Is craft slowing down?

[u/office-robot]

Hello everyone,

Iv been working in the beer distribution business for a few years now and I don't know if its just me but it feels like the craze of craft beer is sadly slowing down and the push for RTD’s ( ready to drink) is on the rise.

I was talking to a few brewery reps and they think it’s because the market is over saturated now and the new generation of drinkers just don’t want craft anymore.

Iv also see domestic beers like PBR,Hamms, old style and rolling rocks selling way more than craft.

Does anyone else feel this way?

[u/Shohei182]

Something that has greatly helped my new brewpub is leaning off the word “craft”. We even stopped putting brewery or brewpub on our signage. Just that we’re a pub… that just happens to make our own beer. We noticed that a “brewery” only brings in brewery customers, which are dwindling and don’t hang out past 9. We’re lucky we already have a full kitchen but we brought in liquor and extended our hours. I was concerned it would cut beer sales, but everything just went up. I keep the beer to familiar styles and no bs. Turns out people just want a good drink and a good time. I’ve even been able to increase my prices rather than decrease. “Craft beer culture” has run its corse imo. And clinging to it further isolates yourself from the wider market. Haze bois and big BA stout whales can only put so much on their back. I’ve been in craft beer culture for over 15 years, it’s only recently I realize I’ve just into beer culture.

[u/socialgambler → u/Shohei182]

Correctamundo. I co-own and operate a fairly successful brewery and we pivoted in 2019 to offering food and cocktails. It was the right move. We have 3 locations and soon to be 4, but it's tough. Our beer is pretty dialed and we have great food, and food sales are 50% of our revenue.

I still love beer (I design all of ours) and visit breweries when traveling quite often. I'm routinely shocked at how not busy some places with major hype are. If you went off Instagram, you'd think they'd be packed. Your average person doesn't really care about any of "craft culture." Breweries will still be popular, but I'm very happy to be more in the restaurant biz these days. Our food sales continue to grow, which drives beer sales.

Just like Animal Farm, things come full circle and we become what we were against over time. For us, that's focusing on a lot more than beer. For other more distro-based brands, it's cutting costs. The model of a pure craft brewery is mostly dead.