Craft Breweries Impact On Homebrewing

[ScrewyBrewer]

It seems there are rumblings in the craft beer world that sales of homebrew equipment and ingredients have peaked and leveled of in the past 6 months. I was talking with the owner of my LHBS yesterday, after stopping in to pick up the secondary Co2 regulator I had ordered. Apparently LD Carlson, and other homebrew suppliers, keep very detailed records on what they have or plan to ship to LHBSs nationwide. In the Northeast many brewers take the summer off from brewing because of the hot weather, or like me just they won't brew as often. But it seems their statistics show low growth in sales even with those weather trends factored in.

The conversation then turned to why, what would cause this slowdown to happen during the biggest craft beer boom in history. With the proliferation of new craft beer breweries, many of them started by home brewers turned pro brewers, maybe the homebrewer ranks have been thinned because of it. With so much craft beer available to people these days, maybe the need for them to brew their own beer just isn't as compelling anymore.

The Borg's thoughts on the current state of homebrewing in your part of the country are welcome. I'd like to know what you think, will it take increased marketing of homebrewing in general and of homebrew clubs to attract new homebrewers? Or will a large number of craft breweries, and the increasing availability of their beers further diminish the ranks of homebrewers?

[John Sand]

I'm not sure that proliferation of good beer has affected homebrewing. While many microbreweries are started by homebrewers, they still must represent only a tiny fraction of all of us. Here on LI, craft beer has been readily available for many years. I don't think that many brewed at home for lack of good beer, though that may be true in other parts of the country. I suspect that if the hobby is falling off, it's because that happens with any trend. Kayaking, mountain biking, jogging and probably quilting rise and decline, even though they are always present. Many hobbyists go from one thing to the next: motorcycles to ham radio. (Yes, I know I'm dating myself) I figure on sticking around, this is my only interest other than sailing/boating and cooking.
But if it is in decline, will more of those fancy pots and systems be for sale cheap?

[Jon]

But if it is in decline, will more of those fancy pots and systems be for sale cheap?

Asking the important question right here!

[ScrewyBrewer]

But if it is in decline, will more of those fancy pots and systems be for sale cheap?

Asking the important question right here!

Wow, great point made. Believe it or not those fancy equipment purchases and corresponding prices are considered by the major suppliers to be 'one time buys'. Another point is the crazy high prices for hops, a longtime pet peeve of mine too. Thank you both for picking up on this. It's one thing if LD Carlson is barely getting by on razor thin profits, but quite another if they're pricing themselves out of the market.

[John Sand]

I was thinking of used or existing stock sales, mostly used. And mostly kidding. Many of the craigslist or HBT ads I see for used equipment are unrealistic. They want to sell a complete set-up for 3/4 of the price new. If people get out of the hobby (I hope they don't, suppliers will suffer, prices may rise) then maybe used gear will be readily available cheap.

[Whamolagan]

Well I have been trying to sell my Brew Magic, and it seems everywhere I look they are for sale on the cheap. Being that I buy my grain in bulk, I am not at my LBHS as often so I don't really have a pulse on how their sales are. I have noticed when I am in there that there is hardly anyone in there. I do seem to meet more home brewers now than when I first started.

[ScrewyBrewer]

Honestly I still have trouble with this, it was not the same 3 years ago regarding the price of used 3 barrel brewing systems, they were dirt cheap at the time. Since then I have had conversations with brewery owners who continue to brew on their 3 barrel systems and are doing very well. Regarding homebrewer prices it will be interesting to see what happens to prices and availability of those expensive automated brewing systems a year from now. You have to feel bad for anyone that bought one of those automated systems, thinking that brewing beer was no more complicated than brewing a pot of coffee. Especially bad if said brewing wonder, after the first beer or two, has been tucked away in a closet ever since.

On the Brew Magic note, last month while in Naples FL., Brian Hahn, owner of Momentum Brewhouse, gave us a tour of his brewhouse and there it was, his original home brewer Brew Magic system; think Sam Calgione of Dogfish Head Brewery fame. Brian still uses his Brew Magic system to brew pilot sized batches of his latest beer styles. The brewery itself has a 10 barrel brewhouse and a row of several 2 barrel fementors, the smaller fermentor size enables Brian to craft many styles of beer by modifying the hopping rate, yeast selection and other aspects.

[FedoraDave]

You have to feel bad for anyone that bought one of those automated systems, thinking that brewing beer was no more complicated than brewing a pot of coffee. Especially bad if said brewing wonder, after the first beer or two, has been tucked away in a closet ever since.

This may be a factor, as John Sand also pointed out. Hobby trends come and go; they peak and decline, and I've no doubt there were many homebrew bandwagon-jumpers a few years ago. I can easily believe that a number of people decided to try this brewing beer thing and went out and bought a huge amount of equipment, made a batch or two, were disappointed that it took so long/didn't rival professional-quality beer/wasn't as fun as they thought, and then packed it up and put it next to the home gym equipment they spent a fortune on that didn't turn them into Mr. Universe after six weeks.

Many of us started slow, and eventually, at our own pace, worked up to the systems we have now. This is because we became serious about it, rather than starting out all gung-ho and losing interest.

As far as traffic in my LHBS, I only go there every other week, and it's usually right around the time they open on Saturday. Sometimes I'm the only one there, sometimes one or two other people show up while I'm having my order filled. It's usually different people, though, so make of that what you will. They also have an email sign-up book by the register, and it always seems to be on a new page with new names on it. My LHBS also hosts a homebrew club, so there must be enough interest to sustain it. I imagine this is true of many specialty stores. I service a number of stores in our mall, and it should come as no surprise that Old Navy has a lot more traffic at any given time than Teavana does.

[alb]

Many hobbyists go from one thing to the next: motorcycles to ham radio. (Yes, I know I'm dating myself)

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[swenocha]

I am certain that this is true. The more great craft beers in the market, both from local breweries and from improved distro, the less people have a need to brew. I know several people in this thought pattern. I have found my decreased brewing to be from work and family commitments, but I'm finding that my motivation to fit in brew days around all of this is definitely muted by having great breweries and beer stores nearby. Having said that, i still enjoy the creative and chemistry aspects, which will keep me engaged. And fortunately, i have a few friends bugging me to show them how to brew this summer, so i have ample reasons to get back in the swing. ..

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[FedoraDave]

I am certain that this is true. The more great craft beers in the market, both from local breweries and from improved distro, the less people have a need to brew. I know several people in this thought pattern. I have found my decreased brewing to be from work and family commitments, but I'm finding that my motivation to fit in brew days around all of this is definitely muted by having great breweries and beer stores nearby. Having said that, i still enjoy the creative and chemistry aspects, which will keep me engaged. And fortunately, i have a few friends bugging me to show them how to brew this summer, so i have ample reasons to get back in the swing. ..

It's true to an extent, and everyone's circumstances are different. But there are great restaurants nearby, and there are great auto repair shops nearby, and there are great electronics stores nearby, and there are still people who get a charge out of creating their own special meals, and tinkering with their cars, and messing around with computers and radios and such. The satisfaction one gets from engaging in these activities is in the entire process, from imagining the finished product, through the planning and process, and then enjoying the fruits of one's labors. It's why I spent six hours this morning in a steamy kitchen, sweat-soaked and stinking of boiled hops. Is it going to turn out as good as -- or better than -- a commercial craft beer? I don't know. But I do know that it'll be more satisfying when I tap that keg and know I created it, from the germ of an idea to the cold pint in my hand.

Maybe not everyone feels the way I do about this endeavor, but it's what keeps drawing me back every week.

[Gymrat]

The three professional brewers I know still home brew. I was drinking nothing but craft beer when I took up brewing. There is a lot of good stuff out there now but none of it taylor made to my taste. The hobby saw enormous growth. Sooner or later that growth had to slow down.

[John Sand]

Many hobbyists go from one thing to the next: motorcycles to ham radio. (Yes, I know I'm dating myself)

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[John Sand]

My two nearest LHBS have both closed. One I think closed because it was a one man shop. When that man started another career, the shop could not support paid employees. It is worth noting that in the same mini mall is a hot pepper sauce store. You don't get more specialized than that.

[mashani]

I went from ham radio to model rockets (big ones). Then brewing.

Brewing has stuck.

Craft beer hasn't changed that for me, I brew to my tastes, I like what I make - too much craft brew is too high in ABV for my liking to buy all the time, and my own "session ipas" I like better then any commercial kind more often then not, and honestly my eyes glaze over if I look at a beer shelf, there is too much stuff on it, it is too spendy, and I know that only a small % of it will really make me think "wow", so unless I see something I know is in that small %, or it's something that just catches my fancy (a sour or something funky when I'm in the mood) or it's got some funky hop I've never had before, I ignore it. I see fruit added IPAs now and I ignore those. I could do that myself if I wanted to. I like my unpasteurized unfiltered lower abv beer. It's food, not just booze.

And I brew lots of Belgians and Saisons of the table strength or single strength variety - which you can't really find readily in stores, most stuff here is of the "high test" variety. Which is fine, some of those beers are wonderful - but I like to drink them too much to drink those all the time. And if you can find such a thing they charge something stupid for it, and I can make mine - even if I do it with extract to save time - for sometimes as little as 30% of the price asked. And I can make really damn good Belgians with fresh pils extract that nobody would know is extract based unless I told them.

So in my case, honestly, craft breweries haven't impacted my home brewing. If anything I homebrew more now then ever.

Oh and if LD Carlson reads this, I'd buy more yeast from my LHBS if you sold Wyeast. But you don't. And since you control all my LHBS supply chains and since the White Labs yeast they get tends to already be pushing 3 months old more often then not for some reason, I don't buy much of my yeast from my LHBS, because Wyeast has some strains that I like better, and be it Wyeast or White Labs, I tend to get packages that are ~ a month from manufacture from places like MoreBeer, often next day from when I order - and it's cheaper. Oh and if any LHBS around here would sell bulk extract I'd buy that, but they just get your old canned crap. So I get that from places like MoreBeer too. So, if you want me to buy your stuff through a LHBS, then edumacate them about carrying and turning over fresh ingredients. All I tend to get from my closest LHBS are random packages of uncrushed specialty grains and if I happen upon a fresh vial/pouch of yeast of a variety I want, then maybe, but usually they are old and I don't want to deal with it.