Topic Archives: Brewers Association
Line Drawn. Brewers Association Calls Out “Crafty Large Breweries”
Brewers Association issued this statement today, referencing large breweries trying to cash in on the “craft beer” mentality. Worth a read…
Boulder, CO – December 13, 2012–The Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American craft brewers, issued the following statement regarding the increase in production and promotion of craft-like beers by large, non-craft breweries:
An American craft brewer is defined as small and independent. Their annual production is 6 million barrels of beer or less and no more than 25 percent of the craft brewery is owned or controlled by an alcoholic beverage industry member who is not themselves a craft brewer.
The community of small and independent craft brewers has grown as beer enthusiasts embrace new, diverse beers brewed by their neighbors and friends who are invested in their local communities. Beer drinkers are voting with their palates and dollars to support these entrepreneurs and their small and independent businesses.
In 2011, small and independent craft brewers saw their industry grow 13 percent by volume; in the first half of 2012, volume grew by an additional 12 percent. Meanwhile, the overall beer industry was down 1.3 percent by volume and domestic non-craft was down 5 million barrels in 2011.
Witnessing both the tremendous success and growth of craft brewers and the fact that many beer lovers are turning away from mass-produced light lagers, the large brewers have been seeking entry into the craft beer marketplace. Many started producing their own craft-imitating beers, while some purchased (or are attempting to purchase) large or full stakes in small and independent breweries.
While this is certainly a nod to the innovation and ingenuity of today’s small and independent brewers, it’s important to remember that if a large brewer has a controlling share of a smaller producing brewery, the brewer is, by definition, not craft.
However, many non-standard, non-light “crafty” beers found in the marketplace today are not labeled as products of large breweries. So when someone is drinking a Blue Moon Belgian Wheat Beer, they often believe that it’s from a craft brewer, since there is no clear indication that it’s made by SABMiller. The same goes for Shock Top, a brand that is 100 percent owned by Anheuser-Bush InBev, and several others that are owned by a multinational brewing and beverage company.
The large, multinational brewers appear to be deliberately attempting to blur the lines between their crafty, craft-like beers and true craft beers from today’s small and independent brewers. We call for transparency in brand ownership and for information to be clearly presented in a way that allows beer drinkers to make an informed choice about who brewed the beer they are drinking.
And for those passionate beer lovers out there, we ask that you take the time to familiarize yourself with who is brewing the beer you are drinking. Is it a product of a small and independent brewer? Or is it from a crafty large brewer, seeking to capitalize on the mounting success of small and independent craft brewers?
U.S. Breweries In July: 16 More Breweries Open, 51 More in Planning
While you’re out enjoying a beer tonight, here are some brewery numbers to think about. As of July 31, 2012, the Brewer’s Association reports:
U.S. operating breweries is at 2,142, up from 2,126 at the end of June. (16 more breweries!)
U.S. operation breweries that are Brewers Association members is at 1,526, up from 1,517 at the end of June. (9 more!)
U.S. breweries in planning is at 1,303, up from 1,252 at the end of June. (51 more in planning!)
Paul Gatza writes further – Craft brewing and the Brewers Association just keep on growing. We have 555 more breweries in planning than a year ago and 347 more operating U.S. breweries.
Damn. Who’s thirsty?
U.S. Brewery Count: 2,126. 1,252 In Planning
The Brewers Association just released some mid year numbers. At a glance, the current brewery count in the United States stands at 2,126. Of that number, 2,075 are considered craft breweries (less than 6 million barrels; barrel = 31 gallons) a year.
In planning, are a whopping 1,252 breweries are in planning. up from 725 in June, 2011.
97% percent of U.S. brewers are craft brewers.
GABF Member Tickets On Sale Today
Member pre-sale tickets for the Great American Beer Fest in Denver, Colorado go on sale today at 10 AM MDT. When I saw member, you have to be a member of the Brewer’s Association, or the American Homebrewer’s Association prior to July 27, 2012.
U.S. Brewery Count Breaks 2,000 (PR)
Not a 100% official press release- from Paul Gatza of the Brewers Association…
When Brewers Association staff returned home after the inspiring 2012 Craft Brewers Conference in San Diego, we turned our attention to the end-of-month reports we pull from the database for member count, operating brewery count, dues sent in by members, BA Forum users, and circulation numbers for The New Brewer. Lo and behold; our operating brewery count hit 2,051 as of April 30, 2012. The current count of craft brewers stands exactly at 2,000 and the count of domestic non-craft brewers stands at 51.
(These counts are for brick-and-mortar facilities, and does not include contract or alternating proprietorship operations so that there isn’t a double-counting of breweries.)
So when did we hit other milestones since craft brewers have been around?
1,500 craft breweries–2008 and 1999. We hit this number twice, with a dip in between. 1999 was the first time in the craft brewing era. Then we slipped back under in 2001, hit a trough of 1,394 in 2005 and climbed back over 1,500 in 2008. That seems that it was not that long ago, considering we are at 2,000 now.
1,000 craft breweries–We hit this number in 1996. This was a period of the most openings in the craft era, with 333 brewery openings in 1996. Unlike today, more than 60% of these openings were in brewpubs. I think of this as a time when many communities got their first brewpub and there were many opportunities and good locations for pubs . The count of brewpubs from 1996 to 1998 jumped from under 700 to 1,000.
500 craft breweries–It was only two years earlier that the craft brewery count hit 500. The year was 1994.The craft barrelage was less than a quarter of what it is today, but grew 44% off the smaller base.
100 craft breweries–1988 was the year. We added 40 brewpubs and 10 microbreweries that year, more than doubling the count of brewpubs in the country, and placing brewpubs as the majority of craft breweries in the country. Brewpub dominance of the craft business model reigns today, although the gap is closing as so many packaging breweries are opening. And it could flip to packaging breweries in the next couple of years. The craft brewery count was 124 in 1988. Craft brewers sold just over 316,000 barrels in 1988. The craft brewery count has grown about 16 times from then to now and craft barrelage has grown 36 times in that period.
So when do you think we’ll hit 2,500 craft breweries?
Paul Gatza
Andreas Fält Is New Brewers Association American Craft Beer Ambassador (PR)
BOULDER, CO – Reinforcing its position as the leader in American craft beer promotion and education, the Brewers Association (BA) and its Export Development Subcommittee have selected Andreas Fält to cover Europe as an American Craft Beer Ambassador within the BA’s Export Development Program (EDP).
With a strong knowledge of American craft beer and held in high regard by brewers and distributors alike, Fält is charged with educating the beer community and media in Europe about the availability and quality of American craft beer. As an independent contractor, he will continue to serve as a consultant at Blue Yellow Media in the UK. He has previously held sales manager positions at Vertical Drinks, also in the UK, and Invicta Import and More Import in Sweden.
“Andreas’ appointment comes at an exciting time for American craft beer export market growth,” said Bob Pease, chief operating officer, Brewers Association. “Overall craft exports increased in record numbers in 2011, and regionally, Western Europe was the largest destination for American craft beer exports. Andreas will serve as a valuable bridge-builder to educate the growing audience of American craft beer lovers abroad.”
Globally, American craft beer exports increased 86 percent in 2011, with craft breweries exporting over 110,000 barrels of beer, valued at an estimated $23.4 million. The UK and Sweden are two of the top three largest international markets, with exports totaling approximately 13,065 barrels, and shipments to the Western European region increasing by 52 percent and surpassing 51,613 barrels.
“The demand for American craft beer is steadily growing in Europe,” added Fält. “By working to achieve the goals of the Export Development Program, and helping the Brewers Association’s members in key international target markets, we will continue to increase awareness of and love for American craft beer.”
Since its inception in 2004, the EDP has worked to educate international trade and media about the quality and diversity of products offered by the U.S. craft beer industry and about the U.S. craft beer culture; inform member breweries about opportunities for their products in key international target markets and complement the industry’s own efforts to increase international distribution.
About the Brewers Association
The Brewers Association is the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, their craft beers and the community of brewing enthusiasts. The Brewers Association (BA) represents more than 70 percent of the brewing industry, and its members make more than 99 percent of the beer brewed in the U.S. The BA organizes events including the World Beer Cup®, Great American Beer Festival®, Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America®, SAVORâ„ : An American Craft Beer & Food Experience and American Craft Beer Week. The BA publishes The New Brewer magazine and its Brewers Publications division is the largest publisher of contemporary and relevant brewing literature for today’s craft brewers and homebrewers.
Beer lovers are invited to learn more about the dynamic world of craft beer at CraftBeer.com and about homebrewing via the BA’s American Homebrewers Association. Follow us on Twitter.
Great American Beer Fest 2012 Tix On Sale Late July
The Great American Beer Festival (GABF) Members-Only ticket pre-sale begins on Tuesday, July 31 at 10:00 AM MDT (Noon EDT, 11:00 AM CDT, 9:00 AM PDT). The general public ticket sale opens on Thursday, August 2, also at 10:00 AM MDT (Noon EDT, 11:00 AM CDT, 9:00 AM PDT).
All tickets will be available via Ticketmaster.com.
Don’t forget: The Great American Beer Festival has sold out each year for the past five years, and tickets sold out in a matter of days in 2011. Buy your tickets early to ensure you can enjoy the largest beer tasting event in the world.
The Great American Beer Festival site will be updated in the coming weeks.
Note: The above is copied straight from a recent GABF email.
