Why Sour Beer And Women Will Help To Increase Sales Of Craft Breweries In 2019
We do not want to be pessimist, but craft beer sales growth seems to be slowing down.
According to Dave Infante in his article for the New York Times, “Thousands of craft beer brewers across the country have a problem: Sales are slowing, tastes are changing and stiff competition is coming from new directions. Wine and spirits have cut into market share. Cannabis deregulation looms.”
If you read the name of this post, maybe you are at the point of knowing where is it going to. Yes, sour beers and fruity beers are one important way to increase craft beer sales in order to get new markets. I’m pointing a new market those who currently don’t drink beer or do not feel integrated in that niche.
As New York Times points the words of J. Nikol Jackson-Beckham, ““If you are going to grow, you cannot simply sell beer to young white dudes with beards,” . She is a well known teacher and activist involved in craft brewing world trying to make it more inclusive. The article also says “There is plenty of room for craft beer to grow outside the demographic of white men ages 21 to 50. Just 31 percent of women say they drink craft beer “several times a year or more often,” compared with 49 percent of men, according to data from Nielsen-Harris on Demand”
Well guys, here is a signal of opportunity this time for sour beers and fruity beers. Brewing with fruits and fruit purees expand the range of the potential customers like women, where consumption is still low. New tastes made from fruits can be almost endless considering all the possibilities, from Mango or Strawberry to Exotic Soursop, Lulo or Curuba.
With the increase of taprooms around the cities (big or smaller) most people is being attracted to get to know this places, and if women find their -fruity almost Champaign- beer, they will come back with their dude who loves all IPAS at 8.5%.
The last number for you to have in mind, according to a 2015 survey by Harris Poll published by Nielsen “women are 75% more likely to preferSour Ale / American Wild Ale than men.”
It seems that many craft breweries are realizing this making batches using available fruits. However, once the size of the fruity batches grows, aseptic fruit purees are the easiest way to keep it natural at best cost and very easy to handle. They are also very safe due to the pasteurization and its aseptic bag package.
The possibilities for this 2019 are still endless for the great taste of craft fruity beers and most important, for diversity.