Beervana Blog Posts

Epilogue: Justice Department Approves CBA Sale

Now that Widmer and Redhook are dying brands in a large portfolio owned by a three-continent megabrewery, the connection to Portland fades into history.

The Business of BeerJeff AlworthSeptember 21, 2020 Comment

Terminology and the Average Beer Drinker

Using simple language is probably more important now than ever, because craft beer is mainstream. To compete with the seltzers, light beers, and Mexican lagers that appear next to them on shelves and menus, beers need to have clear descriptions. When they don’t, casual drinkers will reach for beverages they understand.

The Business of BeerJeff AlworthSeptember 17, 2020 Comments

Independence, Small Breweries, and Covid

People have been talking about “independence” in the beer industry for decades. A recent push by the Brewers Association to make this case seems to be gaining traction. One would therefore assume member breweries are happy. So why aren’t they?

The Business of BeerJeff AlworthSeptember 3, 2020 Comments

Anchor Flavors and Other Hoppy Trends

We have passed the period of most exaggerated experimentation and now seem to be fine-tuning IPAs rather than remaking them entirely. A few notes on the current state of affairs.

The Business of BeerJeff AlworthJuly 23, 2020 Comments

Breweries, Racial Justice, and Social Change

George Floyd was killed a month ago today. In the aftermath of his death, many companies are trying to figure out how to respond.

The Business of BeerJeff AlworthJune 25, 2020 Comment

The Rosenstadt Experiment: Launching Bottles During a Pandemic

“The decision was easy: get that beer into bottles as soon as possible and get it into the hands of our supporters who would hopefully like to enjoy it. If Rosenstadt had any chance of survival, this would have to be it.” (Tobias Hahn, Rosenstadt)

The Business of Beer, Coronavirus DiariesJeff AlworthApril 21, 2020

Oregon Beer Sales in 2019: Churn Continues Apace

The final numbers from the OLCC for 2019 are out. They show legacy breweries losing ground while newer breweries pick up the slack in an otherwise flat year.

The Business of BeerJeff AlworthMarch 12, 2020

Will Non-Alcoholic Beer Find an Audience?

For decades, the non-alcoholic beer segment has been tiny, anemic, and honestly, studded with sub-par products. As a consequence, it constitutes a rounding error in terms of total beer volume. New breweries like Athletic and Surreal are making craft-inspired non-alcoholic beer now, but will they find a market?

The Business of BeerJeff AlworthFebruary 18, 2020 Comments

Prioritizing Branding and Marketing

Branding and marketing—boring. Maybe so, but it’s also essential, and Brewers Association economist Bart Watson tells you why. Also, a helpful guide from a branding agency.

The Business of BeerJeff AlworthFebruary 13, 2020

Kout Out

A very sad announcement today that Czechia’s Pivovar Kout na Šumavě has closed. It was one of the most interesting breweries in the world.

The Business of BeerJeff AlworthJanuary 27, 2020 Comment

Tiny Chicago Brewery Purchases Brand Formerly Valued at $1 Billion

A two-year-old Chicago concern that touts “great craft beer and golf simulators,” today announced it had purchased Ballast Point. Named Kings and Convicts in honor of its Australian and English founders, the company has 334 Instagram followers. Upon hearing the news, every living being on the planet responded: “Who?”

The Business of BeerJeff AlworthDecember 3, 2019 Comments

"A Series of Fateful Decisions"

Decisions have consequences that may not be evident for years or even decades. Widmer started discussions with A-B in 1995 and the brewery wasn’t fully acquired for another quarter century. Here’s the story of one fateful decision.

American Stories, The Business of BeerJeff AlworthNovember 13, 2019 Comments

Portland Cidery Cider Riot Announces Closure

Six weeks ago, Portland cidermaker Abram Goldman Armstrong sent out a press release seeking investors for his cidery, Cider RIot! I am sad to report that he was unable to find any and has announced the closure of Cider RIot effective November 9th.

The Business of BeerJeff AlworthOctober 31, 2019 Comments

Portland Brewpub Stalwart, Lompoc Brewing, Closing After 23 Years

Lompoc Brewing, founded 23 years ago, becomes the fifth Portland brewery in recent months to announce it’s shutting down permanently. Is the end nigh, or is this the new normal?

The Business of BeerJeff AlworthOctober 24, 2019 Comments

Big Breweries Behaving Badly

In separate incidents this week, Founders and Lagunitas engaged in behavior that boggles the mind. And they’re the kind of things one can’t imagine them doing if they were still corner breweries in Grand Rapids and Petaluma.

The Business of BeerJeff AlworthOctober 24, 2019 Comments

The Word of the Week is "Legacy"

A lot of changes announced in the beer industry this week. Boulder Beer is scaling back, and Legacy Breweries—Ninkasi’s new parent company—has made its first two acquisitions in Porltand’s Laurelwood and Colorado’s Aspen breweries.

The Business of BeerJeff AlworthOctober 11, 2019 Comments

The Stories Breweries Tell

What causes us to like certain beers and certain breweries? What force guides our hand to one product at the store and not another? We think we are the masters of these choices, but something deeper is at play. In the second of a two-part series, I examine the role of breweries in this process.

The Business of BeerJeff AlworthAugust 2, 2019

The Dogfish Head-Boston Beer Merger

Yesterday, Dogfish Head and Boston Beer announced they were planning to merge. How will a legacy brewery with an old flagship, one increasingly focused on non-beer products, integrate with a company that has for two decades defined experimentation and reinvention for American beer? I guess we’re about to find out.

The Business of BeerJeff AlworthMay 10, 2019 Comment