Craft Beer Still Going Strong

Speaking of the Brewer's Association, here is their latest annual report on the state of craft beer in the US.  To paraphrase the President the state of our beery union is strong:

Odds and Ends from the Beery World

A collection of beery tidbits that I, like the magpie, have collected...

First, how cool is the new Hillsboro Hops hat?  It is not possible to be a craft beer fan and not love this hat.

Second, NPR picks up on the big beer consolidation and the success of craft brew story once again. Here is a taste:

America loves beer.

In the U.S., we drink $200 billion worth of the hops-brewed libation annually. What many Americans might not know is that most domestic beer, 90 percent in fact, is dominated by just two companies: Anheuser-Busch InBev and MillerCoors.

Innovators, however, are challenging that dominance in the form of craft beer breweries. Small "mom and pop"-style breweries — or regional breweries — now account for about 6 percent of domestic beer sales. That may seem like a small number, but it's been growing every year since the early 1990s, while big brewer share is declining.

There are now more small breweries than there were before Prohibition, when beer was largely a regional business.

Interestingly, they go on to discuss the idea, promulgated by the BA of 'crafty' beer, so called faux craft beer like Blue Moon and Shock Top that are actually brewed by the big boys but whose provenance is not evident on the package. It is interesting because this is a theme the BA decided to highlight and here it is getting play in the national media. You may disagree with what the BA is doing but you can't deny that they are effective.

There's also the issue, Flock says, of what the Brewer's Association calls "crafty" beers — beers owned by big beer companies disguised as small craft beer. A common example is Blue Moon, a Belgian-style beer.

"A lot of people think that [Blue Moon] is a craft beer, but is in fact owned by MillerCoors," she says.

Craft brewers argue, Flock says, that this limits consumer choice. For instance, if a bar stocks the top brands from a big brewer along with these "crafty" beers, consumers are essentially only buying from a single company.

***

Julia Herz, the craft beer program director for the Brewer's Association, says big beer should print its names on the bottles.

"What we've called for is a transparency of parent company ownership, and to put that on the beer label so the beer-lover has a chance to know who's behind those brands," she says.

Herz says branding matters to many beer drinkers, especially those who care about the brands they consume and who owns those companies.

"A lot of millenials are associating themselves with what they consume, and what they hold in their hand," she says.

As for this economist, I am always for more information in general, but I am not terribly convinced. It is what is in the bottle is what is important, if provenance is important to you, you'll figure it out.  The bigger issue is economies of scale - big brewers have it, little guys don't - so they have access to the same ingredients and at much lower average costs, there is a real threat.  But they are also less nimble, less creative and less able to be hyper local.  This, to me, is the hallmark and future of craft beer.

But I think it is wrong to suggest that craft beer is the growing share of craft beer is at the expense of big beer.  Big beers market is being hammered by spirits, I am not sure they even notice much of craft beers effect as focused as they are on the competition from spirits.  

Finally a little rah-rah piece on how SBA loans have helped Oregon craft brewers.  They feature Migration, which pleases me a lot because in my mind they are to be commended for two reasons.  First, they showed a lot of gumption and drive in creating a new brew-pub from scratch.  And two, they have not stopped learning and getting better.  They now seem to be producing quality and consistent beers when at first they had a lot of problems.  I am, frankly, surprised they were able to survive (I think their best decision might have been the location which was a masterstroke) in a city awash in other quality alternatives, but I am very happy to see they have. 

Snow

Haven't heard of it? You should have:

The World of Macro Brew

This from NPR's Planet Money.

Here is Planet Money's Podcast:

Nice!

Widmer's Green & Gold Forever Ale

Hat trick: my team, one of my favorite styles and a recipe by a cool dude - Abram Goldman-Armstrong (even if I am not a fan of Cascadian Dark Ales).

Wish I could try it...

Beer, the Diet Drink!

Photo: Andrew Fox / Alamy

From the department of trying a little too hard to be convincing, I bring you this news from Britain - home of the svelte beer drinker:

"Nutritionist Dr Kathryn O’Sullivan, who carried out [a] review of the scientific [evidence], believes that swapping beverages for beer may actually be a sensible way to diet"

Um...okay. I always suspected that drinking lots of beer would make me slim and health, thank goodness I was right all along.

Although the industry-sponsored research may seem incredible to some it in fact adds to an emerging body of thought that the beer belly is a myth.

Beer has fewer calories per 100ml than wine, spirits, and even orange juice, it is claimed.

“Unfortunately beer has this image as a high-calorie, high-fat drink,” Dr O’Sullivan told The Times. “It is very unfair.”

If you consume huge amounts of beer you will gain weight, but the same is true for those who glug wine by the gallon.

The report “Beer & calories; a scientific review” points out that the drink contains vitamins, fibre, and antioxidants and minerals such as silicon which may help to lower your risk of osteoporosis.

Although Dr O’Sullivan does not dispute the evidence of the effect of excessive alcohol consumption on increased mortality and morbidity, she argues there is a growing scientific support that moderate consumption of beer can be associated with health benefits.

It is good to know my protruding belly is a result of all of that broccoli my wife makes me eat!

Actually, there is one bit that is interesting - wine has more calories than beer!  Oops, that is per 100ml not per serving...dang.  Okay so I'll I have to do is dink beer from a wine glass....

So let's cut to the chase: swapping types of drink to save on calories only makes sense if you stick to the same quantities which is really an absurd and tortured result. But you have to admit, having two shot glasses worth of beer when you go out drinking is probably a decent way to keep off the pounds.

A Taste of Home: Rogue in Brazil

There are many great breweries in Oregon but without a doubt the most widely traveled is Rogue.  Here is what I found today in my local São Paulo Pão de Açúcar:

Which is remarkable for two reasons: one, little old Rogue from Newport, Oregon makes it all the way to Brazil; two, it is Yellow Snow IPA!  What, no Dead Guy?  Unfortunately I am not high on Yellow Snow, I much prefer Brutal IPA, but I did not come all this way to pay $8 for a 12oz bottle of beer I can get any day at home anyway. 

Amusing that the two other widely traveled beers I have seen all aver the world are also represented at Pão de Açúcar: the social media marvel Brew Dog from Scotland (seen in the pic) and Brooklyn (not pictured).

Anyway, the kids were excited to see Rogue in the store - how typically Oregon: little kids know Oregon beer.

I should also note that I saw Rogue's Voodoo Doughnut beer in San Diego which then reminds me that we met a kid from Washington DC her in SP whose knowledge of Portland consisted on only one thing: Voodoo Doughnut.

Funny that.