The 2025 Craft Brewer’s Conference happened to be held in the town where I live, Indianapolis. This was very fortunate for me, someone fairly new to this whole “media” thing. Here’s what I got out of the experience.
Brewer’s Association Messaging
I was impressed with the Brewer’s Association sessions I attended and their messaging felt within reality of the current industry conditions. There was a lot of acknowledgement of the current declines, broken out into various segments. Unfortunately, the hardest-hit segment is breweries producing under 500 barrels a year. These are your local breweries that might have kegs on taps in the area, but probably don’t. My “conference buddies” happened to fall in that segment (Greig and Alex from Brewaucracy – interviewed in episode 348) and we spent a fair amount of time discussing those realities. The sessions did include strategies, especially around diversifying into the areas of growth such as “flavor experiences”. It was noted that the overall number of craft drinkers has grown while the overall amount of consumption has remained stable. Some of the guidance that was recommended was to show your potential customers you’re authentically local – be proud of that charity support, the farm you send your spent grains to, the community garden you’re hosting.
Other things that were called out that I thought were noteworthy:
- Fewer craft occasions. There aren’t as many bottle shares, group gatherings, or similar small events that led to some craft beer purchasing.
- We’ve seen some regional consolidation and footprint rationalization, expect more. We saw this recently with Cigar City’s production being moved out of their existing space. We’ll see it more with some of these brands that are part of a larger portfolio; we’ll see more brands become part of a portfolio (like we’re seeing with ROAK).
- We’re going to see more “flavor” options. Think seltzers, sours, etc that lead with what flavor you will get out of the drink.
I wrote down some strategies that were explicitly stated or (I thought) implied:
- Diversify for overall growth. This might mean making less beer and making more “beverage”. For example, craft cocktails.
- Lean into making your brand easily identifiable, especially if you’re on shelves. Continuously innovate your offerings but keep them recognizable.
- Balance investment into your taproom between improving efficiency and driving new traffic.
- Brewpubs that have specific food lanes are doing better than generic food. Think unique pizzas (The Mitten) more than “a burger joint”.
- Flavor is driving consumers, “IPA” is scary to new/curious consumers. Describe your offerings by the flavors within more than the technical aspect. “Pineapple and guava scents” versus “IPA with Elani”.
Overall I felt the State of the Industry session was a good reality check with some advice to brewers not to “weather the storm” but to embrace the current market and come out of this stronger.
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