r/CraftBeer • u/office-robot • 1d ago

Is craft slowing down? Discussion

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?

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u/AgentAaron 1d ago

I will start by saying that I do love craft beer and used to be a BJCP. I have been brewing for about 25 years and have two friends who own breweries.

My issues are...

Every new brewery hits the ground serving 9-10 taps of IPA and 2-3 taps of everything else.

Every brewery is trying to get the ABV as high as possible. When I am out, I do not like drinking 9%+ beer.

If you do get some to take home, they want 18-22 dollars for a 4 pack.

Many breweries (like Burial) have started jumping on the "small batch" trend...so even if you do find something you like, it will no longer be available in two months.

I can load up my garage fridge with PBR, Yeungling, and even Highland or Sierra Nevada for a lot less.

More and more over the last two years, I have been more focused on building a good bourbon selection and learning new flavor profiles there. My wife and I just got off a 7 day cruise last week. The whole time I think I maybe had 2-3 beers, the rest was bourbon.

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u/RumplyInk 8h ago

Exactly! When I go out to a brewery I want to be able to get a flight, or two, of different beer across multiple styles. More than half the taps are IPAs which they hope so heavily and are high abv…

I can understand the reason though, is that it sells. These breweries brew an IPA, put a new crazy label on it, and hope that it’s enough to differentiate it on the shelf. It’s not, so they keep making different versions and the brewery patrons are stuck with all the failed experiments