Irish Craft Beer Consumer Group

BeerNut

noby wrote: »

I'd like to help, just not sure how.

Any ideas yet?

OldMrBrennan83

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L1011

Patww79 wrote: »

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That hasn't happened anywhere.

OldMrBrennan83

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munchkin_utd

Patww79 wrote: »

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Do I understand this right?

You are saying that there'd be a problem if craft beers displaced the likes of irish brewed Budweiser (or fake versions of other foreign brands) in pubs ?

And that the popularity of these brands, which is all they are as their prime attraction is their heavily advertised image rather than taste, is something to be cherished and protected?

Anyhow, when craft breweries persist in pushing overly hoppy and bitter brews, sold at a very high price point, craft beers will not take over the world.

OldMrBrennan83

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irish_goat

Patww79 wrote: »

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It's not about "brands", it's about "blands". :P

L1011

Patww79 wrote: »

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In countries that never turned over their entire estate of beers to foreign macro producers (and hence never had the equivalent Diageo/Heineken/former Scottish & Newcastle hegemony we had), it hasn't happened.

You will continue to be able to get poor quality near-frozen adjunct lagers for the forseeable future if you want; as well as lagers ranging from poor to good made by other breweries - domestic, foreign, micro, macro.

oblivious

Patww79 wrote: »

Of course it would be a problem because I, like a good few others, actually prefer to drink a Budweiser than the craft type stuff. I don't want either gone, I just hope the choice remains.

Just because the craft brigade see the 'brands' as tasteless, it doesn't automatically make it gospel that everyone doesn't like to drink them.

Its less the 5% of the market. There is a long long road till there is eveb parity with Bud and the other.

But a choice for all consumers, is what we should strive for

oblivious

noby wrote: »

I'd like to help, just not sure how.

More Seaweed Saison would be a start

OldMrBrennan83

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Saruman

Patww79 wrote: »

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The infamous brewer, Garrett Oliver said this a few years ago: "As long as one person in the world enjoys a specific beer, then that beer is a good beer"
Well, at least to that person or persons.

There's nothing wrong with macro beer, in fact it should be praised for consistency.
Craft versus macro is a little like comparing McDonalds or any other large fast food chain to an independently run fancy restaurant.
There's nothing wrong with the fast food, it's often delicious even. The ingredients are cheap, the food is cheap and it's made for the lowest common denominator but gives people the comfort of knowing no matter where they are in the world, the food they order will be the same as they are used to.

The small restaurant on the other hand uses expensive ingredients, has to charge more and you just hope you are happy with your purchase when it arrives.

Stop bashing the beer. Sure, bash the companies for shady business practices perhaps but the beer itself is fine. Millions drink it quite happily. I know what I will drink and will not, I don't need to evangelise to others and tell them they are going to hell for drinking that.
I'm happy to suggest people try something local or independent and leave them to discover the joys of a full flavoured, expensive to brew beer brewed by a small and independent brewery.


There's also plenty of stunning macro beer out there. Pilsner Urquell for instance is SabMiller these days and there are few micro brewed lagers that can come close.

L1011

Patww79 wrote: »

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I drink macro products all the time - I just feel that Budweiser specifically is an incredibly poor quality product. Its frozen, tasteless rice water trading off a stolen brand name.

If you like lager there are far, far, far better lagers out there from every class of brewery. It, however, as an adjunct lager is just terrible.

OldMrBrennan83

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L1011

Patww79 wrote: »

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Each to their own I guess

OldMrBrennan83

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noby

BeerNut wrote: »

Any ideas yet?

Can't rush these things. Ask me again in another eight years.

BeerNut

Patww79 wrote: »

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You are aware that this phenomenally rapid growth has brought craft beer from 0% to 1% of the market, right? There's a lot more rapid growth on the way, but it has not and will not have a negative effect on anyone's beer choice. Unless you can think of an example?

Saruman

It hasn't only increased choice in terms of craft beer, it has also increased choice among macro beer as they have responded with new products.

That's one of the reasons that craft beer was so fast growing in Ireland, the complete lack of choice. Every pub sold the same usual suspects whether a small local in Kerry or a superpub in Dublin, the same lack of choice existed.

How things have changed.

shmeee

Hello, not sure if this is the right place but I want some opinions on Craft Beers which should be stocked in an Off Licence?

Trying to expand the craft beer section and more room has become available.

What brands would ye recommend?

At the moment we have the likes have Bru, McGargle's, O'Hara's, Galway Bay and one or 2 more bits. We are underperforming in this market and I want to get it going again.

Again any product we stock would have to have a barcode on the bottle also.

Thanks for any help in advance.

Not G.R

shmeee wrote: »

Hello, not sure if this is the right place but I want some opinions on Craft Beers which should be stocked in an Off Licence?

Trying to expand the craft beer section and more room has become available.

What brands would ye recommend?

At the moment we have the likes have Bru, McGargle's, O'Hara's, Galway Bay and one or 2 more bits. We are underperforming in this market and I want to get it going again.

Again any product we stock would have to have a barcode on the bottle also.

Thanks for any help in advance.

8 degrees, Blacks of Kinsale, Trouble, Metalman, Porterhouse. McIvors, Tempted? And Stonewall for cider variety.

Also, where are you based? Give your local brewery a shout. I'm sure they'd love to have you stock their gear.

Would you consider growlers? Give yourself an edge over other craft beer stockists

BeerNut

shmeee wrote: »

What brands would ye recommend?

The ones that you and your staff enjoy drinking. You're not going to be able to promote beers convincingly unless you actually like them.

And the thing with the craft sector is that you have to actively promote and sell them: there are no billboards or TV ads doing that work for you.

shmeee

Not G.R wrote: »

8 degrees, Blacks of Kinsale, Trouble, Metalman, Porterhouse. McIvors, Tempted? And Stonewall for cider verity.

Also, where are you based? Give your local brewery a shout. I'm sure they'd love to have you stock their gear.

Would you consider growlers? Give yourself an edge over other craft beer stockists

Based in Munster and Whie Gypsy would be a local product but AFAIK their bottles don't have barcodes last time I checked a few weeks back and this is a problem. I will be in contact with them very soon to see if we can arrange anything.

I wouldn't get into Growlers as of now anyway to be honest. Try and build up the section first and see what the take up is.

Saruman

See if you can organise regular tasting days or evenings, once a month perhaps. You can build up a loyal customer base who will then buy the beers they are tasting if they like them. A small discount on the promoted beers that day. Exactly the same idea as supermarket samples. You can probably get the breweries to play ball and help you out with the samples, maybe even a meet the brewer night if it becomes popular enough.

Lovely Bloke

Brewers LOVE that, in my experience, and they will jump at the chance to do a promotion evening. You might even need to organise it via the distributer so they can line up a few promotion bottles and branding from the breweries, and also line up a number of weeks worth of different breweries to promote so you get a good run at it.

My wife does promotion evenings (Friday about 6-9 is optimal), and shifts pretty high relative amounts of the beer on promotion - almost everyone who comes in for craft beer and samples something will buy at least one bottle of that promoted beer - if not 4 for a tenner or whatever it is.

listermint

shmeee wrote: »

Based in Munster and Whie Gypsy would be a local product but AFAIK their bottles don't have barcodes last time I checked a few weeks back and this is a problem. I will be in contact with them very soon to see if we can arrange anything.

I wouldn't get into Growlers as of now anyway to be honest. Try and build up the section first and see what the take up is.

Surely a barcode is just a sticker though that part is easy.

shmeee

Thanks for the feedback lads. Appreciated.

I am involved in tastings with other products, fresh etc. and they work very well. Could be an idea, thanks again.

a_non_a_mouse

shmeee wrote: »

Based in Munster .

Good luck, great to see someone being proactive.
I love when an offie has a "local beer" stand if i'm not from the area I will always pickup something local.
Lots of breweries in Munsters to choose from, if they don't have barcodes on bottles now, let them know you can't stock them cos of it. I'm sure some of them would be interested in getting that sorted.

Check out..
http://www.beoir.org/index.php/craft-beer-directories

All of these Munster breweries do bottles/can's...
Mountain Man
Munster Brewery
8 degree's
9White Deer
Killarney Brewing
Dungarvan
Black of Kinsale
Franciscan Well
Metalman
Cotton Ball
Torc
West Kerry
RadikAle
Elbow Lane
Stonewall Cider

Lucena

Patww79 wrote: »

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In all honesty, what percentage of pubs in Ireland currently have even one craft tap? When I'm home in Offaly, my local village pub has exactly zero craft beers (tap or bottle) and from what I can tell, the vast majority of pubs in Tullamore wouldn't have any craft in either.

The chances of craft beer completely shutting out non-craft beer is extremely remote.

listermint

Lucena wrote: »

In all honesty, what percentage of pubs in Ireland currently have even one craft tap? When I'm home in Offaly, my local village pub has exactly zero craft beers (tap or bottle) and from what I can tell, the vast majority of pubs in Tullamore wouldn't have any craft in either.

The chances of craft beer completely shutting out non-craft beer is extremely remote.

Yeah but thats Offaly ....