Category Archives: Economic Development

Adaptive Reuse, Economic Development, Neighborhoods

Wynkoop Brewing Company: A Pioneer Investor

December 14, 2021 The Beer Professor Leave a comment

Last month, I spent a few days in Denver, CO. I was there to attend the North American Meetings of the Regional Science Association International – a scholarly organization to which I belong. On my “to-do” list for this trip was a visit to Wynkoop Brewing Company, which is located in Lower Downtown (LoDo) section of the city. So one lunchtime, with some colleagues, I jumped in an Uber and and headed to Wynkoop.

Among craft beer drinkers, Wynkoop is known for its excellent beers, including its Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout, whose ingredients include freshly sliced and roasted bull testicles. As someone who has been studying the American craft brewing industry for a number of years, Wynkoop is a brewery that I often mention in my academic papers. Very often I mention Wynkoop in tandem with Great Lakes Brewing Company which is located in the Ohio City neighborhood of Cleveland, OH. The two breweries have much in common. Both were established in 1989, and both were what are termed pioneer investors in their respective neighborhoods, playing a key role in their revitalization.

*Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout from Wynkoop Brewing Company*

In 2000, my colleague Stephan Weiler, a Professor of Economics at Colorado State University published a paper in Urban Studies in which he looked at the role that Wynkoop played in the revitalization of the 23-square block LoDo neighborhood. During the 19th century Lower Downtown emerged as a rail hub, mineral processing, manufacturing and warehousing center. The 20th century brought economic changes and the emergence of new transportation technologies that would supplant the railroad, with the result that “the LoDo industrial area went into decline, as companies boarded up their factories and warehouses. Squatting and crime increased, and liquor stores (along with their entrenched customer base) became the area’s most prominent resource” (Weiler 2000, p. 173). Some of the beers brewed by Wynkoop pay homage to the LoDo’s industrial past or the city’s unique geographical location. So you can sit inside Wynkoop’s taproom and enjoy a Hazy Train IPA, a Rail Yard Ale, or Kurt’s Mile High Malt Lager.

I enjoyed a Hazy Train IPA while visiting Wynkoop

In the mid-1980s, two entrepreneurs, John Hickenlooper and Jerry
Williams eyed LoDo as a potential location for a new craft brewery that they were planning. LoDo’s had what lots of craft brewery entrepreneurs seek out when they are looking for potential brewery space – an abundance of inexpensive large vacant buildings. Hickenlooper and Williams finally settled on the historic J. S. Brown Mercantile Building, built in 1899, as the site for their brewery. On the off chance that you follow Colorado politics, the name John Hickenlooper is probably familiar to you. In addition to being an entrepreneur, Hickenlooper served as the Mayor of Denver between 2003 1nd 2011 and then the 42nd Governor of Colorado between 2011 and 2019. He also sought the Democratic nomination for President of the United States 2019 but dropped out before the primaries. In November 2020, he was elected to the United States Senate.

*Patrons enjoying lunch and a pint at Wynkoop Brewing Company*

As noted by Weiler (2000, p. 175), “the first few years of the brewery, though, were indeed a struggle, and were devoted to attracting a regular clientele into the area”. As its reputation grew, however, the number of patrons steadily increased. Not only did the flow of patrons to Wynkoop increase, but so did the flow of other investment dollars into the neighborhood – an antique store, residential lofts and a publishing company soon opened their doors. Additional retail, galleries, and residential properties followed the example set by Wynkoop and other early investors. Today, LoDo is a thriving neighborhood that functions as a mixed-use hub of housing, retail, office, and entertainment spaces. One evening. coming back from dinner, driving through LoDo, my Uber driver said that the neighborhood today was unrecognizable from what it had previously been. The revitalization of LoDo is part of larger planning initiatives being undertaken by the City and County of Denver. Over the years, the City and County have developed a number of plans in their efforts to think strategically about what the city might look like. These include the 1968 Downtown Area Plan, the 2000 Lower Downtown Neighborhood Plan, the 2007 Downtown Area Plan, and the Comprehensive Plan 2040 (adopted in 2019). In 1988 Denver City Council gave LoDo Historic District status, with a view to ” encouraging historic preservation and promoting economic and social vitality ” Today, LoDo’s development is overseen by The LoDo District, Inc., a 501(c)(3) Registered Neighborhood Organization.

A former LoDo flour mill (left) is now residential lofts (right). Source: LoDo

Wynkoop Brewing Company is one of many examples of a brewery that has contributed to the revitalization of an urban neighborhood. Google “breweries revitalizing neighborhoods” and you will plenty of other examples. In some cases, like Wynkoop, a brewery can be the catalyst for neighborhood revitalization. They are the first significant entity to invest in a neighborhood. Such pioneer investors can signal the promise of a neighborhood to other would-be investors. In others cases, a brewery follows other investors and becomes an important piece of the revitalization jigsaw. In contributing to the revitalization of distressed neighborhoods, craft breweries engage in adaptive reuse, thereby breathing new life into abandoned buildings. Thus, all across the United States, we see craft breweries located in what were once were old churches, fire stations, hardware stores, auto dealership etc. Craft brewery entrepreneurs are particularly adept at utilizing what might be thought of as challenging spaces. As noted by Bart Watson, Chief Economist with the Brewers Association, “one of the advantages of breweries is they can go into former industrial buildings or difficult spaces to develop”. Weiler (2000, p. 178) agrees with the assessment. As he notes, “craft breweries are likely to be particularly well-matched with the circumstances of senescent industrial districts, and thus often represent the most promising pioneers”.

My visit to Wynkoop represented another item checked-off on my “breweries-to-visit-list”. I have known about Wynkoop for years and have used it as an example of a neighborhood revitalizer in many of my writings. So it was nice to finally visit and enjoy a taste of their beautifully crafted ale.

Further Reading:

Reid, Neil. 2018. Craft breweries, adaptive reuse, and neighborhood revitalization. Urban Development Issues, Volume 57, pages 5–14.

Reid, Neil, Margaret M. Gripshover, and Thomas L. Bell. 2019. Craft breweries and adaptive reuse in the USA: The use and reuse of space and language. In Brunn S., Kehrein R. (eds.) Handbook of the Changing World Language Map. Springer, Cham, pages 1-19,

Weiler, Stephan. 2000. Pioneers and settlers in Lo-Do Denver: Private
risk and public benefits in urban redevelopment. Urban Studies, Volume 37, Number 1, pages 167-179.

Adaptive Reuse, Community, Craft Breweries, Economic Development

We Want A Brewery

November 30, 2021 The Beer Professor Leave a comment

Vadnais Heights is a city of just over 13,600 people. It is part of the Minneapolis metropolitan area lying about 15 miles northeast of downtown. The city’s website describes the suburban community as “a vibrant community with strong neighborhoods, thriving businesses, beautiful woods, lakes, wetlands, and trails”, In a 2016 Community Survey, 97% of its residents rated its quality of life as either “good” or “excellent”.

Like many American communities, Vadnais Heights has a number of parcels of vacant land. In 2015, the City purchased a three-acre parcel of land that had once been home to a gas station and a hardware store. Once the site was cleaned-up the City had plans to build an apartment complex on it. Some residents in close proximity to the proposed apartment complex balked at the idea , feeling that an apartment complex not an appropriate addition to what was primarily a single-family neighborhood. They voiced their concerns with City leaders, who listened. The result was the creation of a 14-member task force, who were charged with identifying alternative uses for the site. The task force, which included both residents and business leaders, was led by an outside facilitator.

*The 14 member task force included both neighborhood and non-neighborhood residents*

Before a decision was reached the task force did due diligence. They met a total of six times, three of which included listening to experts on a variety of relevant topics including environmental issues,
different financial scenarios, and market conditions. With 14 members, there was no shortage of ideas as to how the parcel of land might be best used. These included park/open space, offices, retail, and a brewery. Yes – a brewery! The suggestion of a brewery came from task force member Ashley Wilke, a neighborhood resident who had purchased her grandparent’s home nearby. Faced with a number of alternatives, the task force conducted a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) Analysis for each potential land use. To build consensus and arrive at a decision, three rounds of voting were held, with less popular options being eliminated after each round. At the end of the voting process, the task force had identified a brewery as the preferred option. As noted in the task force’s final report, a brewery represented “a unique opportunity for the city and would build community and social interaction.” The vision of the task force was a destination brewery that would also be a community gathering spot – a so-called Third Place. A brewery would also result in the adaptive reuse of the abandoned hardware store. Once the brewery was identified as the preferred use, letters were sent to over 500 existing brewers and distillers to make them aware of the opportunity.

*The letter sent to prospective breweries included the above* information

As it turned out the site was ideal for Big Wood Brewery who had outgrown their original location in nearby White Bear Lake. Big Wood’s owner Jason Medvec shared the task force’s vision for the new brewery. According to Medvec, “my goal is to create a community-centered venue where there is always something exciting happening and where everyone feels welcome”. Medvec anticipates that Big Wood will move to its new location in Vandais Heights in 2022, with the lot costing them $225,000.

For a number of reasons, I found the story of Vandais Heights and the desire on the part of its residents to have a brewery occupy a vacant building on a vacant piece of land to be a fascinating one. First, kudos must be given to the City for listening to its residents and creating a platform and process (the task force) through which a decision reflective of resident desires could be arrived at. As stated by Valdais Heights’ Mayor, Heidi Gunderson, “we heard loud and clear they didn’t want a high density development in that corner . . . I viewed the property as taxpayer-owned, and they should have a say in how the land was developed.” Second, kudos to Ashley Wilke, the resident who suggested a brewery as a possible occupant of the vacant lot. The brewery will be more than just a watering hole for local residents. Both the residents and the brewery owner envision the new brewery to be a community gathering spot or a so-called Third Place. All across the United States, craft breweries have strategically positioned themselves as community assets; as places that are a vital part of a community’s social fabric and which serve as a place for residents to gather. It looks as if Big Wood will continue that trend. Not only will Big Wood occupy a vacant parcel of land, but it will also occupy an abandoned hardware store. Adaptive reuse of abandoned buildings is a common practice within the craft brewing industry and is a practice that breathes new life into vacant buildings.

So well done to the City and the people of Vandais Heights. The people spoke and the City listened. As a result, residents and visitors alike will soon have a cool new place to hang-out, relax, and enjoy a pint of locally-crafted beer.

Craft Breweries, Economic Development, Small Towns

Brewing in Small Town America

January 30, 2021 The Beer Professor 2 Comments

The United States is a very urban society. Approximately 83% of Americans live in urban areas, up from 64% in 1950. More than 300 urban areas in the U.S. have populations greater than 100,000. I live in one of them – the city of Toledo, OH has a population of ~271,000, while the Toledo Metropolitan Area has a population of ~641,000. The largest city in the country is New York City, with a population of ~8.4 million.

Not surprisingly, most of America’s craft breweries are to be found in urban areas. Some calculations that I did for a 2018 paper that I wrote estimated that 72% of America’s craft breweries are located in metropolitan areas with populations of at least 250,000, while 16.2% of America’s craft breweries are located in just ten metropolitan areas. Brewing beer, it appears, is a big city business.

But what about brewing in small-town and rural America? I recently started thinking about that question after a Zoom conversation I had with Nicki Werner, Co-Founder and Brewer at Jefferson Beer Supply, in Jefferson, SD. Jefferson Beer Supply is a brewery in planning; it is not open and operational yet; but should be by the summer of 2021. Nicki was preparing a presentation to be made to the city council and loan approval board. She had been following my blog for some months and was reaching out to see if I could help her craft some arguments about the beneficial impact of craft breweries on small towns. Jefferson does not have a craft brewery – hardly surprising given that it has a population of 622. However, the addition of a craft brewery to the Jefferson landscape will mirror what is happening in other small towns and rural communities across America. Between 2013 and 2018 the number of breweries located in places with a population under 2,500 grew by 129%.

Nicki Werner, co-founder of Jefferson Beer Supply in Jefferson, SD

Just as craft breweries can breathe new life into urban neighborhoods, they can do the same for smaller communities. In Valentine, NE (population 2,706) Bolo Beer Co. is contributing to a renewed sense of economic vitality. Other examples of craft breweries playing a similar role in their communities are Hand of Fate Brewing in Petersburg, IL (population 2,214) and Driftless Brewing Company in Soldier Grove, WI (population 541).

Rural communities face a number of socio-economic challenges. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, rural communities, compared to their urban counterparts, “have less internet access, fewer educational institutions, see more hospitals close and experience less economic growth.” In the past, many rural communities could depend on agriculture for their economic well-being. That is no longer the case, however. And it has been that way for some time. A 1999 report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis noted that, “agriculture is no longer the anchor of the rural economy”. In many rural economies manufacturing is the dominant income generator . . . if policymakers want to help shape the economic future of all of rural America, they must engage a much broader range of issues and economic engines.”

Now I am not naive enough to think that craft breweries are the answer to the socio-economic challenges facing rural and small-town America. But having a successful craft brewery in town can surely do no harm. In the aforementioned Valentine, NE the Bolo Brewing Company has become a place for the community to gather – or what the urban sociologist Ray Oldenburg called a Third Place. Third Places play a critical role in human societies. There is research that suggests that Third Places can combat loneliness while also strengthening community cohesion. In research conducted with colleagues, the highly regarded British Anthropologist Robin Dunbar provides evidence which suggests that enjoying a beer with friends provides us with “the single most important buffer against mental and physical illness”.

While many craft breweries function as Third Places in America’s large urban areas, Jeff Alworth believes that their importance as community gathering places “may even be stronger in smaller communities. Little towns are often underserved with regard to cool places to hang out. When they open up shop, they provide much-needed social hubs . . . They’re not only a nice place to spend an evening, but serve as venues for events like meetings, weddings, and even children’s birthday parties.” Nicki Werner of Jefferson Beer Supply shared her brewery’s business plan with me. One of Nicki’s goals for her brewery is to create “a tasting room and experience that offers a family oriented gathering space for our community.” As the business plan notes, “there are no family oriented spaces in Jefferson and very little in the surrounding areas, which offer primarily dive bars with casino machines, no children’s menus, and focus primarily on one demographic.” A family-oriented craft brewery would be a tremendous asset to Jefferson, SD. In Valentine, NE local resident Whitney Mayhew describes the taproom of the Bolo Beer Company as a “community gathering place”.

Craft breweries can also attract tourists to a small town. Beer Tourism is “a thing” and is becoming more popular every year. According to the Brewers Association, in the United States, 1.6 percent of craft-beer drinkers take 10-plus trips annually to visit breweries more than two hours from their home. Attracting tourists is critical to the success of small-town breweries as it lessens their dependence upon local residents. I recently co-edited a book with two Italian colleagues that explored how craft beer tourism, wine tourism, and agritourism can make a positive contribution to the economies of geographically peripheral areas. Last year (about 6 weeks before Covid-19 resulted in lockdowns) I gave the keynote presentation at the Beer Marketing and Tourism Conference in St. Petersburg, FL. One of the things I highlighted in my presentation is that craft beer tourists have above average incomes and, as a result, have a fair amount of disposable income to spend. A challenge facing craft breweries in small towns is that they often exist in geographic isolation – in other words, they are the only brewery in town. This contrasts with larger cities where we see the emergence of brewery districts, providing beer tourists with the opportunity to visit three of four breweries, often on foot, within the space of an afternoon or evening. Craft breweries in small towns can utilize a number of strategies to overcome their geographic isolation. For example, they can collaborate with other breweries as part of an Ale Trail. This literally puts them on the map and they become one of the suggested stops for Ale Trail participants. An excellent example of an Ale Trail in is the Finger Lakes Beer Trail in New York State. The trail, which includes both larger cities and smaller towns, comprises over 75 craft breweries, tap houses and brewing-affiliated businesses across an area spanning over 200 miles.

Craft beer tourism can benefit geographically peripheral areas

Larger cities, such as Bakersfield, CA, often have brewery districts

The Finger Lakes Beer Trail in New York spans over 200 miles

Another strategy is to collaborate with other attractions in their region. Marketing a larger geographic region and its multiple attractions is a smart approach for smaller communities. Greenbriar Valley in West Virginia is an excellent example of a rural area that does an excellent job of promoting the area’s 80+ attractions, including Greenbriar Valley Brewing Company in the town of Lewisburg (population 3,897). If a small town is located in an agricultural region, it may be possible to develop a tourism industry around agritourism. The National Law Agricultural Center sees agritourism as the “crossroads of tourism and agriculture” and defines it as “a form of commercial enterprise that links agricultural production and/or processing with tourism in order to attract visitors onto a farm, ranch, or other agricultural business for the purposes of entertaining and/or educating the visitors and generating income for the farm, ranch, or business owner.“ Example of agritourism include pumpkin picking patches, U-Pick operations, demonstration farms, cut-your-own Christmas tree farms, and petting and feeding zoos. As craft breweries are utilizing agricultural crops (hops and barley primarily) it is hardly a stretch to include them within a region’s agritourism attractions. A brewery in a small town where opportunities for outdoor activities such as hiking, kayaking, and camping exist may want to utilize these assets in attracting beer tourists.

The arrival of a craft brewery in a small town can also be the catalyst for additional development. The opening of Hand of Fate Brewing in Petersburg, IL (population, 2,226) in May 2017 had a beneficial impact on the small community. According to one observer:

“After just a year, the small brewery has brought good fortune to the town. After taking over an old Dollar General discount store in the sparsely occupied town square, the brewery-and-taproom has become a community hub and a catalyst keeping businesses open later. It’s encouraged others—including two new boutiques—to open shop, and drawn visitors from across the region. “

Neil Gurnsey, Assistant Vice President of the National Bank of Petersburg, noted that after the brewery opened, “life was just injected into the square”.

Finally, because a brewery is in a small town does not mean that it has an inexperienced brewer and does not produce great beer. Nicki Werner, the Brewers at Jefferson Beer Supply, has a wealth of brewing experience. Prior to relocating to a Jefferson Nicki worked in the brewing industry for six years at three different breweries in three different states. She learned to brew at Brenner Brewing, a midsized production brewery in Milwaukee, WI. After Brenner, she took a job brewing for Left Hand Brewing company in Longmont, CO. In 2019 she moved to South Dakota to be near family and worked as a brewer at Fernson Brewing Company (the state’s largest brewery) in Sioux Falls, SD. Nicki also received a scholarship from the Pink Boots Society and spent time in Bavaria, Germany visiting breweries and learning about brewing methods. Chris Hernstrom, brewer at the aforementioned Bolo Beer Co. in Valentine, NE, cut his teeth as a brewer in the craft beer mecca of Bend, OR, before moving to Nebraska. Yes, many small town brewers come with an impressive pedigree.

Understanding Beer Tourists

March 8, 2020 The Beer Professor Leave a comment

During the month of February I gave two presentations on the topic of beer tourism. The first was at the Beer Marketing and Tourism Conference in St. Petersburg, FL, while the second was at the Nebraska Agritourism and Adventure Travel Workshop in Nebraska City, NE. Beer tourism is a topic I wrote about in a previous blog entry in 2017. In June, I will be traveling to Fort Myers, FL to make a presentation on the same topic to interested stakeholders in that community. There is no question that interest in beer tourism is growing. Tourism officials and others in a myriad of places are recognizing that beer tourism represents an opportunity to bring new dollars into their communities. There have been a small number of studies that estimate the economic impact of beer tourism. A 2019 study of the nearly 94,000 beer tourists who visited Kent County, MI (home of Grand Rapids) estimated their economic impact to be $38.5 million. The 2017 Oregon Brewer Festival, which was held in Portland, OR had an economic impact of $23.9 million. Finally, the 2018 release of Pliny the Younger by Russian River Brewery had an economic impact of $3.36 million on Sonoma County, CA.

Thanks to these studies, and a number of others undertaken by academics, we actually know quite a bit about beer tourists – their demographic profile, travel preferences, and travel patterns. We know, for example, that somewhere between 60 and 66% of beer tourists are male, 75-84% are under the age of fifty, 60-80% have at least a Bachelor’s degree, and 40-45% live in households whose annual income exceeds $80,000. In short beer tourists tend to be male, young, well-educated, and are economically well-off.

We also know that beer tourists do not stray far from home. Seventy-five percent of the beer tourists who visit Kent County, MI live in the state of Michigan, while 83% of those traveling to Santa Rosa, CA for the 2016 Pliny the Younger Release were from the state of California. Not only do most beer tourists travel short distances, they also visit a destination for a couple of days – 95% of the beer tourists who visit Kent County, MI do so for two nights or less. Indeed, the average length of stay in Kent County was 1.6 nights, while those who traveled to Santa Rosa, CA for the Pliny the Younger Release in 2019 stayed for an average of 1.8 nights. Perhaps not surprisingly, beer tourists travel in small groups of between two and four people (think a couple or two couples, traveling together).

Research by Jennifer Kraftchick and her colleagues at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro suggests that the primary reason why craft beer drinkers visit breweries in other towns and states is to taste craft beer in the breweries where it is brewed. Visiting a craft brewery in another community often provides the craft beer drinker the opportunity to taste beer that is unavailable in their home town. This is consistent with other research which suggests that craft beer drinkers like to travel from brewery to brewery tasting the beer and enjoying the unique ambience of each brewery.

The aforementioned characteristics of beer tourists are insightful for towns and cities looking to market their communities to beer tourists. For example, I advise communities to focus their marketing efforts to a 150 mile radius. Depending on the community the number of people living within a 150 mile radius can be quite large. For example, there are 18.7 million people within a 150 mile radius of the city I live in, Toledo, OH. I also suggest targeting short-stay tourists, promoting their community (and their breweries) as an ideal ‘weekend getaway’. If a community has a brewery district, I suggest marketing it – emphasizing the ease of moving from one brewery to another (e.g., on foot, by bicycle, or by Uber). Identifying, and making the potential beer tourist aware of complimentary activities is also a good idea. Beer tourists travel with spouses, partners, and friends – some of whom may not be beer drinkers. So providing information on, for example, wineries is smart marketing. Or perhaps your community has a variety of outdoor recreational opportunities such as hiking or kayaking – if that is the case, then think about ways to cross-market breweries with these activities.

Having attracted tourists to your community, it would be nice if they enjoyed themselves so much that they decide to return at a future date. Kent County, MI has been particularly successful at getting beer tourists to return for repeat visits. Sixty percent of beer tourists surveyed as part of the Kent County, MI study indicated that they had visited Kent County at least once during the previous twelve months. A return visit by a beer tourist indicates that the previous visit had been an enjoyable experience. So having your community’s breweries put their best foot forward and showing visitors a good time is critical. The same goes for other places (e.g. hotels, restaurants, museums, etc.) that beer tourists may visit. Remember, most beer tourists who visit your community live within a couple of hours drive – give them a reason to return, and they will.

Beer tourism is growing in popularity. More and more communities are embracing it. At the Beer Marketing and Tourism Conference that I attended last month in St. Petersburg, FL, there were representatives from a number of Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) in attendance. I chatted with a number of them over the three days of the conference. There is no question that the DMOs I chatted with appreciate the benefits that beer tourism can bring to their communities.

Focus marketing efforts on potential beer tourists living with a 150 mile radius of your community
Source: Statsamerica.com

Market your community to beer tourists as a weekend getaway
Source: Los Angeles Times, January 9, 2020

If your community has a brewery district, market it
Source: The Californian, November 9, 2018

Market complementary activities such as wineries

Where Community Convenes

June 20, 2019 The Beer Professor Leave a comment

Last month I was in Altoona, PA. I was there at the invitation of the Altoona Blair County Development Corporation (ABCDC), who had asked me to give the keynote address at their Annual Meeting. ABCDC’s President and CEO, Steve McKnight, had read my blog entry, Craft Breweries as Third Places, and wanted me to share my perspective on the topic to the broader Altoona-Blair County community. I drove to Altoona from my home in Toledo, covering the 328 miles in a little over five hours. Shortly after checking into my hotel I met up with Steve who gave me a tour of downtown Altoona, with a focus on the redevelopment initiatives that are under way there.

Promotional material for ABCDC’s Annual Meeting

Altoona has a population of just over forty-four thousand people. Like many cities in that part of the country it has lost population over the years. It’s population, in fact peaked in 1930, at just over eighty-two thousand. It is what is known as a shrinking city. Like many shrinking cities, Altoona is grappling with the challenge of how to stem, perhaps even reverse, decades of population decline. Third Places may be one piece of Altoona’s revitalization jigsaw.

Altoona’s population has been declining since 1930

Altoona owes its existence to the Pennsylvania Railroad. The community that would eventually become Altoona started out, in 1849, as a staging area for the construction of the rail line. Such was the importance of the railroad that in 1925, fourteen thousand of the area’s seventeen thousand industrial workers were employed by The Pennsylvania Railroad.

Like many American cities, Altoona has a proud brewing history. Also, like many American cities that history follows a familiar pattern. At various periods prior to Prohibition. Altoona was home to nine breweries. Two of those – the Oswald Brewing Company and the Altoona Brewing Company – survived Prohibition. But as with many smaller breweries they did not survive the post-Prohibition era, when economies of scale became the keys to success and smaller breweries were either bought by larger competitors or simply closed down. The Oswald Brewing Company closed in 1935 and the Altoona Brewing Company closed in 1974. Some of the beer produced by the Altoona Brewing Company included Altoona Bock, Horseshoe Curve Porter, Altoona Pilsener Beer, Altoona 36 Beer, American Maid Ale, and Pops Brau Beer.

Today, Altoona is home to two breweries – Railroad City Brewing Company and Marzoni’s Brick Oven and Brewery. The Railroad City Brewing Company, of course, is a nod to the important part played by the railroad in Altoona’s social and economic history. I love it when a brewery pays homage to some aspect of its local community, be it a historical figure, local landmark, or industrial heritage.

Railroad City Brewing Company is contributing to the revitalization of downtown Altoona, PA

After a walk around downtown Steve and I dropped into Railroad Brewing Company, where we met up with some of ABCDC’s staff, as well as brewery owner Matt Winrick. The brewery opened in 2016 and is a key part of the revitalization that is happening on Altoona’s 11th Street. Along with the recently opened coffee shop across the street, The Clay Cup, Railroad Brewing Company has become a vibrant local gathering spot (aka Third Place) in the heart of the city.

Community gathering spots, otherwise known as Third Places, were the focus of my presentation the next morning at the annual meeting of ABCDC. I have written about Third Places in a previous blog entry. It is a simple concept really. According to Ray Oldenburg, who coined the term, a Third Place is nothing more than an informal public gathering place. They are places outside of the home (first places) and work (second places) where we gather with friends, work colleagues, family members etc. According to Stuart Butler and Carmen Diaz, they are places where we “exchange ideas, have a good time, and build relationships“. Michael Hickey refers to Third Places as “the Living Room of society“. Despite the simplicity of the concept Third Places play a key role in creating social capital and a sense of community. A wide variety of venues in a community can function as Third Places, including libraries, coffee shops, and churches. Indeed, the subtitle of Oldenburg’s classic work on the topic, The Great Good Place, “cafes, coffee shops, bookstores, bars, hair salons and other great hangouts at the heart of a community”, hint at the diversity of venues that can serve as Third Places. And, while not on the radar when Oldenburg was formulating his ideas, craft breweries are emerging as vital Third Places in communities all across America. Oldenburg was fearful that Third Places were becoming less popular, and that America was experiencing a decline in what is termed its associational life. The same fear was echoed by Harvard’s Robert Putnam in his classic work Bowling Alone.

Railroad City Brewing is emerging as a gathering spot for locals in downtown Altoona.

ABCDC’s Annual Meeting was held at the Blair County Convention Center. There were approximately 250 people in attendance. A copy of my presentation is available here. During my talk I presented some statistics from the Social Capital Project that highlighted the decline of associational life in America:

Between 1974 and 2016, the percent of adults who said they spend a social evening at least several times a week fell from 30% to 19%,

Between the mid-1970s and 2012, the average amount of time Americans (25-54) spend with coworkers outside the workplace fell from 2.5 hours to just under one hour per week

Between 1972 and 2016, the share of adults who thought most people could be trusted declined from 46% to 31%

Third Places, including craft breweries, can play a critical role in reigniting our bonds with friends, neighbors, co-workers, and even family members. Towards the end of my presentation I presented some challenges to those in the room. With respect to Altoona, I asked:

• Where are your existing Third Places?
• Are you utilizing these to their full potential?
• If not, why not? How can they be better utilized?
• Where are your potential (as yet unused) Third Places?
• Why aren’t these being utilized?
• What needs to happen for the community to utilize them?

While Third Places can emerge organically (e.g. a neighborhood bar), I believe that it behooves a community to think strategically about the concept – hence the questions I posed above. Although I was in Altoona for less than twenty-four hours, I got the sense that the city is thinking strategically about Third Places and the role that they might play in the city’s revitalization. When I visit a city like Altoona, I often wonder what it will be like two, three, or five years down the road. Altoona is close enough to Toledo that I may just make a return visit to take a look.

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.

Economic Development, International, Scholarship, Tourism

Italy 3.0

July 26, 2018 The Beer Professor 2 Comments

I just returned from a few days in L’Aquila, Italy. It was my third visit to this earthquake-ravaged Italian town in the last ten months. I’d been there in September 2017 and, more recently, in May 2018. On both my previous visits I’d given talks about beer to students in the Regional Science and Urban Studies Program at the Gran Sasso Science Institute (GSSI). On this occasion, I was in L’Aquila as co-organizer of a two-day workshop on “The Geography of Craft Beer and Consumption: Local Entrepreneurialism and Tourism Development”. My co-organizers were Alessandra Faggian, Professor of Applied Economics, Director of Social Sciences, and Vice Provost for Research at the Gran Sasso Science Institute, and Giulia Pezzi, Post Doctoral Research Fellow at GSSI. The workshop was designed to provide an opportunity for doctoral students and early career Professors to present their research. Alessandra, Giulia, and myself had also lined up two excellent keynote speakers – Martin Stack of Rockhurst University in the United States and Christian Garavaglia of The University of Milano-Bicocca. Both gave fascinating keynote lectures – Martin on the history of craft beer in the United States and how to assess its impact, while Christian gave an overview of the growth of craft beer at the international level.

Christian Garavaglia talking about historical trends in the global brewing industry

Martin Stack talking about the history of craft beer in the United States

Following Martin and Christian’s lectures, Giulia Pezzi and myself presented plenary lectures on craft beer and tourism. I focused my lecture on trying to understand the motivations of the craft beer tourist and their desire to drink unique beer in unique spaces. Giulia’s lectures examined the contribution that craft beer can make to tourism in rural and remote regions.

The opening day of the workshop concluded with a presentation by Luca Marcotullio, owner of L’Aquila’s only craft brewery, Anbra. I had visited Anbra’s taproom on my last visit to L’Aquila and had been impressed with both the ambience and the beer. The brewery is a post-earthquake phenomenon. Following the earthquake, Luca decided to open the brewery, realizing that a taproom in the center of the city would provide a space where people could come, relax, and socialize with each other. In many respects, the taproom was Luca’s contribution to the rebuilding of post-earthquake L’Aquila. Following, Luca’s talk, he took questions from those us in the audience, which proved to be particularly fascinating.

That evening, Luca retold Anbra’s story to interested citizens of L’Aquila, in one of GSSI’s auditoriums. Following that talk everyone retired to the beautiful outdoor terrace of the GSSI, where Luca and one of his staff members, served a selection of four Anbra beers. Following that event, myself and a couple of other conference attendees decided to head into the center of L’Aquila and enjoy a few beers at the Anbra taproom. A few beers into our visit, Luca appeared. He recognized us from earlier in the evening, and provided us each with a complimentary beer. The same hospitality was offered to us the following evening when we visited Anbra.

Luca Marcotullio (left) serving up some Anbra beer on the outdoor terrace of GSSI

The second day of the workshop, there were presentations from eleven young researchers. The came from five countries – Argentina, Bulgaria, Canada, Italy, and the United States. The topics were varied and included:

The role of tourism in creating Greater Central Florida’s Craft beer scene
The emerging relationship between the craft beer and recreational cannabis industries
Product innovation hotspots in craft brewing as indicated by trademarks
Local entrepreneurs and the transformation of the beer industry towards sustainability
Craft breweries at the US/Canadian cross border region
Neolocalism and Quebec craft breweries
Fostering craft brewing tourism in the Piedmont region of Italy
Tourism, authenticity, and craft beer in West Virginia
The growing craft beer culture in Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Craft beer and consumer preferences in Mar del Plata, Argentina
Beer labels and religious symbols in Quebec

Andrea Belmartino talks about craft beer in Mar del Plata, Argentina

As someone who would be considered a “senior” scholar, it was wonderful to hear these presentations by younger scholars. Craft beer research, like craft beer itself, is experiencing something of a boom. And those conducting the research come from a variety of academic backgrounds – Geography, Economics, Anthropology, Sociology, etc. This diversity of perspectives adds to the richness of the research and leads to insights that might not otherwise be possible. It was a great few days in L’Aquila. The next conference dedicated exclusively to beer will be the biennial Beeronomics Conference which will be held in Pilsen in the Czech Republic in June 2019. I am already looking forward to that.

Economic Development, Tourism

Beer Tourism

September 15, 2017 The Beer Professor 2 Comments

Last week I was in Manchester, VT. I had been invited there by Paul Connor, who is Director of Planning and Zoning for the City of South Burlington. Paul had organized a panel discussion at the Fall Conference of the Northern New England Chapter of the American Planning Association. The panel was titled “Brewing Up A Continue reading Beer Tourism →

Craft Breweries, Economic Development, Marketing, Ohio, Tourism

The Columbus Ale Trail

October 11, 2016 The Beer Professor Leave a comment

dscn2726 — Elevator Brewery & Draught Haus – one of the breweries on the Columbus Ale Trail

I was in Columbus, OH a few weeks ago. I was there for a couple of conferences – CEOs for Cities and Data Driven ’16. While my days were spent listening to presentations my evenings were free. My colleague Margie, who arrived in Columbus before me, picked up a small booklet titled
Columbus Ale Trail. It is a pocket-sized, passport-type, booklet that contains information on the twenty-eight breweries that comprise the Columbus Ale Trail. The basic idea is that as you visit an establishment on the trail you get a stamp verifying your visit. Visit four establishments and you receive a complimentary ale trail beer glass (shaker style); visit all twenty-eight and you get a complimentary pack of ale trail playing cards. While most of the breweries on the trail are located in the city of Columbus there are a few that are to be found in outlying communities such as Westerville Continue reading The Columbus Ale Trail →

Culture, Economic Development

Portland: City of Beer and Roses

November 23, 2015 The Beer Professor Leave a comment

I visited Portland, Oregon earlier this month. I was there attending yet another academic conference – this time the 62nd North American Meetings of the Regional Science Association International. And yes, I talked about beer at the conference – about the large regional craft Continue reading Portland: City of Beer and Roses →

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