William Flew on Craft Beers

Too many beer drinkers, not enough beer.

That's the problem — or perhaps the dubious benefit — confronting several of Colorado's most popular craft brewers.

They've had to suspend shipments to some out-of-state markets because demand from consumers has outstripped supplies.

Denver-based Great Divide Brewing Co. recently notified distributors that it is pulling out of five states and the nation's capital on top of a consolidation late last year in all or parts of seven other states.

Oskar Blues Brewery and Left Hand Brewing, both based in Longmont, also have exited out-of-state markets over the past year.

The brewers are growing as fast as they can, but not quickly enough to satisfy national demand.

The exploding popularity of full-flavored craft beers has taken beermakers by surprise. They've always expected vigorous growth, yet the rate of sales increase has exceeded expectations.

While total U.S. beer sales declined by 1 percent last year, custom-made crafts saw 12 percent growth, to $7.6 billion, according to the Boulder-based Brewers Association.

The fact that demand is outpacing supply signifies, analysts say, both a beery blessing and a sour belch. It adds cachet to a scarce product, but it also can frustrate consumers.

"Some people say it's a good problem to have," said Brian Dunn, owner and founder of Great Divide. "We don't see it as a good problem. We want to be able to serve all our markets."

Full story here


At least THIS guy was smart enough to stock up...



I'm 37, so I'm more of of a failed adult than a spoiled teenager.

I like to think of myself not as a drunk, but as an *artist* !

All the great artists were drunks.

Cheers

OH GOD! BEER SHORTAGES!

...Oh wait, "craft" beer. No worries.

The problem with craft beer isn't the beer; it's the name. The word "craft" reeks of pretention, needlepoint, and scrapbooking. These are not manly associations.

If it was called "basement" beer, the snooty factor would disappear. The haters would have nothing to hate, since what they really hate is the name and its associations. Who could hate basement beer?




I like the name "bathtub beer". Served in a bucket.

We make beer twice a year, in our basement, literally. It's cool because the house smells like oatmeal.
But it's a pain in the ass. Scrubbing bottles with iodine sucks. It is fun to make your own beer, but at the end of the day, it's cheaper and more convenient to just buy a case of Sierra Nevada.

Easy solution. Get a kegging system. I quit brewing just because of the bottling. About 10 years later, I decided to try it again but with a keg w/CO2. The two are night and day by comparison.

Now I don't worry about any stinking beer shortage. I've gone all-grain and make some truely fantastic beers. Always have something in the keg fridge.

you're doin it wrong. if you can't afford a kegging system like others suggested, just rinse your bottles immediately after drinking the beer, and then get a bottle tree with a little jet washer on top, takes about 10 seconds per bottle to sanitize. and get rid of the iodine, get yourself some StarSan