[tommymorris]

 Re:realignment

I assume there is always going to be churn on the bottom. Brewers with poor quality or business skills go out of business. New ones come along,  buy their equipment on eBay, and hopefully succeed or the cycle repeats.

[tommymorris]

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

Click on your post, the whole area of your post will turn blue and a black bar will appear with "edit" as a choice.

[pete b]

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

Click on your post, the whole area of your post will turn blue and a black bar will appear with "edit" as a choice.

Nope. I think that used to happen before I updated. Now the black bar appears and the only choices are to reply or a drop down menu that does not include edit.

[tommymorris]

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

Click on your post, the whole area of your post will turn blue and a black bar will appear with "edit" as a choice.

Nope. I think that used to happen before I updated. Now the black bar appears and the only choices are to reply or a drop down menu that does not include edit.

It works for me. I edited my post twice.

[The Professor]

Alignment is probably a better word.

I agree...it's a much more positive descriptor, too.  There are undoubtedly scores of small brewers that will fall by the wayside and not be missed at all (except perhaps by the investors unfortunate enough to have sunk money into what was hyped to them as "a sure thing".  LOL). 

What's really sad is the demise of so many new brewers who began operations in the early years of the movement.  At the time, although there were fewer 'craft' brewers, the ratio of good ones to bad ones was considerably higher than it is now. I can think of quite a few defunct 'craft' brewers from the earlier days of the movement's last 35 years that didn't make it largely because they were probably just 'ahead of their time' (which can actually be worse than being behind the times).   
These days, it has become such a crapshoot that it seems better than 50% of the time the product is either sub par or downright amateurish (which prompted me years ago to never buy a full sixpackof a new 'craft' beer I haven't previously had).

In any case the realignment, which is inevitable, will be a very good thing for both the industry and the consumer (and probably for the retailers as well).
Now, if the industry would only come up with a more meaningful term than 'craft' to describe artisanal beer...

[HoosierBrew]

These days, it has become such a crapshoot that it seems better than 50% of the time the product is either sub par or downright amateurish (which prompted me years ago to never buy a full sixpackof a new 'craft' beer I haven't previously had).

That's my policy, too. Got burned too many times.

[morticaixavier]

I've spent the last couple months trying all the locals here in VT and there are a crapton of them. Happily none of them were terrible. certainly a lot of unremarkable stuff with a few highlights and one or two that I didn't finish. My main kvetch with the craft brew movement right now is that I can get any kind of IPA that I can imagine but finding a really good wit beer is nigh unto impossible (Keith's beer being an exception there)

[erockrph]

I've spent the last couple months trying all the locals here in VT and there are a crapton of them. Happily none of them were terrible. certainly a lot of unremarkable stuff with a few highlights and one or two that I didn't finish. My main kvetch with the craft brew movement right now is that I can get any kind of IPA that I can imagine but finding a really good wit beer is nigh unto impossible (Keith's beer being an exception there)

Agreed, although for me replace witbier with dunkel/marzen/helles or mild/bitter/60-. Once the IPA craze ebbs a bit, these brewers are going to need some chops beyond brewing the most extreme thing they can think of. As much as I like to try all the new stuff, once I've had a flight at a brewery I need something that I can settle in on for a session or else I won't be rushing back. I've had too many beers billed as "Octoberfest" that are ester-bombs and obviously brewed at ale temps with either the house ale strain or 2112. A brewery that can put out solid lagers will have an easier time gaining traction with the BMC crowd and will stand out from the crowd once the gowth curve of craft beer starts to flatten out.

[morticaixavier]

I've spent the last couple months trying all the locals here in VT and there are a crapton of them. Happily none of them were terrible. certainly a lot of unremarkable stuff with a few highlights and one or two that I didn't finish. My main kvetch with the craft brew movement right now is that I can get any kind of IPA that I can imagine but finding a really good wit beer is nigh unto impossible (Keith's beer being an exception there)

Agreed, although for me replace witbier with dunkel/marzen/helles or mild/bitter/60-. Once the IPA craze ebbs a bit, these brewers are going to need some chops beyond brewing the most extreme thing they can think of. As much as I like to try all the new stuff, once I've had a flight at a brewery I need something that I can settle in on for a session or else I won't be rushing back. I've had too many beers billed as "Octoberfest" that are ester-bombs and obviously brewed at ale temps with either the house ale strain or 2112. A brewery that can put out solid lagers will have an easier time gaining traction with the BMC crowd and will stand out from the crowd once the gowth curve of craft beer starts to flatten out.

Yeah I could tuck into a good lager too. We've actually got a pretty solid lager only brewery here, the von trappe family of sound of music fame has a big lodge with an in house Bavarian inspired brewery. Fantastic tap room too.

[curtism1234]

Now, if the industry would only come up with a more meaningful term than 'craft' to describe artisanal beer...

I have a feeling in the not so distant future craft beer is just going to be called "beer"

[tommymorris]

Craft beer sounds a lot better than microbrew. I think craft comes from craftsman which is similar to artisan.

[The Professor]

I have a feeling in the not so distant future craft beer is just going to be called "beer"

I certainly hope so.  I honestly do believe that is exactly where it is headed...it may take a while but I'd make book on it.

Craft beer sounds a lot better than microbrew. I think craft comes from craftsman which is similar to artisan.

Except that it's craftsman responsible for making the BMC stuff too (albeit as work for hire). 
Besides which, brewing in general is a craft in and of itself.
I really do think artisan says it better, and is more suggestive of smaller scale.

Of course, as I have said in the past, "...homebrew is the craftiest beer of all."

[tommymorris]

I have a feeling in the not so distant future craft beer is just going to be called "beer"

I certainly hope so.  I honestly do believe that is exactly where it is headed...it may take a while but I'd make book on it.

Craft beer sounds a lot better than microbrew. I think craft comes from craftsman which is similar to artisan.

Except that it's craftsman responsible for making the BMC stuff too (albeit as work for hire). 
Besides which, brewing in general is a craft in and of itself.
I really do think artisan says it better, and is more suggestive of smaller scale.

Of course, as I have said in the past, "...homebrew is the craftiest beer of all."

I can't say for sure, but, I would think BMC would have embraced industrial automation techniques by now. In that case, the beer is being made by programmable logic controllers and such. Think of picobrew on steroids.  No craftsman. Just operators supervising an industrial process. Not much different than making ethanol, cookies, refining gasoline, generating electricity, making steel, etc.

Just my 2 cents.

[majorvices]

I've spent the last couple months trying all the locals here in VT and there are a crapton of them. Happily none of them were terrible. certainly a lot of unremarkable stuff with a few highlights and one or two that I didn't finish. My main kvetch with the craft brew movement right now is that I can get any kind of IPA that I can imagine but finding a really good wit beer is nigh unto impossible (Keith's beer being an exception there)

Agreed, although for me replace witbier with dunkel/marzen/helles or mild/bitter/60-. Once the IPA craze ebbs a bit, these brewers are going to need some chops beyond brewing the most extreme thing they can think of. As much as I like to try all the new stuff, once I've had a flight at a brewery I need something that I can settle in on for a session or else I won't be rushing back. I've had too many beers billed as "Octoberfest" that are ester-bombs and obviously brewed at ale temps with either the house ale strain or 2112. A brewery that can put out solid lagers will have an easier time gaining traction with the BMC crowd and will stand out from the crowd once the gowth curve of craft beer starts to flatten out.

I'm glad there are folks that think that way. I am trying to position Yellowhammer for that scenario. Aside from our main flagship beer which is a Belgian Wheat our other two main stays are both German inspired lagers (a hybrid "Altish" beer and a schwarz). I brew an IPA too, but mainly just for the tasting room.

[HoosierBrew]

I'm glad there are folks that think that way. I am trying to position Yellowhammer for that scenario. Aside from our main flagship beer which is a Belgian Wheat our other two main stays are both German inspired lagers (a hybrid "Altish" beer and a schwarz). I brew an IPA too, but mainly just for the tasting room.

I'd like to see more breweries do the same, too. Too many cookie cutter places doing the same average IPAs. I'd love to see more quality lagers.