The History of the Microbrewery
Microbreweries have popped up all over the United States. The US beer market, formerly dominated by the likes of Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors, has carved itself a niche market for smaller local and regional beers such as Anchor Brewing Company and Bell's. Microbreweries, or "craft brewers," have steadily gained in popularity. Many microbrewers pride themselves by measuring success in their product's taste and popularity, rather than sheer sales figures. Does this Spark an idea?
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History
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According to the Brewers Association, it was during the 1970's that beer "traditions and styles brought over by immigrants from all over the world were disappearing." As larger brewers focused on the marketing and advertising of lighter and low calorie beers, the market was saturated. By the end of the 1970's, there were 44 brewers in the United States. At that point, it was predicted that soon, that number would be down to 5, as stated by the Brewers Association.
Revolution
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In 1976, the New Albion Brewery based in Sonoma, California, began to brew beer as a craft profession. The New Albion Brewery wouldn't last for too long; it would go out of business six years after its inception. But the company would be the catalyst to inspire other craft brewers to take up the art. The Brewers Association states that "there were hundreds of homebrewers that were inspired and followed in their footsteps and started breweries in the early-1980's."
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Lack of Acceptance
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During the early 1980's, American brewers were viewed by the world as large corporations that put out a product in mass quantity for profit. The character, tradition and culture of beer were all but unheard of by the masses. Meanwhile, industry experts of the 1980's failed to recognize microbrewers as serious competitors. However, as microbrewers marched on with their craft, newfangled styles and ambitions continued to offer their local communities a product reminiscent of old world, traditional beers.
Growth
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As the 1990's came around, microbrewers began experiencing growth. During the early to mid part of the decade, brewers experienced annual volume growth. However, from the late 1990's through the early 2000's, the annual growth slowed. In 2004, popularity began to rise again as consumers began recognizing and identifying with smaller, more localized brewing companies. As of 2008, there were over 1,500 microbrewers. In 2010, the Great American Beer Festival set a record as it attracted 495 brewers, offering more than 3,300 unique beers, as reported by FoxNews.com.
Bright Spot
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Sales figures provided by the Wall Street Journal show that beer sales fell for the first time in 2009 since 2003. Although 2009 was a bad year for the large brewers such as MillerCoors, smaller brewers continued to show growth. Boston Beer Company posted the largest growth amongst the microbrewers, with a 1.7 percent increase. Argonaut Wine & Liquor, a Denver liquor superstore, showed that "beer sales rose by 2 percent last year, helped by strong sales of 'craft' brews popular in Colorado," according to co-owner Ron Vaughn.
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References
- Photo Credit beer in beer-mug image by Witold Krasowski from Fotolia.com
