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.

1. 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!

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 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.

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.

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.

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!