When independent brewers took exception to the mass marketing of mundane beer, the result was an American revolution. By establishing a local brewery within 10 miles of 80 percent of the population, independent brewers literally conquered America.
In 2024, the next challenge for craft brewing became apparent: How to deal with demand that is no longer insatiable after the craft community suffered a series of body blows. First came the buyouts of established craft breweries by mega brewers that began in 2015. The pandemic followed, further denting the masses’ demand for craft brews. The most recent headwinds are a cultural shift in what people drink and how they view drinking.
But I still don’t get the purveyors of doom and gloom when it comes to craft.
Citing the usual checklist, economists have all kinds of statistics about the sales slowdown in beer overall and craft specifically. Competition, changing social attitudes and the generational shift from Millennials to Gen Z are the usual starting points about why packaged craft beer sales continue to decline without draft sales in tap rooms or restaurants making up the loss of volume. (Draft sales are rising to pre-pandemic levels.)
Fortunately, we are not economists. Skipping the day-to-day minutiae about year-over-year declines in favor of the larger picture, craft beer’s sales totaled $29 billion in 2023 for those breweries considered independent by the Brewers Association. That’s up from pre-pandemic numbers by $3 billion. A more realistic discussion is about a craft beer marketplace that no longer thrives on increasing demand driven by new arrivals or new territories.
Yet, the extraordinary beers keep coming. Innovation continues to be sparked by the authentic pursuit of some of the world’s best beer.
From more refreshing hazy IPAs, to new takes on West Coast IPAs as well as impeccable pilsners and lagers, craft brewers continue to explore their art and science by using a wide range of new methods and ingredients. The smaller, more esoteric categories like stouts, sours, wild ales and fruited beers, not to mention saisons and farmhouse styles, continue to be well subscribed in the judging at the Great American Beer Festival. Beyond that, it’s surprising to learn just how easy it is to find English styles.
While there was a lot of “monkey see, monkey do” to meet demand when there seemed to be no end to it, a renewed focus on connecting to consumers is bringing craft back to its authentic roots. Authenticity can be described as a real connection to customers. Making that connection now requires a brewer to constantly build on its name and reputation, origin story, the quality of beer and innovation.
