America’s Beer Renaissance: Consumer Choice and Variety in the U.S. Beer Market

What a wonderful time to be a beer drinker!  America is truly in the midst of a beer renaissance.    The number of breweries in the U.S. has risen from 89 in 1980 to 2,538 in June 2013*.  That's a 27-fold increase in less than 35 years!  You don't have to be a statistician to understand this growth though - simply look around at the number of local breweries popping up in your town or the number of brands/styles of beer available in the grocery stores you frequent.  At a grocery store near my house, there are close to fifty different craft beers from which to choose.  Some of them are brewed within 10 miles of the store, many more within 100 miles.  The challenge for today's beer drinker has changed from finding good beer to drink, to deciding which beer to drink.  With so many choices, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. However, several conditions have changed in the last 35 years that favor the beer drinker.

1. Quality:  The overall quality of beer being sold today is excellent so it's difficult to make a bad choice - even when staring at a wall of six-packs.  Equipment, knowledge, techniques and accessibility to high quality ingredients have evolved to the point where many brewers can produce a beer of superb quality.
2. Information:  The internet has allowed people to share ideas, thoughts, and opinions regarding their experiences about any beer on the market.  In addition, most breweries offer websites that provide information including the ingredients and techniques involved in making a particular brew, which allows a consumer to make an informed purchasing decision.  Lastly, due to the popularity of craft beer, many liquor stores offer beer tastings in an effort to inform their customers about the wonderful qualities of the new beers that hit the shelves every day.  All of this information allows a beer drinker to be make better decisions about what they choose to drink.  This leads to a better overall beer experience for the consumer.
3. People's Taste:  As consumers are exposed to better products, their tastes evolve.  Starbucks proved that one's experience drinking coffee can be far more enjoyable than that which many would have thought possible just 25 years earlier.  As consumers tried great coffee, they began to appreciate the complexity and nuances that weren't available with inferior java presented to them before Starbucks.  This concept has even trickled down to fast-food restaurants.  Drive-through joints no long simply offer consumers a simple hamburger.  Instead, these places are offering the public gourmet burgers with bacon, fancy cheeses, high-quality buns and flavorful sauces in an effort to improve a customer's eating experience.  Brewers have realized that consumers feel the same way about beer.  Once a person is exposed to fresh craft beers, it is difficult to go back to drinking watered-down, mass-produced beer.  Consumers are looking for interesting choices in their beer aisle and the market has responded with high quality brews.

Yes - we are in the midst of a beer renaissance.  Grab your glass and rejoice!


*Data obtained from the Brewers Association website

Brewing Resolutions

As a homebrewer, one of the biggest challenges I face is deciding what kind of beer to brew next.  There are so many beer styles vying for my attention including Porters, Stouts, IPAs, Wheat Beers and on and on.  With so many choices, sometimes I have difficulty deciding how I should invest my money and time when purchasing ingredients for a new batch of beer.

Since I started brewing my own beer two years ago, I have invested my resources exploring different styles of beer in order to better understand the ingredients used and techniques utilized specific to that particular brew.  This had lead me to making a Belgian White, Irish Stout, and an IPA among many others.  With this approach, I gained a general understanding and appreciation of the craft of making beer, but I still felt as though I couldn't speak intelligently about any one style or region.

With a new year, I felt that I needed to take a different tack when approaching my brewing over the next twelve months.  After careful deliberation, I decided that for the next year I would focus on only one style or region in order to allow me to gain a deeper understanding of a specific variety of brewing.  I believe that in order to more fully appreciate a specific style/region, I need to focus on that style/region for an extended period of time.  After several years of applying this approach, I am hoping that the breadth of my knowledge will compliment its depth.

For the calendar year 2014, I decided to pursue the beers of Belgium.  I chose Belgium for the following reasons:

1. Belgium is well known for their history in making great beers and therefore warrants deeper study.
2. One of the beers I have brewed, a Belgium Grand Cru, was one of my favorite beers that I have made to date.  I want to explore other beers from this region to see if I would have a similar level of enjoyment.
3. Belgium beers are very approachable beers that many people enjoy.  Brewing Belgium styles will allow me to share the beers crafted over the next year with more people - not just beer junkies.   

In order to more fully extract (pun intended) the most from my exploration of Belgium beers during 2014, I intend to devote time to read about the history, beer styles, and techniques involved in the brewing of Belgium beers.  In addition, I plan to brew multiple batches of beer in a Belgium style so that I can fully appreciate the country that has contributed so much to the heritage of beer.  

By continuing with this approach in future years, I hope to widen my knowledge of brewing one style/region at a time.  While this approach may not work for everyone, I feel confident that this structured approach will allow me to grow in my knowledge while still enjoying the freedom and creativity that comes with this wonderful hobby.

Cheers!