The Craft Beers Boom

Big beer brands like Budweiser and Coors have struggled with stagnant sales, craft beer have grown increasingly popular, with new breweries opening up at the pace of one a day last year. There are about 2.600 craft breweries in the USA. The enormity of this figure alone will give VintoVino™ the opportunity to expand and open also a “VintoBeers” first in the USA and not let’s say China and again proofs that the USA is still by far the largest alcoholic beverage market in the present world.

Volume of sales of craft beers grew 11 percent in 2011 and 14 percent in 2012, reaching almost 13 million barrels. These figures are from Technomic a market research firm. They expect a similar growth this year, and puts craft beer’s share of the overall beer market at 6.3 (!!!) percent. The craft boom today differed from the micro brewing craze of the early 1990’s, which fizzled out except for a handful of breweries like the

Boston Brewing Company, maker of Samual Adams, and the Brooklyn Brewery. According to Donna Hood Crecca, director at Technomic, timing is better for a craft beer boom giving the changing demographics of the United States and the rise of pure number of the age group between 18 and 34. The consumer palate has evolved and is more interested in flavor nuances and complexities to be found in craft beers, furthermore there is an overall interest in local and handcrafted food and drink products with an interesting or unique back story and sense authenticity.


Consumption of craft beers is also growing fast among Hispanic consumers, whose palates favor the kind of spice and fruit flavors that are hallmarks of craft beer. Women who have long preferred wine to beer, also have jumped on the bandwagon, forming groups with names like Crafty Ladies in Denver and Barley’s Angels. No longer does light American lager satisfy every beer lover, light beer sales are down and the majority of the top-10 brands are losing market shares.

American craft brewers are more creative than the European brewers. the Europeans do not want these changes although the Belgian Brewer Moortgat, known from his craft beer Duvel,  created around 3 years ago a fruit beer made from strawberries, raspberries and elderberries. It was suggested to serve it over ice but the Belgians worried that the whole beer industry would be shouting that you cannot put ice cubes in beer. 

However to their surprise Leifman’s Fruit Beer over ice turned out to be hit in Europe, and what about Coconut Banana Cream Pie Ale? 

I learned that some efforts have been made to brew a coconut banana cream pie beer after the brewer saw a recipe for a coconut banana cream pie on a local food show, apparently is was a success even for people who normally don not like desserts….that’s what I would call American creativity!!

Koen Van Lysebetten