The craft beer industry has changed significantly since Sam Calagione founded Dogfish Head Brewery in Delaware in 1995.
“In the era when Dogfish was born, they would forgive you because you were a local option.
Delawareans were drinking Dogfish not because they wanted the hoppiest beer made with continual hopping…, but because they wanted to support a local company.
Now every community has more than one local option. If you are not brewing consistent quality beer, you are not going to make it.” – Sam Calagione // Dogfish Head Brewery
The days of the first-mover advantage in craft beer in most communities around the country are now long gone.
If you’re going to be successful in today’s market, you’ve got to make great beers that are consistently great every time.
As consumers develop more discerning palates, mistakes become more evident. And with another beer option around every corner, craft beer drinkers are not as forgiving.
The growth in craft beer’s popularity has encouraged many people to jump into the industry and onto the bandwagon – here in London, there are over 80 breweries within the city’s limits.
Are all 80 of those breweries worth writing home about? Sadly, no. Maybe it’s that their recipes simply aren’t that exciting. Or that they have a great concept but aren’t executing it well.
In a crowded market, brewers often push their beers or their branding to the extremes to get noticed.
Getting noticed is one thing, sticking around is another.
There are numerous factors that lead to a brewery’s success – consistent quality beer is a great place to start.
Quote source: Steve Hindy // The Craft Beer Revolution
Watson's Corner 