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Health & Fitness

Has Craft Beer Seen Its Day?

Craft beer has been on the rise the past couple years in the US. It’s no longer cool to drink “Bud heavies” as evidenced by a recent study about beers declining or now extinct. But a recent study about craft beer shows that the steady incline of craft beer sales in the US might be coming to a stand still.

Sales have been decreasing as much as 6 percent per quarter this year as reported by Restaurant Sciences, LLC. Of the 1,ooo+ craft beer families, that represent more than 5,000 brands, the organization interviewed over half the results were similar across the board. The total decline in 2013 was 19% (preliminary.) The biggest decline was reported at family dining restaurants, though casual restaurants and tablecloth restaurants also reported a decline. Overall, 70% of the total decline was on draft… this does, perhaps, make sense, as many patrons reaching for a draft are looking for familiar pours where as bottles (and now cans!) are more widely accepted for craft options.

Other thoughts are that the price of craft beer has risen whilst the sales have gone down – not a bad thought. Another issue could be saturation of the market… with more and more brands to understand, the average consumer may feel overwhelmed leading them to reach to the familiar.

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But, this doesn’t mean it’s the end of the craft beer movement. Just as with wine, consumers are becoming more educated about their choice of beer and many have even begun to take specified courses such as Cicerone which will help make some sense of it all.

 

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