Wall Street Journal Pipes in on Craft Beer and Marketing
The fastest-growing segment in the beer category is no longer independent craft brews -- it's megabrand craft brews, reports David Kesmodel in The Wall Street Journal (10/26/07). According to Nielsen numbers, "sales of craft brews affiliated with the big three brewers ... surged 45 percent to $177 million" in the first eight months of this year. Independent craft brews, meanwhile, grew by only "16 percent, to $531 million." Neilsen's Nick Lake attributes the growth to "a combination of great branding and strong distribution muscle." Some craft brew aficionados attribute it to deception.
"Any brand put into the marketplace with an intentional lack of affiliation with the brewery brewing it, I consider that a faux craft," says Tom McCormick of the California Small Brewers Association." Andy England, cmo of Coors Brewing Company begs to differ, saying that for Coors to market a craft brew like Blue Moon is "no more relevant than Kashi (cereal) being owned by Kellogg of Lexus being owned by Toyota." Plus, it's nothing new: "Coors launchesd Blue Moon, a Belgian-style wheat beer in 2005." It was failing until Coors convinced bartenders "to serve Blue Moon in a glass with a slice of orange."
Miller, meanwhile is making its craft beer inroads via Leinenkugel, a fifth-generation family-run brewery has been around since 1867 and Miller acquired in 1988. Miller's name doesn't appear on the packaging, but it has expanded Leinenkugel's distribution into 17 new U.S. states over the last year alone, for a total of 42 states. "Consumers are so willing and wanting to try new things, especially in beer styles," says Jake Leinenkugel. Some independents actually don't mind the big-three competitors, because, they say, it is expanding the category. So, even though their market shares may be declining, "new legions of craft drinkers" are entering the fold, and improving sales and profits for everyone.
firkin beer
Cask ales -- those left to mature in firkins -- "are unlikely ever to gain more than a sliver of the market," because making, handling and serving them requires great care, reports Eric Asimov in The New York Times (10/24/07). Unlike most draft beers, firkin beers are not "injected with carbon dioxide, filtered ... Pasteurized, stored in pressurized kegs and served through gas-powered taps." Instead, a firkin beer is unpasteurized, unfiltered, and "naturally carbonated, or conditioned, in its cask by yeast transforming sugar into alcohol with a side of fizzy carbon dioxide trapped in the cask."
Serving the beer also requires great care, involving a kind of pulling, pumping action, "in a rhythmic repetition like a farmhand at a well." It's also served cool but not cold, ideally at about 55F degrees. All of that special care puts firkin beers outside the realm of corporate brewers, although makers include Sierra Nevada, which produces Best Bitter, served at pubs including Ginger Man in Manhattan. Serving the firkin beer also tries the patience of some barkeeps, and in turn tests the good nature of their suppliers. "I've literally had to go into places and say, 'That's it, you can't have our beer," says Garrett Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery.
"It's a very touchy thing," says Garret, adding: "The galling thing is it doesn't take that much time." Some drinkers don't seem to know what to make of a beer that's naturally carbonated and served at "cellar temperature," either. They think it tastes warm and flat. But interest in firkin beer is growing especially in New York. "It's been a dramatic increase," says Robert Hodson, a distributor. "In 2005 we serviced 12 accounts, and in 2007 its up to 39." Brooklyn is "cask beer central," at pubs such as Spuyten Duyvil, Barcade and Brazen Head, which is holding a cask beer fest November 2-4, featuring 25 casks.
"Any brand put into the marketplace with an intentional lack of affiliation with the brewery brewing it, I consider that a faux craft," says Tom McCormick of the California Small Brewers Association." Andy England, cmo of Coors Brewing Company begs to differ, saying that for Coors to market a craft brew like Blue Moon is "no more relevant than Kashi (cereal) being owned by Kellogg of Lexus being owned by Toyota." Plus, it's nothing new: "Coors launchesd Blue Moon, a Belgian-style wheat beer in 2005." It was failing until Coors convinced bartenders "to serve Blue Moon in a glass with a slice of orange."
Miller, meanwhile is making its craft beer inroads via Leinenkugel, a fifth-generation family-run brewery has been around since 1867 and Miller acquired in 1988. Miller's name doesn't appear on the packaging, but it has expanded Leinenkugel's distribution into 17 new U.S. states over the last year alone, for a total of 42 states. "Consumers are so willing and wanting to try new things, especially in beer styles," says Jake Leinenkugel. Some independents actually don't mind the big-three competitors, because, they say, it is expanding the category. So, even though their market shares may be declining, "new legions of craft drinkers" are entering the fold, and improving sales and profits for everyone.
firkin beer
Cask ales -- those left to mature in firkins -- "are unlikely ever to gain more than a sliver of the market," because making, handling and serving them requires great care, reports Eric Asimov in The New York Times (10/24/07). Unlike most draft beers, firkin beers are not "injected with carbon dioxide, filtered ... Pasteurized, stored in pressurized kegs and served through gas-powered taps." Instead, a firkin beer is unpasteurized, unfiltered, and "naturally carbonated, or conditioned, in its cask by yeast transforming sugar into alcohol with a side of fizzy carbon dioxide trapped in the cask."
Serving the beer also requires great care, involving a kind of pulling, pumping action, "in a rhythmic repetition like a farmhand at a well." It's also served cool but not cold, ideally at about 55F degrees. All of that special care puts firkin beers outside the realm of corporate brewers, although makers include Sierra Nevada, which produces Best Bitter, served at pubs including Ginger Man in Manhattan. Serving the firkin beer also tries the patience of some barkeeps, and in turn tests the good nature of their suppliers. "I've literally had to go into places and say, 'That's it, you can't have our beer," says Garrett Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery.
"It's a very touchy thing," says Garret, adding: "The galling thing is it doesn't take that much time." Some drinkers don't seem to know what to make of a beer that's naturally carbonated and served at "cellar temperature," either. They think it tastes warm and flat. But interest in firkin beer is growing especially in New York. "It's been a dramatic increase," says Robert Hodson, a distributor. "In 2005 we serviced 12 accounts, and in 2007 its up to 39." Brooklyn is "cask beer central," at pubs such as Spuyten Duyvil, Barcade and Brazen Head, which is holding a cask beer fest November 2-4, featuring 25 casks.
posted by PDXBeer at 3:22 AM
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