Hamburg [and will even pay 2x as much or more for it] to something like a traditional Franconian pils in an old guys' tavern...despite the fact that the latter beers performed remarkably better in blind tastings like this one http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/new-pils-tasting-results.406082/

 

From your reply I am taking it that you are discussing packaging (i.e., can vs. bottle) and ambiance of the on premise establishment as “modern marketing”, am I understanding that properly?

The way the brewery packages a beer is certainly part of their overall marketing & sales effort.

Will a beer consumer be ‘influenced’ by packaging? I think it is fair to say “yes” here but that sort of ‘influence’ can work both ways. For example, in the US craft breweries for an extended period of time refused to use cans since they were of the opinion that cans would ‘resonate’ with beer consumers in a non-positive way. The thinking was that beer consumers would have an ‘association’ of cans = mega-brewery beers (e.g., Bud Light). It took decades for some US craft breweries (e.g., Sam Adams) to finally add cans as packaging option.

As to how does a package ‘influence’ beer drinkers from a taste perspective IMO that is a very complicated topic. I have read many posts from BAs who claim they perceive a metallic taste in beers from cans even if they pour the beer from a can to a glass. Since beer cans are lined with BPA there is zero contact of the beer with the metal (aluminum) but even so there are some consumers who would swear that pick up a metallic flavor in canned beer. I wonder if there is any way to properly (accurately?) assess how packaging influences consumer taste over a broad consumer base? I have no doubt that companies like Coca-Cola (and maybe AB InBev?) have studied this topic as part of the marketing & sales efforts but I wonder if a truly accurate assessment has been achieved? In addition I would suspect that any results achieved by those companies would be proprietary. Maybe some independent (e.g., academic) institutions have results that are publically available?

Cheers!

 

I also think people will try some different styles of beer if they are familiar with the brewery. if their favourite craft brewer releases a Berliner weisse for instance then they are more likely to give it a go as they trust the brand and see it as something new and exciting. They wouldn't then necessarily seek out traditional Berliner weisse from a brewer they've never heard of before. Also German beers don't usually come with fancy artwork so are less likely to be eye catching on a shelf to the average beer drinker looking for breweries they like rather than styles in particular.

 

I like the Rock & Roll analogy.
I do tend to think it's a little bit of rebellion vs. culture that is deemed as "old" too. The desire not to be your parents or the previous generation, even if they're technically right.
In the rediscovery of older styles, I think they're cool more because they're seen as "retro" and getting back to your roots more so than what's considered old.
There's also the variety factor. As much as I love German beers, I crave "C" hops and mixed-fermentation beers, too. A little bit of rebellion crossed with wanting to try something exotic can probably go a long way.
Taste-wise, it's also very new. Probably new enough where even if some of it is bad (some German craft certainly is) it's still new and different enough that it might not matter to some.