Whenever I gaze at the selection in a beer store, I often wonder what happened to all the UK ales people in the craft beer community used to cherish.  I’ve had a few assumptions, but I wanted to see if there were other factors at hand.  I reached out to some breweries, distributors and retail vendors to get their input.  Most confirmed that growth in the domestic US market has had a significant impact, but there were some other interesting points, as well as thoughts on the future market.

But first, it must be said that while the change in the US market has been an obvious factor, few of those that I reached out to gave recognition to the fact that the UK market has changed as well.  The overwhelming majority of beer drinkers in the UK now drink macro lagers like Stella Artois, Budweiser and Carlsberg.  Meanwhile, growth in the craft beer sector has been dominated by breweries mimicking trends in the US (which is funny since the craft beer movement in the US itself was largely inspired by the UK).  Traditional ales have become passé, despite efforts from folks like the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA).  If these ales are struggling at home, it’s certainly going to impact what they are exporting for others to consume.

Peter Scholey, from the UK’s Coniston Brewery, points to the 2008 financial crisis as a turning point in demand from the US for their product.  He notes that Coniston saw a 30% decline in exports to the US at that time.  The crisis didn’t put a significant dent in the number of US breweries, growth of which had been somewhat stagnant from 1998 to the time of the crisis, hovering around 1,500 breweries, according to the Brewers Association.  However, that number began to skyrocket shortly after the crisis.  As disposable incomes were increasing, consumers began to have many more choices than what was available before the crisis, and a new generation of craft beer enthusiasts entered the market.

Adding to this, Scholey also believes the prevalence of large brands such as Bass and Boddingtons, “badly brewed” in the US led to the “persistent notion….that British beer is poor flavourless rubbish.”  It is these larger brands that we continue to find today at English-style pubs here in the US.  Further, most craft beer bars rarely ever have UK ales available (of course there are some, and I must make a shout out to Spuyten Duyvil in Brooklyn that has been carrying Coniston, and many other great brands for years).

Theakston’s, brewers of classic ales like Old Peculiar, fell victim to mergers between importers.  This resulted in them no longer having a company bringing them into the United States, according to Mike Morris, their export manager.      

On the retail side of things, Bill Kuhn, Director of Operations for the beer emporium Half Time Beverage (with two locations in New York State), noted “we’ve had a hard time sourcing Irish, Scottish, and some English brands that were previously staples in both stores leading to a bit of a smaller selection…We’ve had to be much more conscious of our long term buying strategies to ensure we are putting in preorders to secure allocations when they do come to the market.”  Half Time is one of the few places in my region that carries several UK brands, and if they are having trouble getting their hand on these products, then widespread availability is not going to happen easily.

Some don’t seem to be making much of an effort to fight the trend.  Others are, and one method to bolster business is to ensure the quality of their product when it hits the market here in the US.  This means controlling and monitoring elements through the shipping process, as well as carefully selecting an importer.  Shelton Brothers, Coniston’s importer, tries to make sure kegs and bottles are filled as close to the shipping date as possible, pre-sell products that need to move fast, particularly casks, and ship “super hoppy” beers by air.  Coniston’s follows this up by periodically visiting locations in the US to ensure the quality meets their standards.

B. United International uses temperature-controlled tanks that were specifically made for them.  They are able track the product’s location and temperature from the time it leaves the brewery to when it arrives at their facility in the States.  They are both kegging and canning beer this way.  Larger brands such as Samuel Smiths and Wychwood (Marston’s) are also jumping on the canning bandwagon, though their products are canned in the UK.  Younger brands like Thornbridge are also beginning to can, but those haven’t made it to the US market yet.

Coniston has done some canning for domestic distribution, but does not believe cans would ship well, and also believes that US customers expect to see British ales in pint bottles.  Aside from believing that the quality of the canned product is “significantly inferior” to bottles.  Theakston’s also believes the market, at least in the UK, remains in bottles. There’s clearly a difference of opinion between those from the older generation making traditional ales, and newer breweries embracing the US trends and packaging.

I think the innovative methods being employed by B. United could have the ability to begin to sway some consumers toward UK imports.  With a guarantee on quality and freshness (they provide dates on the can), it gives consumers much more comfort in making purchases.  While B. United is only working with a handful of brands at this time (in several different countries), there is the potential for a great amount of growth using this model. 

Perhaps a new interest by some US brewers in traditional UK ales might spark growth as well (putting us in the cyclical motion of beer trends between the US and the UK).  Scholey believes that English style beer will be the next big thing in the US, adding that it is debatable if this will benefit Coniston’s.  Ultimately, he decides it will probably benefit them because US brewers “will be unable to resist the urge to spoil a good bitter by adding cucumber skins and something citrusy to make it bigger and less drinkable.”  That may very well happen, but there are already a number of US breweries making traditional UK ales, such as Bonn Place Brewing Company, Machine House Brewery and Yorkshire Square Brewery.

Regarding the cyclical nature of the industry, my own selfish concerns about the disappearance of British ales might be shortsighted.  Mike Morris at Theakston’s supports this by noting “we’ve been brewing ales in the UK for a few hundred years so we can wait for the fashion to change again!”  Fair enough.

(Many thanks to the kind folks at Coniston, Thornbridge, Theakston’s, B. United International, Shelton Brothers, and Half Time for taking the time to answer my questions.)

For the past couple of years, many people have been saying “this is the year for lager”.  I’m not sure if it happened, if it didn’t happen, or if it came and went.  Craft lager has slowly grown, and I suspect it will continue to do so in 2019. 

For the most part, the lagers we have seen have fallen into two categories.  There are old-school style brews made in a traditional manner, and new school ones have embraced modern American hop trends.  There has been little variation from those two, so maybe we will start to see a little more experimentation in 2019 (for better or worse). 

Industrial Arts made two of my favorite brews in 2018 that were both interesting lagers.  The first was Summer Landscape, a lager brewed with spelt.  The second was Ommekase, a Japanese rice lager brewed in collaboration with Brewery Ommegang.  Both were fantastic.  More experimentation with grains could be interesting.  While hazy lagers exist in the form of kellerbier, perhaps New England India Pale Lagers could blow up this year?  Brut Pils have already popped up.  Maybe we’ll see more of those.  What about pastry pils (again, for better or worse)? 

There are many lists out there for the best lagers to drink.  The following is a list great breweries to look out for this year that focus largely, some entirely, on lager.  Kudos to them for committing themselves to brewing something that is harder to nail, takes more time to produce, and is not as sexy as DDH DIPA’s and pastry stouts. Go out and show them some love this year.

Jack's Abby Craft Lagers – Jack’s Abby started making their new school lagers in 2011 in Framingham, Massachusetts.  Their crisp, hoppy lagers helped introduce a new generation of craft brew drinkers to lager.  Since opening, they have expanded, and now make more traditional lagers as well.  The brewery is 100% committed to lagers, but did create an offshoot called Springdale in 2016, which is making, ales, barrel-aged and other experimental brews.  But the barrel aging isn’t limited to Springdale, as Jack’s Abby is also barrel aging lagers.  Not missing the rise in popularity of kellerbier, there’s also a whole line of releases dedicated to this style.  Jack’s Abby continues to grow, and is expanding their footprint in Massachusetts, with a new taproom coming in 2019 to downtown Boston.

Source: notchbrewing.com

Notch Brewing –In Salem, Massachusetts, Notch focuses on sessionable beers, with lager, pale ale, wheat ale, bitter all under 5.0% abv.   Within Notch’s lager portfolio, there are several Czech-style brews, and to show their commitment to doing this properly, they have installed a proper Czech-style side-pull tap system in their taproom. Dabbling in stronger, voll bier, they have created the Voll Projekt, a side-project creating beers with some higher abv.   It’s worthwhile to mention that they have a mobile beer garden which appeared at several public events in 2018, and can be hired for private events in Massachusetts.  I’m trying to see if I can get them to come to New York.

Von Trapp Brewing – I kind of dismissed von Trapp before trying their beers, and that was a big mistake on my part.  Von Trapp, neighbors to the Alchemist and Lawson’s, is an all-lager operation making some fantastic brews.  For the most part, they are on the traditional side, but they have a few beers that are more in line with modern American hop trends.  They opened a new facility in 2015, making 36,000 barrels per year, so they have been able to expand their footprint in the Northeast.  They also just announced a redesign for their packing of canned beers, and it appears will be canning more of their core brands, currently available by bottle only.  I suspect there will be a lot of these being crushed with brats at backyard barbeques this year.

Dovetail Brewery – According to the Brewer’s Association, Chicago now has more breweries than any other US city, and Dovetail has been making some of the city’s best lagers since 2016.  I was fortunate enough to visit last year.  They primarily make German lagers, but dabble in other “continental” styles (gueuze, grodziskie, spelt bruin among others).  Dovetail began canning late in 2018, and hopefully those cans will help spread the lager love in 2019.

Urban Chestnut Brewing Company – An old-school brewery that has embraced the pounder can.  The brewery’s co-owner and brewmaster, Florian Kuplent, is from Germany, got his start professionally brewing in Germany, and then went on to brew at several other locales around the globe, including several years for Anheuser-Busch.  He stuck around in St. Louis to open Urban Chestnut in 2011, and returned to his homeland to open Urban Chestnut Hallertau in 2015.  All their brews are fantastic, but the zwickel really stands out.

Austin Beer Garden Brewing Company. Source: https://www.instagram.com/theabgb/

Austin Beer Garden Brewery - The Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co. (or, if it’s easier, the ABGB) started making beer in 2013.  In addition to the brewery, ABGB’s facility also includes a music venue and dining.   Their community-minded “Hell Yes Project” donates 5% of their profits to their partners that help improve their community, and the people in it.  For three years in a row, they have brought home the brewpub of the year award from the Great American Beer Festival.

Occidental Brewing Co. – Portland, Oregon is becoming a hotbed for lager beer, and Occidental has been cranking out delicious ones since 2011.  In 2018, they expanded their footprint, opening a new facility in Nevada.   Portland once held the title for most breweries in America.  While that title may now have gone to Chicago, breweries like Occidental are helping to create diversity in the Beervana brewing scene that helps keep it one of the best beer cities in the country.

Zoiglhaus Brewing Company – Portland, a community-minded city, has a brewery that has embraced the nearly extinct, community-minded brewing tradition of the Zoiglhaus from northeast Bavaria.  While they do have a couple of ales, the lagers are where it’s at. 

Wayfinder Beer – While not shying away from the NEIPA haze craze, Wayfinder’s real passion is for lager (and they also have the Czech-style side pull taps).  The Portland brewery’s three-way collaboration with Heater Allen and Modern Times called “Terrifico”, made Bloomberg’s 2018 11 best beers of the year list.  Not bad for a brewery that just opened in 2017.

Heater Allen Brewing – Located southwest of Portland, Heater Allen is making highly-regarded lagers.  While the focus is German and Czech style lagers, they do make a couple ales.  But these are not the “we made an IPA for your hophead friend for when you visit the brewery” kind of ales.  They stick with the German tradition, making an altbier, kolsch, and a hefeweizen. 

In addition to these American breweries, I’m excited to get more of the German brews being canned in Connecticut by B. United International.  While primarily an importer, B. United also has an affiliated brewery, and now cans beer for several overseas breweries through its Tank Container Project.  These include Schlenkerla’s helles, and St. Georgenbraeu’s kellerbier.  When you get your hands on these brews, which include a canned on date, you know you are getting a quality product.

Finally, Bamberg, Germany’s Mahr’s Brau gave their packaging a redesign last year, and it looks great.  They are also canning now, with dates on the packaging, which is also fantastic.  They have evolved their brand to meet modern tastes, but the liquid inside remains fantastic, traditional beer, which they have been brewing since 1670.

Prost!

Leaving a popular brewery to make unpopular beer

Dan and Taylor Suarez opened Suarez Family Brewery in 2016, in bucolic Columbia County, New York.  At the time, an outsider might have seen this as an odd location, but the landscape is strikingly similar to northern Vermont, where Dan spent several years working for Hill Farmstead Brewery, as well the locations of many breweries that have given him inspiration in rural Belgium and Germany.   However, regarding the beer, Suarez Family Brewery was set in a totally different landscape from his prior employer.

Suarez made it known before opening that they would be making simple everyday ales and lagers, and country ales.  Without saying it, they were also saying they were not going to be brewing big IPA’s like those that Hill Farmstead is so well known for.  This piqued my interest since it scratches where I itch (in addition to the fact that my cousins have an orchard just a few minutes from the brewery), many others were interested too. 

Was this a sign that the tide is turning against the popularity of big, bold brews versus humble beer?  Probably not.  As Taylor Suarez notes “the hazy NE IPA is a craze for a reason – they are an easier style to nail”, and bold brews can often hide flaws.  Pilsners, lagers, bitters, and other humble beers require great skill to do well, and have little to hide behind.  While there has been some recent attention given to pilsner, she does not see it as an enduring trend unless there are enough people doing it well.  Gradually though, there do seem to be more and more breweries that are being bold enough to make what they are most passionate about, despite current trends in the market. 

Around the same time Suarez Family Brewery opened, Mark Fulton, Director of Brewery Operations at Maine Beer Company, decided to return to where he grew up in Charlottesville, Virginia.  After working for years making highly sought after IPA’s, Fulton decided he wanted to switch gears a little and return to making the styles he was most passionate about.  Fulton opened Reason Beer with a couple of childhood friends, and a visit to their website, for me, is a nice throwback to an earlier era when a brewery simply named a beer based on its style, albeit, with a modern aesthetic. This is the story for their core beers.  Rotating beers are more in line with recent trends, aka, the brews we make to stay in business.   

Source: reasonbeer.com

While Fulton wanted to break away from the IPA heavy lineup Maine was making, he found Maine’s notable bottle style was just the right fit for his sessionable brews.  The volume is spot on (and the beers are delicious), but the vessel, for sale by the individual bottle, seems in contrast to the notion of sessionable beer being one that can be enjoyed by having several at a time.  Reason has recently released a couple IPA’s in 16oz. cans, and it would be fantastic if some of their core beers could make it into the same format.    

Over in St. Louis, the highly anticipated Rockwell Beer Co just opened.  Rockwell co-owner Andy Hille, previously of Perennial Artisan Ales, opened the brewery, in part, to focus on classic styles (see feastmagazine.com).  This is somewhat in contrast to Perennial, which tends to avoid classic styles, and is quite popular for its big stouts and experimental Belgian style ales. While it just opened, given the anticipation for the brewery, and the experience of the brewers, it is likely that Rockwell will find success.

Diamondback Brewing Company in Baltimore has taken a different path to brewing humble beer.  Started in 2014 brewing by contract, opening a brick and mortar in 2016, Diamondback quickly gained popularity, catering to the market for big IPA’s.  However, a 2017 post on their website speaks of a visit to Suarez and other northeastern breweries as life changing and inspirational. While I don’t think you will see IPA’s off their menu anytime soon, a recent Good Beer Hunting podcast episode indicates a strong desire to focus on creating everyday beer moving forward.

Relying on Dedicated Staff

For Suarez, Taylor notes their small staff has been “critical” to their success, adding “the main parameter for growth is 'we'll only grow as much as we can while keeping the same number of staff'... Mostly we're just trying to ensure that everyone here (including us) has a good life / lifestyle - working hard doing something that they find interesting (but not taking it too seriously), having some fun doing it, and getting enough time off to explore and rejuvenate.”  This model may work better in retaining employees in a profession where brewers rarely make it past two years at any particular place of employment.  It is also in opposition to some of the “it” breweries that have had explosive growth, and is certainly interesting to think about juxtaposed with the recent stir caused by Trillium Brewing Company and the wages, and wage cuts, they have offered their staff (see vinepair.com for more).

Despite the facade of brewing being a glamorous job, it is manufacturing work that offers low pay (for more on that, check out Jeff Alworth’s Beervana Blog).  As a result, the opportunity to work at another brewery for just a few dollars more can certainly be an incentive to leave.   This is concerning for some brewery owners as the market is competitive.  They may feel possessive of recipes and techniques, and some require staff to sign a non-compete clause.  This results in low-paid brewers having to pay for a lawyer just to get and/or leave a job.

The title of this post is made in jest, but depending on the terms of a non-compete, a brewer could move to the other side of town, brew a completely different style of beer, and still be sued.  This was the case for Alan Sprints in 1993 when he was sued by Widmer Brothers Brewing after he had signed a non-compete, later leaving to start Hair of the Dog in Portland, Oregon.  In that case, Widmer backed off, but the company was dealt a huge blow by angered consumers who rightly saw the move as aggressive and out of line.   The incident was recently discussed on Jeff Alworth’s Beervana Blog site in light of a lawsuit filed by Toppling Goliath against a former brewer (that case has now been dismissed, with both parties reaching a confidential agreement (check out the Iowa Beer Blog for more).  It seems clear customers don’t like to see breweries taking these types of actions against employees, but in a Good Beer Hunting post at the time the story broke, Bryan Roth noted “it's probably only a matter of time before the kind of lawsuits that Toppling Goliath is pursuing become more common.”

What about talented brewers starting a venture that don’t have to worry about non-competes, but also don’t have the luxury of pointing to past experience at “it” breweries to get noticed? Is the reception of their product different? Do they get rated differently on sites like Untappd and Beeradvocate? They likely face more of a struggle, but perhaps the success of Suarez, Reason and others provide hope for those starting out, looking to make humble beer.