Options beyond the typically labelled beer exist. You guessed it right, craft beer. A decade on, craft beer has been brewing a storm in the beer space and gaining market share and loyalty.
Despite a 2% slump in beer sales in 2019, craft beer sales spiked by 4%. The current US craft beer market rakes in $29.3 billion in revenue, making up 25% of the total $116 billion beer market.
Why is craft beer exploding in popularity across the US and beyond? Well, that’s what we’ll be discussing here. However, before that, let’s understand what craft beer is all about.
Craft Beer spelt out:
Per Brewers Association, craft beer is produced in small, independent breweries through conventional methods and a focus on aroma, flavour and overall quality. It’s crafted not mass brewed by corporate mega breweries. However, with microbrewers getting creative with brewing methods, the lines are getting blurred between craft beer and its labelled counterparts.
Why is it unique?
Craft beer is unique, by now, you know that. Here’re a few aspects that make it stand out.
1. Higher alcohol content:
Beer connoisseurs seeking higher alcohol content find craft beer more satisfying. It typically comprises 5 to 10% alcohol by volume (ABV). Depending on the whims of the brewer, the ABV can be up to 20% in certain craft brews. The higher ABV links to the variety of beers the craft industry is dishing out, along with an elaborate fermentation process involved.
2. Superior ingredients:
Craft or mass brewed, every beer comprises four key ingredients – malt, hops, water and yeast. The difference, however, is in the quality. While corporate breweries prefer going cheap, craft brewers rely on superior organic ingredients to develop a distinctive flavour and taste.
3. Variety, variety and variety:
If you think bottled beer transcends the craft one in variety, it’s time to broaden your horizons. They are equally vast, spoiling beer lovers for choices in flavours and styles—pale Ale, IPA, Brown Ale, Belgian Pale, Stouts and Porters, you name it. With microbreweries keen to experiment with ingredient composition, brewing techniques, and flavours, every taste is well catered to.
4. Delectable taste:
When you are a beer connoisseur given to taste, craft beer leaves you clamouring for more. Microbrewers fine-tune, twist and age the brew to achieve a delightful aroma and flavour that mass brewed beers can ill-afford. The extra money you pay for a craft brew is worth it.
5. Food pairings:
The possibilities of food pairing are endless with craft brews. Think Chinese, Continental, Thai, Mexican, or Italian, different craft brews go well with varying cuisines in terms of flavour. Don’t restrict your food pairing options to the popular favourites. Feel free to experiment.
6. Distinctiveness:
One more reason why craft beer steals a march over the bottled counterparts is distinctiveness. Forget the cookie-cutter flavours of mass brewed beers and indulge in exquisite ones tailored by master brewers for different preferences. If you value exclusivity, craft beers make sense.
7. Easy Availability:
Craft beer has made a transition from bars to retail outlets, courtesy a growing demand. With craft brews occupying more shelf space across more retail outlets (both, online and offline), beer lovers have easy access. That translates into higher sales and customer allegiance.
8. Fermentation:
Fermentation makes craft beer a gastronomical experience. Microbrewers take the pain to perform a second fermentation, as the first one drains the beer of the carbon dioxide. The yeast yields natural gas during the second fermentation. On the contrary, mega breweries prefer injecting carbon dioxide artificially, which compromises both the taste and your health.
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