Things have gone a little crazy for the "craft beer" movement in the UK over the past few weeks. First The Guardian are claiming that the writing is on the wall for the popularity of craft beers and then the BBC chipped in to the scaremongering with a report on how the hops beloved by trendy bearded hipster brewers worldwide are running short. Could the craft beer movement in the UK be heading towards the end? Well probably not for a little while yet, but I'm under no illusion that craft will be going strong forever. Craft beer is a bubble and it inevitably has to pop.
Allow me to do some naval gazing on the craft beer scene - in the UK at least anyway. I can't even being to guess what's going to happen in the US. I believe there are two reasons which will lead to craft beers decline. First is that craft isn't really spreading out to the regions, and secondly London is getting over saturated with new brewers that are offering a similar product, usually tremendously hopped IPA's or mega boozy stouts and porters. When I was in Birmingham there was plenty of exciting, well made beer but I didn't see anything from the craft "heavyweights" such as The Kernel or Beavertown. The craft movement is still very strongly London based, with perhaps small pockets of activity in places such as Manchester. The issue is what happens when the London hipsters move on to the next latest trend, and they will move on eventually. Sadly nothing lasts forever especially in the fast moving capital.
When the bubble finally pops not everybody is going to survive, for varying reasons. Some craft breweries will have enjoyed the ride and naturally call it a day. Others will fight to keep going but with the customer base becoming smaller they will have trouble making an impact on the marketplace. Some may get bought out. But others may do quite well - but they may not be considered "craft". My opinion is that to survive they will have to leave behind the craft ethos and become more commercially minded. Below are two examples of breweries that I think are prepared and a sure bet to survive the bubble bursting.
First up is BrewDog. Love them or loathe them, they are a big operation and were lucky to start at the beginning of the craft beer revolution. Their greatest asset is that they have their own bars, which are a valuable shop front for their beers and invaluable for spreading the word about their product and building a solid customer base.They even have their own off licenses now with BottleDog, a canny business decision. The crucial thing about BrewDog which will make them succeed is that thanks to their bars they have a presence nationwide, and not just in London. In fact they are even spreading abroad with openings in Tokyo and Finland. What BrewDog are doing is no different then a tied house such as Fullers or Sam Smiths - they just have a different image. If things did start to go pear shaped for them I think one of the big brewers will buy them out and keep the brand going. I can only see BrewDog going kaphut if the owners refused to sell on.
Another interesting thing about BrewDog is that I would consider them a "lifestyle choice" brand. I think a lot of punters choose to visit a BrewDog bar or have a BrewDog beer because it projects an image, the same way people drink particular brands of champagne or drive a certain brand of car. The whole "punk" attitude, anti-corporate stance and crowd funding is a very clever and effective way of getting a very loyal customer base. Luckily their beers are pretty good but even if they weren't I think BrewDog would still do well.
The second example of a brewery that I think will survive is Thornbridge. This may be a controversial choice as some may not seem them as craft. But I think that's a good thing. Thornbridge have done a fair bit to open the eyes and taste buds of the casual drinker to the world of more adventurous beer, mainly through the quietly groundbreaking Jaipur which is widely sold thanks to the Nicholson's chain. Not only is it a great beer but it's an excellent gateway beer to the world of big hopped ales that craft is famous for. I consider their beers to be craft as they are clearly dedicated, they're happy to brew practically any type of beer, and nearly all of them succeed. But it's also perfectly valid to consider them to be a regular brewery and that's why I think they'll survive the bubble bursting. They have the edge by being commercially minded, and have cleverly embraced both the craft and mainstream market. Their beers sit quite comfortably in both Waitrose and BottleDog. Camden Town and Oakham breweries are similar to this and I think they will also continue to do well.
BrewDog and Thornbridge are two breweries I can confidentially predict carrying on after the dust has settled, and it's testament to the exciting but volatile world of craft that I can't put a safe bet on any others. The breweries I worry about are the London based ones that aren't making much impact outside the capital, such as Beavertown or Siren and others in the "Bermondsey Mile." It may be that they don't care if they're short lived - they're just enjoying being part of a popular scene. But it would be a shame to lose some talented breweries and tasty beers. Ultimately I feel that to survive the craft bubble breweries have to leave behind some of the craft ethos and be more commercially minded. BrewDog have clocked this - will the others be able to do the same?
Sunday, 25 May 2014
Sunday, 18 May 2014
Gran Canaria
I've just come back from a relaxing all inclusive break in Gran Canaria. I never used to be a fan of all inclusive. The thought of being stuck at a hotel, desperately eating any and all food no matter how depressing it looks and tastes while washing it down with watery lager in an attempt to get the best "value" out of the holiday didn't appeal to me. I much prefer spending as much time out of the hotel as possible, exploring the local sights and gorging on tasty food and drink at the local restaurants. But now that I'm older, slower and have a mortgage, the thought of paying one price and just doing naff all for a week is getting more appealing. Luckily the food at the hotel was pretty good if a little mushy, probably to cater to the tremendous amount of old, saggy Germans and French who were staying there. I expected big body sizes from the Brits but I had no idea French people could let themselves go so much.
While the food was fine the beer wasn't so great. The only lager offering at the hotel was Amstel, which is never going to win an award for most tastiest beer, or indeed win any award at all, except perhaps "Most mediocre beer." In the hot weather it was bland but refreshing. On Eurovision night the opportunity arose to get some beers for the hotel room to help lubricate me up for a evenings entertainment enjoying the best music and political voting Europe (and Israel) has to offer.
Now obviously because I was not in London I wasn't expecting to buy crazily hopped IPA's or boozy stouts but it was sad that nearly all the supermarkets on the island offered the same three products: Heineken, San Miguel and Tropical. Tropical is the local brew, made by Compañía Cervecera de Canarias (CERCASA) in the Islands capital city. I thought it would be rude not to give it a go. Turns out CERCASA are owned by mega brewing conglomerate SABMiller and this was obvious from the taste of the beer. It had a little bit more going on than the Amstel, perhaps more crisper in the finish and a little more hoppy in the body. But overall it was still a standard lager and even though it was initially more exciting than Amstel towards the end of the can I was struggling to finish due to the sheer mediocrity of it.
While in the supermarket near the hotel, I spied an unusual red can nestled amongst the identikit lagers. All the other beers were 60 cents a can but this was one was marked at a whole euro! Perhaps a premium beer that would finally give a bit more nuance and flavour? I picked up the can labelled Koff Extra Brew IV and gave it a go. Well it wasn't mindblowing but it had more to it than the previous lagers I'd been suffering through. Brewed by Finnish brewery Sinebrychoff this was a darker, more malty beer and was pleasant to drink. I was probably drinking the equivalent of Finland's Carling but I enjoyed it and it made one of the more boring Eurovisions in recent memory pass by much more easily.
The holiday overall was pretty good, although the part of Gran Canaria I was in, Playa Del Ingles, is in much need of a little love and attention. Curiously the majority of the bars and restaurants in the area are located in shopping centres, the main ones being the Kasbah and the Yumbo. The Kasbah is like your bog standard sunny holiday strip of bars and clubs, except they are crammed together in a crumbling concrete structure. Me and The Lovely Jemma had a quick walk through and were not impressed. The Yumbo is better, and caters heavily to the gay scene, which gave it a more friendly and welcoming atmosphere. Only go for the bars though - the "shopping" is dismal, a seedy market atmosphere with hawkers desperately trying to get you to buy their shoddy wares, including wooden penises and squidgy fake boobs. I'd seen enough squidgy and frankly terrifying breasts courtesy of the elderly German hotel guests - I didn't want to take a memory of that home with me.
We spent a night at the Yumbo, sampling a few drinks at the bars and enjoying a couple of the drag shows there. Rickys Show Bar was probably the best, a non stop parade of burly drag queens miming along to classic show tunes and some entertaining audience interaction. It was a free show and to be honest if I had to pay I'd have been quite miffed, but for the low price of nothing it was a decent night out. Good strong mixed drinks as well.
In conclusion: go to Gran Canaria for the sunshine and cocktails, not for the beer. See you next week!
While the food was fine the beer wasn't so great. The only lager offering at the hotel was Amstel, which is never going to win an award for most tastiest beer, or indeed win any award at all, except perhaps "Most mediocre beer." In the hot weather it was bland but refreshing. On Eurovision night the opportunity arose to get some beers for the hotel room to help lubricate me up for a evenings entertainment enjoying the best music and political voting Europe (and Israel) has to offer.
Now obviously because I was not in London I wasn't expecting to buy crazily hopped IPA's or boozy stouts but it was sad that nearly all the supermarkets on the island offered the same three products: Heineken, San Miguel and Tropical. Tropical is the local brew, made by Compañía Cervecera de Canarias (CERCASA) in the Islands capital city. I thought it would be rude not to give it a go. Turns out CERCASA are owned by mega brewing conglomerate SABMiller and this was obvious from the taste of the beer. It had a little bit more going on than the Amstel, perhaps more crisper in the finish and a little more hoppy in the body. But overall it was still a standard lager and even though it was initially more exciting than Amstel towards the end of the can I was struggling to finish due to the sheer mediocrity of it.
While in the supermarket near the hotel, I spied an unusual red can nestled amongst the identikit lagers. All the other beers were 60 cents a can but this was one was marked at a whole euro! Perhaps a premium beer that would finally give a bit more nuance and flavour? I picked up the can labelled Koff Extra Brew IV and gave it a go. Well it wasn't mindblowing but it had more to it than the previous lagers I'd been suffering through. Brewed by Finnish brewery Sinebrychoff this was a darker, more malty beer and was pleasant to drink. I was probably drinking the equivalent of Finland's Carling but I enjoyed it and it made one of the more boring Eurovisions in recent memory pass by much more easily.
The holiday overall was pretty good, although the part of Gran Canaria I was in, Playa Del Ingles, is in much need of a little love and attention. Curiously the majority of the bars and restaurants in the area are located in shopping centres, the main ones being the Kasbah and the Yumbo. The Kasbah is like your bog standard sunny holiday strip of bars and clubs, except they are crammed together in a crumbling concrete structure. Me and The Lovely Jemma had a quick walk through and were not impressed. The Yumbo is better, and caters heavily to the gay scene, which gave it a more friendly and welcoming atmosphere. Only go for the bars though - the "shopping" is dismal, a seedy market atmosphere with hawkers desperately trying to get you to buy their shoddy wares, including wooden penises and squidgy fake boobs. I'd seen enough squidgy and frankly terrifying breasts courtesy of the elderly German hotel guests - I didn't want to take a memory of that home with me.
We spent a night at the Yumbo, sampling a few drinks at the bars and enjoying a couple of the drag shows there. Rickys Show Bar was probably the best, a non stop parade of burly drag queens miming along to classic show tunes and some entertaining audience interaction. It was a free show and to be honest if I had to pay I'd have been quite miffed, but for the low price of nothing it was a decent night out. Good strong mixed drinks as well.
In conclusion: go to Gran Canaria for the sunshine and cocktails, not for the beer. See you next week!
Wednesday, 7 May 2014
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