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HAUS said:
fat checks.

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Having been involved in two microbreweries and three brewpubs, all I can say is .......

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http://www.brewersassociation.org/pages/community/ba-blog/show?title=u-s-brewery-count-passes-1700

U.S. Brewery Count Passes 1700
The count is at 1,701 operating breweries in the U.S. There are 9 percent more breweries in the U.S. than a year ago. As I blow the dust off the historical records, it appears that there were 1,751 breweries in 1900 and 1,498 in 1910. So we have more breweries than we have since around 1905. My resource for these data points is The Register of United States Breweries 1876-1976 (compilers Friedrich and Bull). There certainly are a lot more diverse brewing styles being offered today, particularly by craft brewers, and I'm betting quality is far greater now than then.

At the end of March during the general session of the Craft Brewers Conference, I will present the number of breweries that operated for some or all of 2010, which will be a higher number than the current count, as it will include breweries that closed in 2010. Another interesting number will be the breweries opening count.

Paul Gatza

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Overall beer market down for third year in a row

While the craft beer industry has been, well, hopping along quite well thank you, the overall beer market has been, excuse the pun again; in the tank.

Last year marked the third consecutive year of diminishing growth rates in the beer industry, dropping 2.1 percent. According to the Beverage Information Group's recently released 2010 Beer Handbook, the beer industry's downturn can be directly attributed to the decline in the light beer segment. Light beer, which accounts for a 52.8 percent share of the U.S. beer market, posted its first negative year since its beginning 30 years ago.

Other segments of the beer industry differed in their 2009 results. Imports declined 6.9 percent, while the craft beer segment increased 7 percent.

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HAUS said:
so when were you involved with these 2 micros and 3 brew pubs?

I am aware of your connections with Bj's, and the outfit that was in a garage in springtown, but where were the others and at what time?

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What - I gotta give you references? Are you collecting names of breweries that no longer exist? I'm not applying for a job, you know.

If you don't want to believe me, then don't. Fact remains, brewing beer is a tough way to make a living and the business failure rate is very high.

I never had anything to do with BJ's. That's where John Oliver, our former general manager, works.

Everything I did with brewing was between 1984 and November, 1999 when we sold our homebrew supply business. So OK, maybe it's got easier to make a buck making beer since then. Friends who are still in the business tell me it's even tougher now, though.

OK, the country has 1700 breweries now, just like a hundred years ago. At the start of the 20th century, though, all those little breweries had a big market share in their own local regions and they were all selling a fair amount of beer. Now, 4 or 5 giant corporations have 90% of the national beer market, and the other 1695 brewers are competing for the other 10%. Quite a difference.

I've never owned any part of a commercial brewing operation, though people have certainly tried to sell me some. My involvement was in helping friends who bit on the hooks I wouldn't bite - finding equipment and ingredients, and helping out by putting on rubber boots and shoveling piles of malted barley, running filtration equipment, stuff like that. In the course of that I got pretty familiar with the financial end of brewing - watching those businesses go broke and trying to keep it from happening.

Hey, maybe it's my "help" that made 'em all go t!ts up. It sounds like you've got plans in the wonderful world of commercial brewing. If you do it, better stay away from me - I'm a curse.

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Paul Dallas said:
Bottling and packaging your stuff for mass retail is a whole nother can of worms. Cost to ante up is for multi-multi-millionaires and even that doesn't guarantee success. Got have a good product, make it consistently well, and deal with fickle customer tastes and try to differentiate among a sea of other competitors.

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AND, you've got to convince a Coors, Bud, or Miller distributor to distribute your beer - and that ain't easy.

They're going to want you to show a certain (very large) volume of sales, and how can you develop volume without getting your beer distributed first? Then - the distributor and the stores have "planograms" of the beer displays, with every inch taken and careful consideration given to what brand goes next to what. Does your brew "compete" with an existing one? Uh-oh, not interested.

If you can pass those hurdles, the retailers and the distributors are gonna demand more profit than what the brewer makes - it's real easy to brew for nothing or at a loss.

I haven't even got into the alcohol tax structure yet - in which the ABC man often has keys to padlocks that lock the brewmaster out of his own fermenters. You want to see how your brew is doing and test it? Wait until Thursday when the tax guy is supposed to come by.

I know of one deal where a brewpub changed ownership, and the brewmaster (who continued working for the new owner) had 15 barrels of real good pale ale in holding tanks. The guv'ment made him pour it out, 'cause the new owner couldn't sell beer that had been made (and taxed) under the old owner's license. THEN the city slapped the new owner with a big fine for putting the brew down the sewer system. The delights are endless.

Just sayin'.

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AND, you've got to convince a Coors, Bud, or Miller distributor to distribute your beer - and that ain't easy.

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There are ways around this even in a 3 tier state like MO. I don't feel like typing a book this morning, but it involves wine and like Ozark said, it ain't easy, but it's easier than convincing one of the big 3 to haul yer product for you

Sorry to get this off track. I'll talk to Sam offline in the future or in person that way if I aggravate him, he can throw a lure or something at me...


I've got a 6pk of New Belgium 1554
Latitude IPA
Schlafly APA
1 bottle of Left Hand Smoked Porter
2 kegs of homebrewed foo-foo beer in a Honey Blonde and Pumpkin Ale
And 2 kegs of homebrewed man beer... Milk Stout and Smoked Porter.

Cheers m fers....



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Never kick a fresh turd on a hot day..

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HAUS said:
Mother's Brewing is trying to open near the end of April. They are a production brewery located at 210 S Grant, I believe. I hope they can put out some great brew. This area needs more of it locally.

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Yes it does. I'm not sure what you mean by production brewery.

Is it gonna be a brewpub with beer on premises only, or are they (hopefully) gonna can/bottle something? When it comes to local bottled beers, I can't get excited about anything Mueller is putting out.

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Paul Dallas said:
Had the Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale last night. Loved every drop. Best new beer I've had in a long time. Pours an evil black, and big hops hit hard, not much malt body in the center, instead is a warm dome of alcohol cloaked in roasted malt that carries all the hops and never hides them, just smoothes their edges out to keep the choir all singing in unison.

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Once again , I find myself strangely aroused...

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God Bless our Troops!

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