tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042627331437123482.post3850726332248538182..comments2023-09-22T19:46:18.734+02:00Comments on Pivní Filosof - Beer Philosopher: Another way to see the "revolution"Pivní Filosofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17883511608403454943noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042627331437123482.post-36421460296017924522012-04-17T21:12:15.317+02:002012-04-17T21:12:15.317+02:00Sorry about the abrupt end. I think the Catholic C...Sorry about the abrupt end. I think the Catholic Church is mostly trying to stop their flock from getting smaller. Of course they are trying to "expand" in places like Asia, but they know very well they haven't got much of a chance and, unlike macro brewers, they can't buy a local big player...Pivní Filosofhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17883511608403454943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042627331437123482.post-86311098179449392392012-04-17T21:00:55.601+02:002012-04-17T21:00:55.601+02:00That wasn't my intention (and believe, I'v...That wasn't my intention (and believe, I've got no sympathies for the Vatican), and, to be honest, I don't think the interpretation is very accurate, either.Pivní Filosofhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17883511608403454943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042627331437123482.post-11249991251426550472012-04-17T20:53:01.726+02:002012-04-17T20:53:01.726+02:00"Today, the three or four giants that dominat..."Today, the three or four giants that dominate the world seek to expand in the emerging markets of Asia, Africa and Latin America, which still offer some growth potential, while they don't seem to know what to do to keep their model going in the mature markets of Europe and North America."<br /><br />You have just described macro adjunct lagers as the Roman Catholic Church, have you not? The Church's growth is also in those emerging markets, while Europe and North America become more secular.BeerBrarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10969632673190542761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042627331437123482.post-22857701111156103102012-04-17T06:25:37.154+02:002012-04-17T06:25:37.154+02:00Are the big European beer countries beginning to s...Are the big European beer countries beginning to see more startup breweries? <br /><br />Yes, definitely. There's a boom in England and also in here in CZ. Belgium isn't doing too bad. Germany is a bit the exception, but things are starting to move a bit there.<br /><br />As for tradition. I can speak with some authority about what's happening here, but I guess the picture won't be too different in England. One thing you must consider is that here the "traditional style" (i.e. Pale Lager - Cask Ale in England) hasn't got the stigma it has in the US and other countries, even among beer geeks, so most Czech micros will stick to that. There are a few, however, that have kind of specialised in "exotic" styles, such as PA's, etc. and they've been quite successful, so much so, that now there are more breweries having a go at those kinds of beers. So what we are seeing here is VERY exciting, top of the range lagers complemented by very good Weizens, PA's and the odd Stout or Porter.Pivní Filosofhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17883511608403454943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042627331437123482.post-2165887263283254962012-04-16T18:30:05.020+02:002012-04-16T18:30:05.020+02:00I've never realized that breweries buy out pub...I've never realized that breweries buy out pubs. I've been to Europe two times, but always thought pubs just served one type of beer for no particular reason. Something like that would be severely damaging to the craft beer scene. <br /><br />And I completely agree with your point made earlier about breweries growing being a natural business progression. I can only think of a few breweries (e.g. Russian River) that do not want to continue growing if they have the opportunity.<br /><br />Are the big European beer countries beginning to see more startup breweries? If so, is there resistance against tradition? If not, do you think citizens of these countries would embrace it?<br /><br />Looking forward to future posts! Cheers!Nick Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01361841990788618638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042627331437123482.post-46437319979215574882012-04-16T06:22:39.416+02:002012-04-16T06:22:39.416+02:00Thanks for the comment.
Come to think of it, in a...Thanks for the comment.<br /><br />Come to think of it, in a way, the three tier system might not be such a bad thing for the "craft breweries". If the system was repealed, what would stop macro breweries from doing what they do in Europe, "buying" pubs and other retail outlets? Of course, nothing would stop, say, Sierra Nevada from doing likewise, but I believe the likes of Molson-Coors has a lot more money and resources for that.<br /><br />As you have read, I don't quite believe there is a revolution, I see this phenomenon more as part of the natural order of things. Some craft breweries have an expansion model, others are happy with a more limited "coverage". Sierra Nevada's and the other's move to set up production facilities in other parts makes a lot of sense. Whether in the long run that turns out to be good or bad for "Craft Beer" as a whole, I frankly don't care.Pivní Filosofhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17883511608403454943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042627331437123482.post-19155301006217614872012-04-15T22:14:44.633+02:002012-04-15T22:14:44.633+02:00I also believe the three tier system set up in the...I also believe the three tier system set up in the US that primarily benefits macro brewers could be their achilles heel. Not only have we seen craft breweries join together to form their own distribution alliances, but with the rise of small scale breweries it virtually eliminates the need for local distribution. Right now the big craft brewers (ex: NBB/Sierra Nevada) have seen distribution become such a burden that they think it is more cost effective to open another brewery on the opposite side of the US. Although every craft brewery carries out a different business model, don't you think that keeping their audience's attention in local markets is probably the most important survival skill at the moment? I think craft brewer's ability to divert attention away from the big brewers has been exceptional, but what happens when the market becomes too saturated with "craft" breweries? Does the revolution die or does natural selection occur? Personally, I don't believe that craft breweries will be a short-lived fad or trend, but I do believe only the best will be able to survive. With such high competition, people expect world-class beer out of the smallest of operations. Fortunately, deregulation from the government has allowed the US to adopt this craft beer identity that is, at the moment, very exciting. Thanks for the great post! Cheers!Nick Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01361841990788618638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042627331437123482.post-74200586174206842552012-04-14T09:55:33.096+02:002012-04-14T09:55:33.096+02:00Glad you liked it and thanks for the compliments!Glad you liked it and thanks for the compliments!Pivní Filosofhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17883511608403454943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042627331437123482.post-3592361972650652402012-04-14T07:49:37.683+02:002012-04-14T07:49:37.683+02:00How I missed this is a mystery to me, the best pos...How I missed this is a mystery to me, the best post i've read this year and bang on the moneyMikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042627331437123482.post-82889636171497711632012-04-10T21:51:05.302+02:002012-04-10T21:51:05.302+02:00Great post. In the past, we've referred to the...Great post. In the past, we've referred to the 'craft beer revolution' as part of a wider change in society -- the end of the industrialised loaves, battery eggs, instant deserts and other products of the post-war, post-rationing era. A return to sanity after seventy years of gorging on crap.Baileyhttp://boakandbailey.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042627331437123482.post-86308412357818438112012-04-10T19:11:16.113+02:002012-04-10T19:11:16.113+02:00Here the big brewers have it even harder. Regional...Here the big brewers have it even harder. Regional and micro brewers do not have any issues with making pale lagers, only that they can often make it better and sell it even cheaper!<br /><br />In the US and the UK macro brewers still have the (perhaps false) hope that there will always be more than enough people willing to drink cheap(er) nondescript pale lagers. Czech macro brewers don't even have that to hope for...Pivní Filosofhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17883511608403454943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042627331437123482.post-82631292590877886952012-04-10T18:19:20.268+02:002012-04-10T18:19:20.268+02:00Sorry I'm slow to reply. Setting aside the is...Sorry I'm slow to reply. Setting aside the issue of revolution, I am in complete agreement with your conclusion of the fall of empires. I see this happening on two fronts, one more profoundly than the other. The one is on a company-by-company basis. It's very difficult for the Anheuser Busches of the world to continue to make half the beer in America. It's a totally anomalous state, and one bound to collapse. (Giants elsewhere will suffer similar fates.) <br /><br />I predict a more profound collapse in the empire of light lager. And I mean here the vapid, international light lagers that appear in only slight variation in every country in the world, not the delicious pilsners made famous in your country. Already the erosion is well under way, and it seems inconceivable that the momentum will revert. Those who have abandoned lame light lagers aren't about to return to them. Those who haven't will ultimately become a smaller and smaller segment (die-hards and those just dying). They may well become minority styles in two or three decades in places like the US and UK.<br /><br />And that would be a good thing.Jeff Alworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02930119177544342495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042627331437123482.post-64431499727897067422012-04-09T16:08:28.724+02:002012-04-09T16:08:28.724+02:00A brewery is a business and, as it happens with ev...A brewery is a business and, as it happens with every business, most owners will want to make it bigger. How big they want to get, it depends on each one... And I agree with you about Brewdog... I also believe it's a matter of time until bigger Craft Brewers start buying smaller ones as a way to expand their businesses.Pivní Filosofhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17883511608403454943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042627331437123482.post-55216968355530893412012-04-09T15:10:30.341+02:002012-04-09T15:10:30.341+02:00Is the craft brewery business model that different...Is the craft brewery business model that different to the macros - at least in the cases you describe - expand, expand, expand...? From a UK perspective it's long been the case that the small are swallowed by the big breweries, and a rapid expansion from small to medium size put you (as a brewery owner) in a great position to sell up. I'd suggest that's more than likely what will happen with BrewDog in particular. Especially when their plans seems at least as reliant on image as they are on product, and fashions change.Garethhttp://beeradvice.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com