From breweries to drinkeries: A reflection of our times

From craft beer to alternative beverages | The food and drink scene in Portland, Maine, has been booming ever since Bon Appetit magazine named this small city of 67000 on the Atlantic coast, half-way between New York City and the Canadian border, the “2018 Restaurant City of the Year.” With its focus on fresh, local ingredients, only hours-old seafood and a constant influx of top-notch chefs, Portland has indeed become a foodie’s paradise. The city is also a beer mecca of long standing – with some 30 breweries in the area, headlined by famed, Belgian-oriented Allagash Brewing Company, plus dozens of beer-focused bars, such as Novare Res, a destination “bier café” with 33 taps and 400 different beers in bottles. And Portland isn’t done yet.

Tulips and beer

Dutch craft beer | What on earth have tulips got to do with beer? Very little it seems. Except perhaps for tulip shaped beer glasses. But there is one country in this world where tulips can serve as a metaphor for the phenomenal rise of craft breweries.

A new chapter | On 27th May 2021, the Grimbergen microbrewery opened its doors inside the famous Grimbergen Abbey near Brussels, Belgium. To celebrate, they have released three exciting new brews. It’s the first time in 200 years that beer has been brewed inside the walls of the abbey, with beer-making ceasing after the building was destroyed during the French Revolution.

Craft brewers fighting for their very survival

South Africa | Together with Mexico and India, South Africa was one of just a handful of countries that prohibited alcohol sales as part of their fight against the coronavirus. After three extended blanket bans since March 2020 which were meant to ease hospital workloads and encourage the public to stick to social distancing rules, independent craft brewers are on the brink of collapse while the country faces the “mother of economic hangovers”.

Kombucha is having a moment – but for how long?

Still trending | There is perhaps no other beverage on the market today that has captured the raw imagination of more health-conscious seekers of truth and gustatory adventures than the ancient brew of kombucha. This bacteria- and yeast-laden fermented tea, which reputedly emerged somewhere in Asia several centuries ago, has slowly been worming its way into contemporary culture.

Trends in the brewing industry

Where will we go from beer? | The world has turned upside down in many ways when it comes to brewing. In the conflict between hard seltzer and craft beer, between ever stronger beers on the one hand and non-alcoholic brews on the other, we have to ask ourselves which direction brewers could be heading in. This article outlines the current situation and takes a look into the future. It is based on a presentation made to the 36th Biennial Conference of the Asia-Pacific Section of the Institute of Brewing and Distilling (held virtually), February 2021.

Biannual publication | At the end of May, The Brewers of Europe released the first issue of BrewUp Magazine, its biannual publication that covers items of importance for the brewing sector at European and national levels. It is made of contributions by brewers, maltsters, hop growers, national brewing association leaders, technical advisors and policy directors and aims at informing their readers about the latest developments and upcoming trends in the European brewing industry.

Annual report | Krones, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of filling and packaging technology, published its 2020 Annual Report at the end of April. Titled “Focus on strengths”, the report highlights Krones’ medium and long-term growth opportunities.

A challenging year | At the beginning of April, The Brewers Association released annual production figures for the U.S. craft brewing industry. In 2020, small and independent brewers collectively produced 23.1 million barrels of beer and realized a 9 % decline, decreasing craft’s overall beer market share by volume to 12.3 %, down from 13.6 % the previous year (Volume by craft brewers represent total taxable production).

The power of the narrative

Making sense of the world | Narratives help us make sense of the world and ourselves. Take globalisation. It was presented to us as an inevitable process, forging global champions in its wake. In the brewing industry, the narrative of “biggest is best” was countered by the craft brewers’ own narrative, which was modelled on the biblical story of David and Goliath. These narratives have reached closure. Do we still need a compelling new narrative to maintain a conversation around beer?