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August 18, 2013
Beer Diary:
Weighing In
A few postulations about the craft beer market collapse, seasonal creep, and Bud-induced ER visits.by Eddie Glick
The “Impending” Craft Beer Market Collapse
With yet another year of double-digit growth in the craft beer industry, there’s been a lot of yak in the media about an eventual crash of the craft beer market like the one that occurred back in the mid-’90s. I think the chances of that are extremely slim. The craft beer cat is out of the bag, and it’s survived a major economic downturn and a significant resources shortage, so I think it would take something seismic—and highly improbable—like a federal law change to stuff it back in again, at least in our generation.
I do think there will be a dip or two, where breweries with bad management, bad product, or just plain bad luck start dropping out of existence, along with some industry consolidation, from craft breweries swallowing each other up and/or big shit beer makers snapping up breweries.
But I’m guessing this won’t be happening for at least a few years, maybe even more than five. Demand is just too strong at the moment.
Seasonal Creep
Yes, it’s too early, in my opinion, for pumpkin beers. Hell, if you ask me, it’s still too early for Oktoberfest beers. The reason we keep seeing these brews earlier and earlier is just hackneyed marketing technique—the first pumpkins beers on the shelves are the ones most likely to grab the most consumer attention. The same reason advertising for Christmas crap appears earlier every year.
What’s a beer drinker to do, though? Well, don’t buy that seasonal until you’re in the mood to drink it. And if you’re a grudge-holding sort with a ton of spare time like myself, you could keep track of the last pumpkin beer to come out, and buy that like it’s going out of style. (Because, well, by then, it will be.) You know, reward the brewer that had the willpower to wait for the appropriate time to release a seasonal. Assuming said brewer didn’t wait too long and you’re drinking pumpkin beers in January.
A Disproportionate Number Of Beer-Related ER Visits Are Caused By Budweiser Drinkers
This is an interesting and hilarious (if you find drunken visits to the emergency room hilarious) article about a study on what beers people were drinking when they committed whatever stupid action they did to get themselves sent to the ER. Apparently Budweiser and a variety of malt liquors are involved waaay more than their market shares would suggest.
I really don’t know what you can read into that, other than it seems people who like to play with nail guns when drinking tend to choose Budweiser as their alcohol of choice. I think it says more about societal group-think patterns than anything. What I find incredibly frightening about the whole thing is that Steel Reserve supposedly has a 0.8 percent share of the overall U.S. beer market. That is fucking terrifying.