[HoosierBrew]

As Paul Gatza has stated to his BA members: The biggest challenge facing the craft industry is poor quality beers.

There are a lot of crap craft beers out there. Finding that diamond in the rough is great, but you sure have to down a lot of coal dust to get there.

As you will notice with many of the European beers that we hold dear, they only make a few beer styles or maybe one, but they focus on honing and refining that limited slate to high quality. We need more of that focus here in the craft beer industry too. 

+1 to all of this.

[curtism1234]

Breweries lacking quality can get away with it because new people are still flooding into the craft market and they are looking to experiment / don't know what they are looking for in the first place. Even if 100% of people hate your beer, you'll still sell even more of it next year!

These bad breweries hurt the craft beer movement. 8 dollar a 6 pack is not cheap. Hopefully a newbie picks up regular shocktop or bluemoon and not horny goat watermellon. If you start buying 6 packs and they are complete busts, people are going to go back to bud light.

Breweries will be weeded out when the craft beer movement peaks.

[tommymorris]

Breweries lacking quality can get away with it because new people are still flooding into the craft market and they are looking to experiment / don't know what they are looking for in the first place. Even if 100% of people hate your beer, you'll still sell even more of it next year!

These bad breweries hurt the craft beer movement. 8 dollar a 6 pack is not cheap. Hopefully a newbie picks up regular shocktop or bluemoon and not horny goat watermellon. If you start buying 6 packs and they are complete busts, people are going to go back to bud light.

Breweries will be weeded out when the craft beer movement peaks.

I've got some Horny Goat Watermelon in my fridge right now. It's not horrible. At least I will be able to finish the 6 pack.

[erockrph]

These bad breweries hurt the craft beer movement. 8 dollar a 6 pack is not cheap. Hopefully a newbie picks up regular shocktop or bluemoon and not horny goat watermellon. If you start buying 6 packs and they are complete busts, people are going to go back to bud light.

I'm just jealous that you can get a sixer of craft beer for 8 bucks. It cost me $29 and change for a sixer of Sculpin and a 4-pack of Trooper pint cans the other day. I'd say most craft beer averages $11-12 for a sixer out my way.

[curtism1234]

I'm just jealous that you can get a sixer of craft beer for 8 bucks. It cost me $29 and change for a sixer of Sculpin and a 4-pack of Trooper pint cans the other day. I'd say most craft beer averages $11-12 for a sixer out my way.

In Saint Louis, we're looking at $7.99-10.99 for a six pack. Schlafly on the lower end (might even find it for 6.99 on sale in the grocery stores) and say Two Hearted for $10.99. Buyers here will gamble on 7-8 dollars but are very concerned at 9.99 and up --- yes I realize it's just a dollar. A 10 dollar six pack better be 8% or higher abv.

The large liquor stores have mix a six for 9.99 but the selection is not normally great and you have to watch dates. We do have a store that will sell singles of anything. You just walk up, take one out of the six pack and put it in your cart. You're probably averaging $12 a custom six pack that way, but you're hedging your bets.

[The Professor]

As Paul Gatza has stated to his BA members: The biggest challenge facing the craft industry is poor quality beers.
There are a lot of crap craft beers out there. Finding that diamond in the rough is great, but you sure have to down a lot of coal dust to get there.

As you will notice with many of the European beers that we hold dear, they only make a few beer styles or maybe one, but they focus on honing and refining that limited slate to high quality. We need more of that focus here in the craft beer industry too.

Good point. I would say that 4/5 new breweries opening in my region are below average quality in my opinion.

That's pretty much the situation here in NJ as well.

[HoosierBrew]

+2.  The quality of new breweries here is pretty hit and miss. I'd say more miss lately. Some of it brewed by people with a lot more money than brewing experience, to my palate. Eventually the market will sort it all out.

[klickitat jim]

America's newest craft brewer is....BUSCH!!!



I bought a sixer of it for $4.50 at the gas station yesterday.  I was pleasantly surprised.  Nice light malty flavor with smooth graininess, none of that awful lemony taste of regular Busch/Busch Light.  Reminded me of Leinenkugel Oktoberfest.

How long till Coors sues them for using mountains. And just out of curiosity, does the snow turn yellow when its the right temperature?

[HoosierBrew]

And just out of curiosity, does the snow turn yellow when its the right temperature?

That's pretty funny s^*t.

[klickitat jim]

Its just the combo of the advertising. Yellow sky, the word signature... this add is saying that this is the go to beer for writing your name in the snow

[majorvices]

I definitely think the bubble is going to burst soon. Breweries who are aware will be positioning themselves for the fall out. There are a lot of breweries making flat out bad beer. I scratch my head how the hell these breweries stay in business. Then I remember that there area  lot of new craft beer drinkers who are still trying to sort out what good beer tastes like - especially here in the South East.

[morticaixavier]

is that a bubble bursting Keith? or just a realignment of the industry? Passion for high quality beer is what made the craft beer movement happen. As you say, it seems like there are a lot of people with a lot of money (apparently to waste) making mediocre to bad beer and hoping to get rich.

If the market realigns and becomes more competitive it could happen two different ways.

The 'Craft' aspect could be subordinated to the business aspect. If this happens the big macros are going to win back some market share because they are the 800 lb gorillas and do 'business' with way more momentum than any true craft brewers. Even Sierra Nevada and Boston Beer Company can't compete in 'business' with ABI. If this does happen I think that before long a new 'Craft' movement will arise before too long. Craft beer drinkers, like fine wine drinkers, will seek out and support the small independent producer who is focused more on quality than on profits.

Or the 'Craft' aspect could remain the driving force of the sector and those people getting into something they don't understand and don't do well will fall by the wayside eventually.

[majorvices]

Alignment is probably a better word.

[pete b]

The other thing craft has going for it is an army of prosyletizing believers. There are not too many products out there where the consumers are actively trying to get others to use a product they like. Every time we visit my girlfriend's dad I bring a craft or home brew I think a BMC drinker would like. Last year he actually bought a six of SN Pale Ale. This summer I'll be bringing Boomer pilsner. I can't help but think that especially in public or when entertaining that there is some subtle and not so subtle pressure to drink craft.

[pete b]

That's Nooner pilsner. The stupid new version of tapatalk doesn't have an obvious way to edit posts.