Artisan Brews, now mainstream, rev up to score their share of seasonal sales, in common with other beverage alcohol segments.
Despite their reputation as a small, quirky alternative to the increasingly monolithic major players in the category, craft beers are now decidedly part of the mainstream, with some of them, strictly speaking, not really craft beers at all, or not any more.
Available figures back up the perception that craft beers are riding high among consumers. According to the Boulder, Colo.-based Brewers Association (BA, a trade organization representing small and independent American craft brewers, in 2014, for the first time ever, craft beers achieved double-digit — 11 percent — volume share of the marketplace.
“With the total beer market up only 0.5 percent in 2014, craft brewers are key in keeping the overall industry innovative and growing. This steady growth shows that craft brewing is part of a profound shift in American beer culture — a shift that will help craft brewers achieve their ambitious goal of 20 percent market share by 2020.”
Given this solid standing among U.S. beer drinkers, craft breweries and the retailers that sell their products are naturally focusing on products and promotions to roll out in time for the onset of warmer weather, a traditional time for downing ice-cold brews, and refreshing limited-time items offering seasonal flavors.
“We’ve found that the best way to support any craft beer is to get drinkers to try it at sampling events.”
– Article by Goldschmidt, Bridget, Progressive Grocer
