Category Archives: Craft Beer

Craft Beer and The Paradox of Choice

February 8, 2024 The Beer Professor Leave a comment

A recent article in the New York Times suggested the emergence of a new trend in the world of craft beer. In an industry where brewers have provided consumers with an almost endless choice of beer styles and variations thereof, Joshua Bernstein suggests that brewers and retailers are cutting back on the number of different beers they offer. As an example, Bernstein cites Suarez Family Brewery in Livingston, NY who used to offer its customers eight different beers. That was pre-COVID-19 pandemic. Post-pandemic they have shrunk that number to two craft beers. Indeed as I started writing this blog entry I visited the Suarez website and, sure enough two beers were available for taproom visitors to purchase – Qualify Pils and Hecto Hoppy Pale Ale. Retailers such as Whole Foods have also been reducing the number of different beers they offer customers, partly to be able to devote more shelf space to faster growing segments such as Ready-to-Drink cocktails.

In making the decision to produce only two beers, the owners of Suarez Family Brewery are partly inspired by “the model of traditional European taverns and breweries that serve only one or two beers at a time”. On two recent trips to Europe I experienced this phenomena. In Osnabrück, Germany I spent an evening in Rampendal Brewery where my choice of beers were a Dunkel, a Weizen, and a Helles Lager. At Brasserie du Molard, a nice little brewery in the heart of Geneva, Switzerland, I was similarly offered a choice of three beers – a Witbier, a Lager, and an Amber Ale.

Rampendahl Brewery in Osnabrück, Germany where my choice of beers were Dunkel, a Weizen, and a Helles Lager

Craft breweries who have opted to downsize (or who never upsized in the first place) offer a number of explanations. According to Dan Suarez of Suarez Family Brewery, too many beers on tap can cause customers “a lot of agony over choosing”. This is an interesting observation, and one supported by Barry Schwartz, a Professor Emeritus in Social Theory and Social Action at Swarthmore College. One of his areas of research, sitting at the intersection of psychology and economics, is consumer decision making. In 2004, Schwartz published a book titled “The Paradox of Choice”, which carried the subtitle “Why More is Less”. It is a fascinating read. The basic premise of Schwartz’s thesis is Americans have too many choices, whether that be when purchasing a breakfast cereal, a coffee maker, or an automobile. Intuitively, we think of choice as a good thing and more choice as better than less choice. Schwartz, however, suggests that while some choice is good, too much choice is bad. It is bad because it generates anxiety for the individual making the choice.

As noted by Schwartz (p. 5), “autonomy and freedom of choice are critical to our well being, and choice is critical to freedom and autonomy. Nonetheless, though modern Americans have more choice than any group of people ever has had before, and thus, presumably, more freedom and autonomy, we don’t seem to be benefiting from it psychologically”

We are victims of and suffering from what some have termed choice overload. Too much choice taxes our cognitive systems. We feel overwhelmed. We second-guess ourselves, wondering if we made the best decision. The more choices we have, the more likely we are to be less satisfied with the decision we make, perhaps even regretting it. Anyone who has stepped into a Home Depot and picked out a new paint color for their master bedroom will know what I mean. If a company offers a product (say a coffee maker) with a large number of feature variations and in a wide variety of styles/colors consumers may struggle to figure out which one is best for them. Choice overload can cause us to feel overwhelmed and even delay decision-making.

Interestingly (at least I find it interesting) the term choice overload was coined by Alvin Toffler in his 1970 book Future Shock. Not only did he coin it, but he predicted it. Looking to the future Toffler suggested “the people of the future may suffer not from an absence of choice, but from a “paralyzing surfeit of it.” (p. 264). While Toffler was primarily focused on information overload, his basic premise also applies to products.

In their 1998 Annual Report, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas provided data on the overwhelming number of choices facing consumers. They did so by comparing the early 1970s to the late 1990s. For example, in the early 1970s Colgate offered consumers the choice of two different toothpastes. By the late 1990s consumers could choose from 17 different toothpastes. Over the same period, the number of television screen sizes increased from 5 to 15, McDonalds’ menu items from 13 to 43, and Frito Lay chip varieties from 10 to 78.

What about beer? In same report the Dallas Fed reported the number of SKUs (aka Stock Keeping Units) for a variety of retail items. An SKU code is a “unique code consisting of letters and numbers that identify characteristics about each product, such as manufacturer, brand, style, color, and size.” For example, if a manufacturer introduces a new product (e.g., a new breakfast cereal) or the same product in a different size (e.g., 36oz in addition to 24oz) it is assigned its own unique SKU. Between 1980 and 1998, the number of SKU codes for beer increased from 25 to 187. This was, of course, before the craft beer revolution went into overdrive. Between 2008 and 2015, the number of craft beer SKUs increased from 2,274 to 7,400. While the number of craft beer SKUs have dropped in recent years, the amount of choice availability to craft beer drinkers remains extensive.

The increasing number of craft breweries (there are now over 9,000 in the United States) and SKUs definitely give the craft beer drinker more choice. But is it too much? Carlos Brito seems to think so. In 2016 interview, the then CEO of Anheuser Busch suggested that craft beer consumers were “tired of choice”. Hardly a surprising statement from the man whose company was seeing their market share being eroded by increasing consumer demand for craft beer. As Bob Pease, President and CEO of the Brewers Association suggested, “It’s a hypothesis being willed into existence for the greater good of one brewery.”

Most craft beer drinkers disagree with Mr. Brito’s assessment. Indeed, a survey conducted in the same year found that 58% of craft beer drinkers craved even more flavor options than were available to them at that time. A 2013 study examining the behaviors of craft beer drinkers noted that a large number of craft beer drinkers “find satisfaction in discovering new beers and breweries” For such drinkers, “loyalty to one brewery will be difficult . . . if new products are not constantly being offered.” This is why most craft breweries offer patrons to opportunity to try five or six of its beers by purchasing a flight. The growth of beer tourism is another indicator that craft beer drinkers yearn choice. A 2016 study by Jennifer Francioni and Erick T. Byrd found that the main reason individuals engage in beer tourism is to taste new beer.

A flight of beer at Ill Mannered Brewing Company in Powell, OH

An interesting exception to choice overload are individuals who consider themselves to be ‘experts’ with regard to the product they are choosing. A 2014 paper by Alexander Chernev and his colleagues note that “it has been shown that for consumers who are unfamiliar with the product category, choices from larger assortments are more likely to lead to choice deferral and weaker preferences for the selected alternative than choices from smaller assortments. In contrast, for expert consumers, the impact of assortment size is reversed, leading to greater likelihood of choice deferral and weaker preferences for the chosen alternative in the context of smaller rather than larger assortments”. In other words, people with product knowledge may have a tougher time choosing when they have a smaller number of options from which to choose.

Choice abounds at Yellow Springs Brewery in Yellow Springs, OH

The extent to which craft beer drinkers are ‘experts’ when it comes to the product they consume can, I am sure, be debated. Some craft beer drinkers are undoubtedly more knowledgeable than others. Indeed, in the aforementioned 2013 study of the behaviors of craft beer drinkers, the authors identify four types of craft beer drinkers – enthusiasts, explorers, loyalists, and novices. Of the four types, enthusiasts are the most knowledgeable craft beer drinkers, priding “themselves on trying all the different beers from different breweries and seek to acquire knowledge about how the beer is made and the ingredients that are used in the process.” I know a lot of people who drink craft beer on a regular basis. Most of them, I would consider fairly knowledgeable. And if not knowledgeable, then certainly very interested in the product and sampling ones they have not tried before.

The examples of breweries cutting back on the number of beers they brew in the New York Times article are small in number, anecdotal even. I seriously question how widespread this phenomenon is. I visit a lot of breweries throughout the year. I can’t recall one that I have visited in the last twelve months that has what I would consider a small number of beers on tap. Indeed, one of the most popular craft beer bars in Toledo, OH (where I live) is an establishment called The Casual Pint. It regularly has at least 25 different beers on draft. It is a very popular venue for local craft beer drinkers. No one I see in there looks particularly stressed or anxious when they are selecting which beer to purchase. In all honesty, most seem quite happy and relaxed and, if anything, appear to find the extensive beer list as a benefit and not a burden.

Further Reading:

Chernev, Alexander, Ulf Bockenholt, and Joseph Goodman. 2015. Choice Overload: A Conceptual Review and Meta-Analysis. 2015 Journal of Consumer Psychology, Volume 25, Issue 2, pp. 333–358.

Schwartz, Barry. 2004. The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less. HarperCollins Publishers.

Craft Beer, Craft Breweries, International, Names, Philanthropy

Hello. My Name Is Vladimir

June 17, 2022 The Beer Professor Leave a comment

In a previous blog entry I wrote about Pravda Brewery, a craft brewery in the Ukrainian city of Lviv. Faced with an invasion by the Russian military the brewery transformed at least part of its production space into a Molotov Cocktail factory. It was the brewery’s contribution to local resistance efforts. The bottles that were used in the assembly of the Molotov Cocktails were those that, under normal circumstances, would be filled with a Dry-hopped Golden Ale (ABV 8.0%) called “Putin Huilo”, which translates as “Putin is a Dickhead“. The label has a picture of a naked Putin sitting on a throne.

The label from Putin Huilo beer from Pravda Brewery

Putin is not the only political figure to appear on the label of one of Pravda’s beers. The brewery also produces an American-style Stout called Obama Hope, a Belgian-style Wit called Frau Ribbentrop, and a Mexican Imperial Lager called Trump. The labels of these three beers have pictures of former U.S. President Barack Obama, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and former U.S. President Donald Trump on them respectively. All the labels carry political messages.

The label on Obama Hope refers to President Obama as “a symbol of democracy and a guarantor of the global justice” As such. one of the President’s main tasks is to “safeguard peace and to prevent a new aggressor from starting World War III”. The message on the label goes on to reference Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea. Pravda was clearly hoping (the beer is named Obama Hope after all) that the American President would step in and assist Ukraine in its fight against the Russian aggressor. Referencing the aforementioned invasion, the label states, “Obama is still hesitating to provide real help to the Ukrainians in fighting it”. In what could perhaps be interpreted as some words of warning to President Obama, the label concludes its message with the statement that Obama “has all the chances to go down in history as the one who got it all wrong”

The label from Obama Hope beer from Pravda Brewery

The political message on the Frau Ribbentrop label is clear. The brewery is critical on Chancellor Merkel’s stance on the the 2014 Russian invasion of Ukraine’s Donbas Region, particularly her refusal to supply Ukraine with weapons to fight the Russian invaders and her insistence that the Ukrainian government hold direct talks with Donbas separatists, with a view to a negotiated settlement. Many Ukrainians were irked by Merkel’s position and inundated her Facebook page with comments, including some that suggested she was a modern-day von Ribbentrop. The name Ribbentrop is a reference to Joachim von Ribbentrop who was the German Foreign Minister between 1938 and 1945, and who played a key role in the negotiation, on behalf of Germany, of a number of key treaties. These included the “Pact of Steel” that was signed between Germany and Italy on May 22, 1939 and established a formal alliance between the two countries and linked them politically and militarily. Von Ribbentrop also negotiated the German-Soviet Non-aggression Pact of August 23, 1939, which according to one source “cleared the way for Hitler’s attack on Poland on Sept. 1, 1939, thus beginning World War II”. As far as Pravda is concerned, both Merkel and von Ribbentrop were ut from the same cloth and were complicit in facilitating conflict in Europe.

The label from Frau Ribbentrop beer from Pravda Brewery

Not surprisingly, Donald Trump, the 45th President of the United States also has a Pravda beer named after him. The beer is, appropriately, a Mexican Imperial Lager with an ABV of 7.2%. The label refers to Mr. Trump as “President of the Divided States of America” (a characterization borrowed from Time Magazine when they named Mr. Trump as their Person of the Year in 2016). The label calls President Trump “the symbol for the final era of true politicians” (not quite sure what is meant by that), while also labeling him as both a “sexist” and an “ideal family man”. In the background, an individual holds “Free Melania: placard.

The label from Putin Trump beer from Pravda Brewery

Pravda is not the only brewery to have brewed a beer inspired by President Putin. In 2014, the irreverent Scottish brewery, BrewDog brewed a double IPA which it named, Hello, My Name Is Vladimir. 2014 was the year that the Russian city of Sochi hosted the Winter Olympic Games. In 2013, a new Russian law that banned the promotion of “non-traditional sexual relations” to minors came into effect. The passage of this law was the catalyst for a number of gay rights protests across the world. Many of these protests occurred a few before the start of the Sochi Olympics. BrewDog chose to join the protests by brewing a beer. The label on the beer had four images of President Putin, all showing the Russian President wearing lipstick. The messaging on the label pokes further fun at President Putin, with statements such as “I am 100% hetero and will pass laws to prove it”. The bottom of the label contains the warning that the beer is “not for gays”. James Watt, co-owner of BrewDog, sent a case of the beer to President Putin at the Kremlin. No one is quite sure what President Putin thought of the beer.

The label from Hello. My Name is Vladimir beer from BrewDog

BrewDog sent President Putin a case of their Hello. My Name is Vladimir beer to President Putin

In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine a number of American craft breweries produced beers that featured the Russian President. Rogue Ales & Spirits of Newport, OR brewed a Double IPA (ABV 8.4%) called F*#K PUTIN. The one-pint cans were adorned with the colors of the Ukrainian flag, with all the profits going to the Global Giving’s Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund. Intuition Ale Works of Jacksonville, FL brewed a Belgian-style Tripel (ABV 8%) which it named Hey Putin, Go F*ck Yourself!. Intuition’s beer was brewed as part of a larger global initiative called “Brew for Ukraine“. The money raised by breweries participating in the Brew for Ukraine project supports aid agencies assisting Ukraine refugees displaced by the war.

F*#C Putin, brewed by Rogue Brewing of Newport, OR

Hey Putin, Go F*ck Yourself!, brewed by Intuition Ale Works of Jacksonville, FL

In 2018, the small Finnish craft brewery, Rock Paper Scissors Brewing, produced a beer to coincide with a 2018 meeting between Presidents Trump and Putin in Helsinki, Finland. The beer was called “Let’s Settle This Like Adults”. The beer’s label, which had cartoon versions of Trump and Putin fist-bumping, included the tagline “Making Lager Great Again”. The brewery sent samples of the beer to both the US and Russian Embassies in Helsinki.

Let’s Settle This Like Adults was brewed to coincide with a 2018 meeting between Presidents Trump and Putin in Helsinki , Finland

Politics can be a divisive topic of conversation. Americans are warned not to raise political issues over the dinner table at family gatherings such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. Maybe we should try to take our cue from Rock Paper Scissors Brewing and start to behave like adults when it comes to engaging in political dialog with family and friends (and strangers).

Craft Beer, Craft Breweries, International, Philanthropy

Brew For Ukraine

April 29, 2022 The Beer Professor Leave a comment

The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2020 captured the attention of the world. The pictures and videos emerging from Russian aggression are heartbreaking. Excluding Crimea, Ukraine has a population of just over 41 million people. In the first week of the conflict over a million Ukrainians ( mainly women, children, and the elderly) crossed international borders as the fled they horrors. By the end of April, 2022 that number had swelled to over 5.7 million. Most of these went to neighboring Poland. No one knows how many refugees this conflict will ultimately generate.

While looking on in horror, the international community has mobilized in efforts to provide assistance to both those who have fled Ukraine and those who remain. These include the U.S. Government, relief agencies such as the American Red Cross, and churches such as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. In communities across the United States, individuals and groups are also doing their part to raise funds for Ukrainian refugees. In Portland. OR, The Slavic Community Center of the Northwest held a fundraiser, while Jackson Henning, a 12 year old boy opened a Lemonade Stand in his hometown of Westmont, PA. In addition to these and other fundraising efforts, many craft breweries across the United States have also stepped up and are doing their part to support Ukrainian refugees.

Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee, WI was the first American craft brewery to export their beer to Ukraine. Since 2016, Andy Jungwirth, Export Manager at Lakefront, has visited Ukraine on six occasions. During these visits he got to know the folks at Pravda Brewery pretty well. I wrote about Pravda Brewery in my last blog entry. Located in the city of Lviv, Pravda has shifted from brewing beer to producing Molotov Cocktails which are being used against the Russian invaders.

Such was the warmth of the relationship between Jungwirth and Pravda Brewery that Lakefront and Pravda collaborated on brewing a couple of beers, including an India Pale Lager, which they named Lviv-Milwaukee”. Given this close relationship between the two breweries, it is not surprising that news of the Russian invasion sparked a response from the American brewery. Walk into Lakefront today and purchase a 32 ounce crowler and you will find it wrapped in a specially designed blue label emblazoned with a caricature of Vladimir Putin with the words “Putin is a Dick” across his forehead. Funds raised from sale of these crowlers will be deposited with the National Bank of Ukraine, who will use them to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukrainians impacted by the Russian invasion. Lakefront hopes to raise at least $10,000 from the sale of its crowlers.

Specially wrapped “Putin is a Dick” crowlers from Lakefront Brewery. Source: LakefrontBrewery.com.

As noted above, Pravda Brewery has been very hands-on in its efforts to fight back against the Russian military. In addition to producing Molotov Cocktails, the brewery has made available the recipes for five of their beers. The beer recipes have been released as part of the “Brew for Ukraine Crisis Relief Project“. Participating in the project involves brewing at least one of the five beers and making a voluntary contribution to Pravda’s relief fund. Donations to the fund will be directed to the appropriate non-profits operating in Ukraine. The five beers, for which recipes have been made available are Putin Huylo (Dry Hopped Strong Ale), Syla (Belgian Tripel), Red Eyes (American Red Ale), and Frau Ribbentrtop (Belgian Witbier), and From San to Don (Ukrainian Imperial Stout). The beers are being branded as comprising the Victory Series. To date, breweries in Australasia, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America are participating in the initiative and are brewing at least one of these beers.

Breweries from five continents are participating in the Brew For Ukraine initiative (Source: https://www.brewforukraine.beer/)

Breweries across the United States are participating in the Brew For Ukraine initiative (Source: https://www.brewforukraine.beer/)

Catawba Island Brewing Company in Port Clinton, OH is one of the American breweries participating in the Brew for Ukraine initiative (Source: https://www.facebook.com/CatawbaIslandBrewingCo)

One aspect of the craft brewing industry that has always impressed me is its collaborative nature, and the willingness of breweries to rally around and step up to support a worthy cause. The Brewing for Ukraine initiative is an excellent example of this. But it is not the first. Other examples abound. in 2018, over 1,400 breweries in the United States participated in the Camp Fire initiative. Organized by Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., this effort raised millions of dollars to support those impacted by northern California wildfires. Participating breweries were invited to brew Resilience Butte County Proud IPA. In 2020, Other Half Brewing rallied brewers around the world to raise money for the hospitality industry that had been impacted by COVID-19. They did so by creating a recipe for a beer called All Together IPA. The recipe, as is common in such projects was open source and so was available to all breweries who wanted to participate.

Of course, the Brewing for Ukraine initiative will not change the course of the war in Ukraine. But it will provide vital relief to some Ukrainians who have been impacted the Russian invasion. As individuals, who watch in disgust and horror at the pictures/videos emerging from Ukraine, we can feel helpless. However, there are myriad opportunities to donate some money to help both those who have fled Ukraine and those who remain there. Next time you pop along to your local brewery, you might just find another way in which you can donate.

Craft Beer, History

Meeting an Icon

February 18, 2020 The Beer Professor Leave a comment

One of my favorite books about the craft brewing industry is The Audacity of Hops: The History of America’s Craft Beer Revolution by Tom Acitelli. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting a very readable account of the emergence and evolution of craft brewing in the United States. In the book you will learn of the key events and key people that were at the heart of the craft beer revolution. One of the most enjoyable and informative parts of Acitelli’s book is learning about the part played by particular individuals. These include Michael Jackson (British beer writer), Fritz Maytag (owner of Anchor Brewing Company), Jack McAuliffe (owner of New Albion Brewing Co.), and others.

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to meet and chat with one of the craft beer pioneers featured in Acitelli’s book. I was invited to be the opening keynote speaker at the 4th Annual Beer Marketing and Tourism Conference in St. Petersburg, FL. In attendance at the meeting was Pete Slosberg, the co-founder of Pete’s Brewing Company. During the early 1990s Pete’s Brewing Company was the country’s second largest craft brewing company, after Boston Beer Company. Like many of the early craft brewing entrepreneurs, Slosberg was a home brewer. In 1986, with Mark Bronder, he founded Pete’s Brewing Company. The brewery’s signature product was an American Brown Ale, called Pete’s Wicked Ale. While inspired be English Brown Ales, Slosberg’s creation was distinctively American – it sat somewhere between an English Brown Ale and a Porter, and was more bitter than both. As a result, Slosberg is credited with creating American Brown Ale as a separate style.

Hanging out with Pete Slosberg (left) at 3 Daughters Brewing in St. Petersburg, FL

At the conference Slosberg made a presentation titled “Modern Guerrilla Marketing”. Guerrilla Marketing is an advertising strategy that utilizes “low-cost unconventional marketing tactics that yield maximum results”. As the owner of a start-up craft brewery, guerrilla marketing was critical to the early success of Pete’s Brewing Company.

In designing the original packaging for Pete’s Wicked Ale, Slosberg wanted to make sure that his beer stood out on the shelf. He therefore chose purple as its dominant color, and included a mugshot of his dog Millie. Against the rather mundane packaging of mass produced beers of the late-1980s, there was no doubt that Pete’s Wicked Ale was a standout. As Slosberg told conference attendees, “weird things draw your attention. Little things can be memorable. Make people do a double-take”. In another marketing “stunt” to promote his beer, Slosberg found himself naked in a bathtub of Pete’s Wicked Ale. It was another one of those weird double-take moments.

Promoting his beer – Pete Slosberg in a bathtub of Pete’s Wicked Ale

Some of the advertising for Pete’s Wicked Ale was not cheap, but it still fell into the “weird” category and turned heads. A prime example was his 1994 television commercial which ran during shows such as Seinfeld, Melrose Place and Northern Exposure in major markets such as Boston, Minneapolis, and San Francisco. For the commercial Slosberg sat at a red-draped table on the sidewalk in downtown San Francisco. On the table were some bottles of Pete’s Wicked Ale. As pedestrians walked by, Slosberg called out to them, asking them if they would like his autograph. The commercial (which can be viewed here) shows most pedestrians shunning Slosberg’s invitation. One who did stop is seen, shortly afterwards, scrunching up Slosberg’s autographed picture and tossing it into the nearest trash can. Named by The New York Times as one of the ten best advertising campaigns of 1994, the newspaper noted that “the campaign deftly plays up his image as the quintessential little guy taking on the beer behemoths.”

During his presentation to conference attendees, Slosberg talked about his entrepreneurial philosophy. To Slosberg, initial discussions about starting a company should focus on the goals/core values of the company, and not on the product. In discussions with his business partner, Mark Bronder, Slosberg identified three goals/core values for Pete’s Brewing Company:

Make a world class product
Get in on ground floor of a new industry or segment of an industry
Treat the product with reverence and everything else with irreverence (the fun factor)

Pete Slosberg at the Beer Marketing & Tourism Conference speaking about guerrilla marketing

The success of Pete’s Brewing Company was achieved without Slosberg and Bronder owning a brewery. All of Pete’s beers were brewed under contract. Over the years they contracted with a number of breweries to brew their beer. These included Palo Alto Brewing Co. (Palo Alto, CA) and August Schell Brewing (New Ulm, MN).

At its peak, Pete’s Brewing Company had 85 employees and annual sales of $71 million. Its beer was available in 47 states and, within the craft beer segment of the industry, only Boston Beer Company sold more beer. And the beer was good. In 1987, Pete’s Wicked Ale was voted the top ale, and was ranked one of America’s top five beers. While Pete’s Wicked Ale was its flagship beer, the company did produce five other products- Pete’s Wicked Lager, Pete’s Wicked Red, Pete’s Wicked Honey Wheat, Pete’s Wicked Winter Brew, and Pete’s Summer Brew.

In 1996, twelve years after its founding, Pete’s Brewing Company was acquired by The Gambrinus Company of San Antonio, TX. The cost of the acquisition was an impressive $69 million. In 2011, Gambrinus announced that they would be discontinuing the beers they produced under the Pete’s brand. Following its acquisition by Gambrinus, Pete’s Wicked Ale struggled in the market place. Perhaps that was because Gambrinus changed the recipe to make the beer lighter. Or perhaps it was because the beer no longer had its charismatic spokesperson to promote it in the marketplace.

I feel both honored and humbled to have met Pete Slosberg, and to have engaged in a couple of one-on-one conversations during the two-and-a-half day’s of the conference. He had an unassuming personality, was easy to chat with, and, within a few seconds of meeting him, he put you completely at ease. As someone who is interested in the history of craft brewing in the United States, it was a huge privilege to meet and spend some time with one of the industry’s early trailblazers. As a craft beer drinker, the debt of gratitude that I Pete Slosberg, and others like him, is both huge and significant.

Craft Beer, Festivals, International

The Gift of Beer

November 30, 2019 The Beer Professor Leave a comment

When people learn that you enjoy craft beer, it is not unusual for them to give you some as a gift. Nowadays, it is common for my oldest daughter to give me craft beer as a birthday or Christmas gift. But every now and then I receive a gift of beer on occasions when I do not expect it. Such was the case last week when I was in ‘s-Hertogenbosch (colloquially known as Den Bosch) in the Netherlands. I was there to attend a workshop on Cities4People: Towards Smart, Safe and Sound Cities. The workshop was held at the Jheronimus Academy of Data Science (JADS). On the first afternoon of the workshop I made a presentation on craft breweries as a neighborhood amenity, and their role in contributing to the quality of urban life.

Presenting on craft breweries as a neighborhood amenity at the Jheronimus Academy of Data Science in Den Bosch, the Netherlands

After the afternoon presentations were complete there was a beer and wine reception, where workshop participants could network before dinner. Halfway through the meeting, Caroline Crevels, one of the organizers of the conference presented me with a gift. It was a gift of craft beer. What impressed me the most about this particular gift, however, was the effort and thoughtfulness that had went into selecting it. Caroline had visited a local bottle shop (Bottle Shop Den Bosch), and told the individual on duty that she was looking for a gift for a visiting craft beer lover and scholar. That individual then curated a selection of four beers, explaining to Caroline the significance of each one. Caroline took notes, and referred to these when presenting the gift to me. I was extremely touched with the care that she had taken.

Caroline Crevels (left) presented me with a gift of craft beer at a reception held at the Jheronimus Academy of Data Science in Den Bosch, the Netherlands.

The four beers that Caroline presented me with were:

De Cam Oude Geuze: a Lambic-Gueuze brewed by Geuzestekerij De Cam Brewery in Gooik, Belgium. It has an ABV of 6.5%.
Imperial Stout: a Russian Imperial Stout brewed by Samuel Smith Old Brewery in Tadcaster, England. It has an ABV of 7%.
Oeteldonker: a Dry Hopped Amber Ale brewers by D’N Draok Brewery in Den Bosch, the Netherlands. It has an ABV of 6.1%.
Odravein: a Barley Wine beer brewed by Põhjala Brewery in Tallin, Estonia. It has an ABV of 12%.

The four beers I received as a gift while in Den Bosch, the Netherlands

Of the four beers, the one that peaked my interest the most was Oeteldonker. As Caroline explained, the Oeteldonker is brewed once a year, and the beer and the timing of its release is connected with the Carnaval season in Den Bosch. Carnaval is a celebration that takes place on the three days preceding Ash Wednesday. Although connected to the religious observances of Lent, Carnaval’s origins can be traced to pagan spring festivals. Carnaval was a time to feast. During Medieval and posted-Medieval periods, food remaining from the winter had to consumed, lest it would soon start to rot and decay.

Oeteldonker Beer, which is released on 11/11 each year

While I was familiar with Mardi Gras in New Orleans, LA and the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, I have to admit I never knew that there was a similar event the southern Netherlands. It does, however, have a long history. Indeed Carnaval has been the subject for a number of 16th century artists, including Dutch artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder. His 1559 painting The Fight between Carnival and Lent shows the juxtaposition of the religious (see the church on the right hand side of the painting) and the secular (the inn/tavern on the left hand side). The abstinence associated with Lent was preceded by a period of feasting. Beer features in Bruegel’s painting. At the bottom center-left of the painting is a large man riding a beer barrel. All indications (meat pie on head, pork chop attached to barrel, butcher knives in his belt etc.) are that he is a butcher. As butchers provided meat for Caranaval, his appearance in the painting is appropriate

The Fight between Carnival and Lent by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Source: Wikipedia Commons

A close up of the butcher riding the beer barrel in Bruegel the Elderr’s painting

While the real spectacle of Carnaval does not begin until the three days before Ash Wednesday, preparations start on November 11 (11/11) each year. On that date, city councils vote for a Prince of Carnaval for their town. When the first day of Carnaval arrives, the Mayor of the town nominally transfers his or her authority to the Prince. Once this happens, normal daily life is suspended and the party begins. In Den Bosch, the city temporarily changes its name for the three days of Carnaval, and is re-named Oeteldonk. The name Oeteldonk has its genesis in Den Bosch’s geographical setting . According to my research “donk” refers to either a sandy hill or a low lying swamp (or perhaps a sandy hill in a low lying swamp). The word “oetel“ is thought refer refer to a Bishop Adrianus Godschalk who, in the late 19th century, wanted to ban carnival. The bishop was from the village of Den Dungen, where Van den Oetelaar was a common last name. Oetel is, therefore, a playful reference to the bishop. A symbol of Den Bosch’s Carnaval is the frog. Frogs were common in the swampy land surrounding Den Bosch. A defining characteristic of Carnaval is the reversal of social roles and the suspension of norms about desired behavior. The color and spectacle that is Carnaval can be seen in this video.

Oeteldonker beer, brewed by Brouwerij D’n Draok in Den Bosch, is inspired by Carnaval. It is brewed once a year, and is released on 11/11. Only 1,111 bottles of Oeteldonker are bottled each year; so I feel privileged to have one. In Germanic folklore, the number 11 is considered the “fool’s number”, and much of Carnaval involves playful, yet foolish, behavior.

The four beers were given to me just before the American Thanksgiving holiday. My oldest daughter, Kirsty, was visiting my wife and I from Cincinnati for that holiday. And, as Kirsty is also a craft beer aficionado, I thought it would be nice to share them with her. So before we sat down for our Thanksgiving meal, her and I opened and shared each of the four beers. As we did so I reflected on the generosity of Caroline and my other Dutch friends, and gave thanks for their wonderful generosity and friendship.

Craft Beer, Craft Breweries, Crime, Economic Development

Craft Breweries Are Good

April 7, 2019 The Beer Professor 1 Comment

Craft Breweries are Good

Good for what you ask? I would say multiple reasons and will outline those in just a moment.

First, I thought I’d give some background on my varied perspective on this topic. Assuming I had four feet, one foot is in the academic world as faculty at a major university (go Tritons!), one foot is in the real world as a crime analyst (not like CSI, think social science), one foot is in the craft beer world as the owner of a brewery mapping company (quick plug for PubQuest), and my last foot is in the crime world (not doing it, studying it!). Accordingly, I read a lot about breweries (and crime) in addition to supporting local, independent breweries wherever I travel (which is often!) as well as speak with many “beer people” on a regular basis.

OK, on to why I (and many others) think breweries are good.

Economics. Of all the scholarly literature (and a good amount of mainstream media), the economic benefits – both actual dollars and economic development are the topics most discussed (including several articles by the Beer Professor). These range from academic articles (e.g. Craft Breweries and Economic Development: Local Geographies of Beer and The value of a craft brewery: On the relationship between craft breweries and property values) to statewide studies such as Maryland Craft Beer: A World Without Limits; from mainstream media publications (e.g. Breweries are the mark of a thriving community and Craft beer’s big impact on small towns and forgotten neighborhoods) to tourism (Beer Tourists: Who are they? as well as see graphic below for the economic impact of this year’s Pliny the Younger release in the two cities in which Russian River Brewing has locations). And there are many more of these types of articles and reports from around the country!

The economic impact of the release of Pliny the Younger

When you think of Main Street, what comes to mind? Thriving downtowns or used-to-be-but-now-highly-vacant-or-rundown? Breweries have helped convert the latter types of downtowns in small towns and big cities across the country. There are currently almost 500 brewery locations in the U.S. with a street address of “Main” with another dozen in planning. That doesn’t count all of the breweries that have moved into city and town centers that are on a different street name (someone needs to figure out how to capture this!).

2. Community. I recently presented alongside one of the owners of Border X Brewing, a wonderful San Diego brewery (also just opened in Bell, CA – find that one on a map!), and he related their experience with moving into one of the more historically depressed neighborhoods. When someone asked him about gentrification, he explained how they made extra effort to work with the existing businesses and neighbors, the last thing they wanted was to displace locals. The photo below captures the tasting room at Border X where all the artwork is done by local artists and is of local people and places.

The Tasting Room of Border X Brewing in San Diego, CA

The example above is one of many that reveal craft breweries’ commitment to their communities. Whether it’s in the local newspaper, a beer blog or a social media post, there is a constant stream of discussion around efforts that are being made by breweries to welcome families, neighbors and strangers from afar into the brewery space. Many of the breweries work closely with local non-profits, sponsor runs or yoga and create an atmosphere that says “come hang out here, we are integral to this community.” The graphic below, from the website of Hops & Grain Brewery in Austin, TX, speaks to this very issue.

Community involvement is important for Hops & Grain Brewery in Austin, TX

3. Not Crime Generators. There are numerous studies available on the topic of crime and bars as well as the relationship between alcohol and crime, but there are no peer-reviewed studies about crime and breweries as a unique type of “bar.” A few years ago, I did a small study in Portland (OR), nationally known for their craft beer. While this hasn’t been published, the preliminary analysis reveals that breweries have a much lower level of police calls for service (a more accurate measure than typical crime stats due to calls for noise, litter, disturbances and the like that often are not included in official crime stats). Breweries (without liquor) had on average 1.7 calls within 50 feet of the location for the year, whereas bars (with liquor) had on average of 5.5 calls. A graphic below provides another way to look at these stats.

Craft Breweries, not selling liquor, had the lowest number of police calls than other establishments serving alcohol

Why do breweries generate less crime/police calls? There are a number of hypotheses about this including: clientele demographics; cost of craft beer; closing time (often before midnight); owners caring about the neighborhood (see above); family-friendly (who wants to get drunk with a bunch of babies?!); and no liquor. We definitely need more research on this topic (that means visiting breweries, right?), and I am working on that with several colleagues.

What are breweries doing to keep crime under control? You probably have not heard the concept of Situational Crime Prevention (unless you’re one of my colleagues in the crime world), but breweries are using many of these techniques without even knowing it. Some examples in the graphics below include the technique of “remove excuses – alert conscience” and “remove excuses – assist compliance” (the latter being smaller pours and limits on higher alcohol beers). Other techniques such as “increase the effort – control access to facilities” is done by limiting buses and large groups as well as “increase the risks – extend guardianship” by turning a vacant place into a neighborhood gathering location where people are looking out for the space. Another great example is the City of Vista (CA) government works closely with the Vista Brewers Guild to stay on top of crime and policing issues generated by breweries. This collaborative approach of using data and tackling problems before they get out of control has been beneficial to the City, the breweries and the safety of the community.

Some craft breweries remind patrons to be mindful of their neighbors and to keep noise and litter to a minimum

4. Tasty Libations. Do I need to say more? Different people support craft breweries for different reasons, but one thing in common is that most (although generally not the babies or the dogs) are going there to enjoy a nice beer. Having more options to enjoy local, craft beers at the source (see graphic below from the Brewers Association about the increase in craft breweries, especially over the last decade), allows friends, family and strangers to come together to taste this variety. Also in the U.S., we are now seeing more breweries that offer gluten-free, “session” (lower alcohol), and fruit and pastry-style beers to reach an even wider range of consumers.

Has this made you thirsty and eager to support your local brewery? Don’t forget, you can find them all on an interactive map on PubQuest. Cheers!

This blog entry was written by guest blogger, Julie Wartell, Julie is a Continuing Lecturer in the Urban Studies and Planning Program at the University of California, San Diego and an independent advisor to governmental agencies and communities relating to analyzing crime problems, neighborhood safety, and the geography of breweries. Julie currently teaches “Geographic Information Systems for Urban and Community Planning” and “Craft Breweries and the Urban Economy,” and her research, training and writing has been used in communities around the world. Julie has a master’s degree in public administration with an emphasis in criminal justice administration from San Diego State University as well as a Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Criminology and Police Management from University of Cambridge. In her spare time, Julie also runs PubQuest, a brewery mapping company.

Craft Beer, Events

Flagship February

March 12, 2019 The Beer Professor Leave a comment

February has come and gone, and with it the inaugural Flagship February. Conceived by Canadian beer writer, Stephen Beaumont, the idea was simple enough – spend the month of February rediscovering and drinking the beers upon which breweries made their reputation – their so-called flagship beers. I must admit that I did not make any conscious effort to drink flagship beers throughout the month – maybe I will next year – but I did enjoy a few such brews during the twenty-eight days of February.

But before getting to the February flagships that I consumed, let’s think about what defines a flagship beer. In other words, what qualifies a beer as a flagship beer? The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines flagship as “the finest, largest, or most important one of a group of things”. So for a brewery, its flagship beer would be the one that the brewer considers to be his or her finest, or it could be the brewery’s best selling beer. To investigate this further I did an internet search and came across this page on the Beeradvocate.com website; where a number of brewers were asked to articulate their understanding of the term “flagship beer”. You can read the answers at the link above, but let me share a sample of them below.

According to Peter Egelston of Smuttynose Brewing Company in Hampton, NH, a brewery’s flagship beer “doesn’t necessarily have to be the biggest seller, but rather is the beer that best defines those qualities that a brewer wishes to be associated with. It is the one that embodies the culture and aspirations of a brewery, as opposed to being a brand that merely pays the bills”. For some breweries, however, paying the bills is key to identifying a flagship beer. For Jim Killeen of the now out-of-business Nutfield Brewing Company of Derry, NH their flagship beer was Nutfield Old Man Ale, for no other reason than it was the brewery’s best seller, accounting for two-thirds of its sales.

For some breweries, year-round availability is a key characteristic of a flagship beer. For example, David Wollner of Willimantic Brewing Co. in Williamantic, CT noted that Certified Gold is their “flagship because we always try to have it on tap. All of our other beers rotate throughout the year.” Finally, some breweries have more than one flagship beer. This is the case for Victory Brewing Company of Downington, PA. Brewer Bill Covaleski notes that Victory has four flagship brands, all of which are available throughout the year.

So the definition of ‘flagship beer’ varies from brewery to brewery. As I reflect on the beers that I enjoyed during the month of February, some were clearly flagships, with at least two of them being what I would term ‘iconic flagship’ beers. These are Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Anchor Steam, from Sierra Nevada Brewing Company and Anchor Brewing Company respectively. Every craft beer drinker in the United States is surely familiar with these beers. Indeed, in an article about flagship beers in the Post Bulletin (a Rochester, MN newspaper), Josh Noel suggests that Sierra Nevada is “light-years ahead of its time and arguably the most important American beer of the past 50 years.”

Two other flagship beers, not available nationally, that I had in February are Trumer Pils from Trumer Brewery in Berkeley, CA and Spotted Cow from New Glarus Brewing Company in New Glarus, WI. The Trumer Brewery in Berkeley was established in 2004 as a sister brewery to the Trumer Brauerei in Salzburg, Austria. Trumer Pils is the only beer brewed at the brewery – so it has to be its flagship, right? It is one of my all-time favorite pilsners. Despite not distributing their beers outside of Wisconsin, New Glarus Brewing Company are the sixteenth largest craft brewery in the United States. Spotted Cow is New Glarus’s best known and best selling beer. When I flew home from Madison, WI last month, I didn’t check a bag. This meant, of course, I could not bring any beer home with me. Fear not, for there they were, at one of the gift shops in the Dane County Airport – twelve packs of Spotted Cow.

The four beers mentioned above are undoubtedly flagship beers. Others that I had that may be considered flagship beers include Mallet Session IPA from Trade Brewing in Napa, CA. The beer is brewed year-round. Also on that list is Leaping Lemur Cream Ale, which Hillsboro Brewing Company of Hillsboro, WI identify on their website as one of three flagship beers. Likewise, South Shore Brewing Company of Washburn, WI list their WPA:Wisconsin Pale Ale as one of five flagship beers.

WPA:Wisconsin Pale Ale from South Shore Brewing Company

Finally, while having dinner at Celadon in Napa, CA last month, I noticed, on the menu, Arctic Pale Ale from Einstok Beer Company in Akureyri, Iceland. I’d never had any Icelandic beer before, so I ordered it. I am glad I did. As I researched it later, I learned that Arctic Pale Ale is part of Einstok’s “core portfolio” of beers.

Arctic Pale Ale, one of Einstock Beer Co’s flagship beers

Of the eight flagship beers I enjoyed during Flagship February, seven were consumed in the state in which they were brewed (the exception being Einstok’s Arctic Pale Ale). Two were actually consumed at the brewery where they were brewed – Anchor Steam at Anchor Brewery and Leaping Lemur Cream Ale at Hillsboro Brewing Co.

As February drew to a close, a story about a new brew from Smartmouth Brewing Company in Norfolk, VA started to appear on my newsfeed. The beer is called Saturday Morning and is an IPA brewed with toasted marshmallows and cereal marshmallows. It was inspired by Lucky Charms breakfast cereal. Now I have no objection to brewers utilizing unsusal and non-traditional ingredients in their recipes. In fact, I think that beers brewed with such ingredients make the world of craft beer more interesting, and they certainly create buzz and get people talking. For breweries producing such a beer, it can generate some media coverage and get a brewery’s name out there. I, for example, had never heard of Smartmouth Brewing before they hit the news over the last few weeks – but I now know who they are. But I doubt such beers will ever attain Flagship status.

As I reflect on the concept behind Flagship February, I have to say that I think it’s a good idea. While I drink my fair share of flagship beers throughout the year, it was good to have an entire month focused on beers which, in my opinion, play a critical role in the world of craft beer.

Bars, Craft Beer

The Magic Cup

November 19, 2018 The Beer Professor Leave a comment

Since 2013, I have served as Executive Director of the North American Regional Science Council (NARSC). NARSC is one of four supranational organizations operating under the umbrella of the Regional Science Association International (RSAI). One of my primary duties as Executive Director of NARSC is to organize the North American Meetings of RSAI. These meetings are held every November, and bring together between 450 and 600 regional scientists from around the world. This year’s meeting was held at the Hyatt Regency Riverwalk Hotel in San Antonio, TX.

While organizing the conference takes quite a bit of effort, it is not without its rewards. The host hotel takes good care of me. For example, I get to stay in the hotel’s Presidential Suite, which is a great space for holding meetings and hosting cocktail parties. The day before the conference begins, myself other volunteers who have assisted with the conference’s organization, meet with the hotel staff to review final arrangements for the conference. It was at this meeting in San Antonio, that I was presented with The Magic Cup. At first sight The Magic Cup is not that impressive. It is simply a sixteen-ounce travel cup; the sort that can be found in millions of homes across America, and which are filled with coffee each morning. So what was so magic about The Magic Cup? Its magic lay in the fact that it entitled me to unlimited amounts of complimentary alcohol at the hotel bar for the duration of my stay. And it was not just beer and wine; spirits and cocktails were part of the deal.

I knew that Magic Cups existed. I had seen one before; in 2016 in Charlotte, NC. That year, the Mid-Continent Regional Science Association (MCRSA) had held its annual conference in Charlotte’s Sheraton Hotel. The organizer of that conference, John Leatherman, had been given one. I had eyed it with some envy.

But now, I had my own Magic Cup, with five days to avail myself of its pleasures. The hotel bar had a nice selection of sevenTexas craft beer on draft. These included Amber Ale from Saint Arnold Brewing Company in Houston, Mission Trail Pale Ale from Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling in San Antonio, and El Robison Porter from Busted Sandal Brewing Company in San Antonio. It did not take me long to sample each of the seven brews on draft.

The line-up of Texas craft beers at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in San Antonio, TX

For the duration of my stay, I have no idea how many beers I consumed and, by extension, how much money I saved. I did not gorge myself. I drank no more beer that I would normally have done during a trip of that type and duration. It did mean, however, that in the evening, I rarely wandered beyond the confines of the hotel bar. As a result, I am sure that I missed out on many great drinking spots in San Antonio. But that’s life – there is a price to pay for everything.

Craft Beer, Education, Ohio

Beer 101

October 24, 2018 The Beer Professor Leave a comment

A few weeks ago, I had lunch with Terry Keller ,Vice President for Academic Affairs at Lourdes University in Sylvania, OH. Terry is the driving force behind Lourdes’ recently announced Bachelor of Science degree in Craft Beverages. I was curious to learn more about the degree, and so Terry invited me to the Lourdes campus for lunch.

The degree requires the completion of 120 credit hours. As with any degree program, there are general education and core requirements, such as courses in English Composition, Theology, and Philosophy. It is when the students get to courses in the Major that the options get interesting. Students must complete forty-eight credit hours of Major Courses. Courses that they can choose from include General Microbiology, Introduction to Brewing Science, Fermentattion, Styles & Flavors, and Advanced Brewing & Distilling.

I had lunch with Terry Keller on the beautiful campus of Lourdes University

Students in the program will also be required to complete nine credit hours of internship study. Lourdes’ internship partners range from the local to the international. Local partners are Inside The Five Brewing Company, Black Cloister Brewing Company, Twin Oast Brewing, Upside Brewing, and Heidelberg Distributors. Lourdes also has partnerships with a number of vineyards in California, as well as Galway Hooker Brewery and Nephin Distillery (both in Ireland). The latter two will provide Study Abroad opportunities for the program’s students. Two of the program’s local partners have already concocted two brews in recognition of Lourdes’ new initiative. Inside the Five Brewing Company have brewed Gubi The Gray, a Smoked Amber Wheat, which it named after the school mascot. Upside Brewing have brewed Gray Wolves Wheat, a Pale Wheat Ale.

Twin Oast Brewing in PortClinton, OH will be one of Lourdes University’s local partners

The new degree program will launch in the fall semester of 2019. For that first semester, Terry hopes to enroll between eight and ten students. Part of the program’s mission is to “provide students the knowledge and practical skills for success in the craft beverage industry.” It is clear from the courses that the student will take in order to complete the degree that it is a comprehensive and holistic program. Even if another institution in the region were to mimick Lourdes’ example, and introduce a similar program, Lourdes will have the benefit of what is known as first-mover advantage. In other words, they now have the opportunity to establish a reputation and develop a brand identity in the area of craft beverage education. It is essential, however, that they do this well, and focus on developing an excellent program that provides students with a quality product. Having spent just under an hour with Terry, I have a feeling that Lourdes are going to do just that.

Talking about potential competition, back in 2016, I attended a meeting at Terre State Community College in Fremont, OH. They were interested in developing a curriculum for a certificate program around the topic of beer, and brought together a few local experts to brainstorm. As far as I know, the initiative never got beyond that one meeting. A few years ago, I suggested to someone in the upper administration at my institution, the University of Toledo, that they explore the possibility of developing a certificate or degree program around the theme of craft beer. Unfortunately, the University of Toledo is not a particularly forward-thinking institutuion and the suggestion fell on deaf ears. So kudos to Lourdes University. I wish them every success in their new degree and hope to hear and read about its success in the coming years.

Craft Beer, Hops, Neolocalism, Trends

Craft Beer And Hops

August 11, 2018 The Beer Professor Leave a comment

This is my third blog entry that deals specifically with the topic of hops. You can read the other two entries here and here.

Hops are one of the four essential ingredients of beer – the other three are water, malted barley, and yeast. As such, hops serve a number of functions. First, they act as a bittering agent. Second, they contribute to a beer’s aroma. Third, they have preservative qualities. There are three basic types of hops – alpha, aroma, and dual purpose. The primary function of alpha hops is to provide a beer with its bitterness, while aroma hops, as the name suggests, contribute to the aroma of a beer. Dual purpose hops combine bittering and aroma characteristics.

I’ve been reading quite a bit about hops recently, as well as looking at some data, trying to identify how demand for hops might be changing in response to the growing popularity of craft beer. This interest stems from a project funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The project, which includes colleagues from Rutgers University, Pennsylvania State University, and Simon Fraser University, is concerned with isolating the existence of what are termed agricultural clusters in the United States. As a piece of this much larger project, I have been looking at the impact that the growth of craft beer has had on the hops industry. In my research, I believe that I have identified three major impacts:

An overall incease in demand for hops
Demand for a greater diversity of hop varieties
The geographic expansion of hop production, out of the industry’s Pacific Northwest core.

Let me now examine each of these in turn.

Incresed Demand for Hops

Not surprisingly, the volume of hops produced and used in a given year varies. A number of factors impacts these volumes, including weather conditions and fluctuations in demand from breweries. The chart below shows the number of pounds of hops held by growers, dealers, and brewers on March 1, for each year between 1948 and 2018. What is particularly noticeable about this graph is the sharp increase in hop stocks held by these three groups, starting in 2011. This increase corresponds quite nicely with the significant increase in the number of craft breweries that started around the same time (see second chart).

So why might more craft breweries result in an increased demand for hops? Well, a major reason is that many of the styles of beer brewed by craft breweries use more hops than the beers produced by macro-brewers such as Anheuser-Busch. A typical craft beer (if there is indeed such a thing) contains up to five times more hops than a macro beer. The first chart below shows the number of pounds of hops used to produce a keg of different styles of beer. Lagers and pilsners, the most common type of beer produced by macro-brewers, use 0.19 and 0.31 pounds of hops per keg respectively. All of the other styles of beer shown (except Ambers and Hefeweizen) use more hops. For example, IPAs use a pound of hops per keg, while Imperial Stouts and Imperial IPAs use 0.87 and 3.8 pounds per keg respectively. As the second chart below shows, IPAs (which tend to use a lot of hops) represent over twenty-five percent of the American craft beer market.

Source: USAHops

Demand for Greater Diversity of Hop Varieties

Another feature of craft breweries is that they tend to use a greater variety of different types of hops than macro-breweries. As noted above, there are three basic types of hop – alpha, aromatic, and dual purpose. Macro-brewers, such as Anheuser-Busch, use primarily alpha hops when brewing beers such as Budweiser. Craft brewers, in contrast, use larger amounts of aroma and dual purpose hops. For example, an examination of types of hops harvested in the state of Washington (the country’s leading hop producer) in 2007, shows that 73.2% of the harvested acreage were alpha hops. By 2017, alpha hops accounted for only 26% of the harvested acreage in the state. In contrast, aroma and dual purpose hops accounted for 40% and 25.9% of Washington hops in 2017, respectively (the numbers do not add up to 100% here because data disclosure rules meant that there were some hops that could not be placed in one of the three categories). This represents a fundamental shift in hop production, which reflects a fundamental shift in demand.

Another way that I analyzed the hop data was to examine what I term the Four Hop Concentration Ratio. This is a simple number that indicates the percentage of hop production accounted for by the top four hop varieties. Again, I looked at data from the state of Washington. In 2007, the top four varieties accounted 71.1% of hops harvested in Washington. In 2017, the top four varieties accounted for only 39.1%. These numbers suggest that Washington farmers were growing a greater variety of different types of hop in 2017, than in 2007. When I examined the top four hop varieties in each of the two years, I noticed another important shift. In 2007, the top four hops harvested in Washington were Zeus, Columbus/Tomahwak, Willamette, and Galena. Three of these four (Zeus, Columbus/Tomahawk, and Galena) are alpha hops. Only Willamette are aroma hops. In 2017, the top four hops harvested in Washington were Cascade, Centennial, Simcoe, and Citra. None of these are alpha hops. Cascade and Citra are aroma hops, while Centennial and Simcoe are dual purpose.

The demand for diversity in hops reflects the diversity of beer styles and flavors/aromas that craft brewers produce. Different styles of beer require different combinations of different hop varieties. Even within the same style (e.g. IPA) individual brewers will combine different hop varieties as they seek to attain a particular flavor profile. Particular hop varieties are suited for Brewing specific styles of beer. For example, Azacca hops, which are alpha hops and impart notes of citrus, mango, and pineapple are ideal for pale ales and IPAs. Willamette, in contrast, are aroma hops that have floral, fruity, and herbal notes and are most commonly used in pale ales, bitters, and stouts. And of course, in the hands of a creative and innovative brewer, who knows what hop varieties will be combined with what other hop varieties, to generate exciting tastes and aromas. Craft breweries tend to be quite open in revealing the hop varieties that they use in a particular beer. In fact, displaying the hop varieties used in a particular brew, on the can or bottle, is not uncommon. My oldest daughter bought me a variety pack of beer for my birthday last month. Two of the beers were from Platform Beer Company in Columbus, OH. One, Chasing the Horizon, was a Black New England IPA, while the other, Seeing Sounds, was a small batch IPA. On the cans were the hops used in the brewing of each beer. In the case of Chasing the Horizon, four hop varieties were used – Callista (aroma), Simcoe (dual purpose), Eukanot (aroma), and Mosain (aroma) were used. For Seeing the Sounds, the hops were Galena (alpha), El Dorado (dual purpose), Citra (aroma), and Centennial (dual purpose).

Platform Beer Company cans displays the hops used in each beer

Geographic Expansion of Hop Production

A final trend that I have noted in my research on hops is the geographic expansion of hop production. The Pacific Northwest states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho represent the heartland of American hop production. In 2017, these three states accounted for 95.5% of the acres of hops harvested in the United States. As few years earlier, in 2014, the three Pacific Northwest states had accounted for 97.7% of the acres of hops harvested. Gradually, in recent years, farmers in states outside of the Pacific Northwest have started to grow hops. Hops are now grown in twenty-nine states across the country. After, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, the top three states for hop production are Michigan, New York , and Colorado. The map below shows hop growing States in 2017. Washington, Oregon, and Idaho are in red, and the orange states are the other states growing hops. The expansion of hop production outside of its core states is driven by demand from some craft brewers for locally-grown hops. At the same time, farmers see an opportunity to expand and diversify their portfolio of crops.

So, it appears that the increasing popularity of craft beer is changing the hop industry. Not only is there a demand for more hops, but there is a demand for a greater diversity of hop varieties. In particular, there is an increased demand for aroma and dual purpose hops, which, together, are now more popular than alpha hops. Finally, production of hops is increasing outside of the Pacific Northwest, as more brewers demand locally-grown hops.

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