The Summer of Our Discontent

Summer is supposed to be busy, warm, and joyous. Has it been? At least in the beer industry, we’ve learned that Anchor Brewing, which served as ground zero for the American and global craft beer renaissance, did not survive Sapporo’s bottom line. Bud Light fell from favor because its loyal fanbase did not support an act of human inclusion. As a likely result, AB InBev cut a deal for a bunch of its craft breweries for the low, low price of $85 million in cash. Keep in mind that at CBC in May, Bart Watson warned us all that?it’s going to be tough out there in Beerland .?

If you read my last newsletter, many breweries try to keep up with the Joneses by constantly putting out new beer after new beer. But what about the quality? What about the competition? Besides, not only are the Joneses total A-holes, but they’re not real. This reminds me of the movie?Pretty Woman. Man pursues success. Man gets success. Man becomes a jerk. Man meets someone he starts caring about. Man starts reevaluating all his life choices. Man resolves to do better.?

Is this the beer industry? Are we collectively the antagonists in?Pretty Woman? Do we need the tough love from someone we care about (consumers perhaps) to shake us out of our lust for unsustainable growth and less-than-hostile takeovers?

Maybe I’m just being snarky, but tell me honestly, haven’t you wondered the same thing?

So where do we go from here? For those who want the American dream of success, money, fame, and anything bigger, I salute you and wish you luck. For those who just want to operate their brewery or taproom, work that job of self-ownership, and serve a community, I salute you too.?

One of the questions I ask everyone on the Good Beer Matters Podcast is, if you were the king or queen of the beer world for a day, what would you change? I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately. We, as an industry, have been pushing, growing, innovating, and building for decades. In the beginning, our direction was clear. Now we seem lost. What started as a passion and a purpose has become, for many, a mere product. Would you agree or no??

I understand that there are other forces at work here, but perhaps, instead of innovating new products, we spend time perfecting the ones we have. Perhaps, instead of growing a wider distribution footprint, we focus on serving our local communities.?

So, if you were the king or queen of the beer world for one day… what would you change and why? How would you get us out of this current situation and pave the way to a better beer-filled future?

Your Brother in Beer,

Jeremy