Are Beer Geeks Gen Y's Answer To Wine Snobs?
In the spirit of Oktoberfest and this article on the growing number of Gen Y’ers experimenting with homebrews, I thought I’d discuss a related trend I’ve seen lately in my own backyard: the Gen Y beer geek.
I know, I know. To pair recent college grads with the trend of beer drinking seems a bit obvious. But hear me out. What I’ve been reading about on local blogs and increasingly noticing in my own Brooklyn neighborhood is less in the realm of beer pong and more along the lines of beer halls and microbrews. In these past few months alone, I’ve seen more and more beer gardens and bars that boast an extensive number of local beers on tap. You can bet the same can be said of most, if not all of WSJ’s other “youth-magnet cities.”
Why microbrews? Some of the reason stems from an anti-corporate mentality. This generation has consistently shown a preference for things that are organic, unique and locally grown; and a relative disdain for big brand products. Also, whereas restaurant wine lists have been known to cause anxiety among some Y’ers due to lack of knowledge, the world of local beers and the restaurants and bars that purvey them are generally accessible and youth-centric. Not to mention the significant price difference.
Of course, that’s not to say there isn’t a time and a place for cheap beer. But for this segment of urban Millennials, those choices are driven by similar motivations. As Ad Age pointed out a couple months back with the spike of popularity with Pabst Blue Ribbon, aka PBR: “Pabst executed a highly effective word-of-mouth campaign that made the long-declining brand an ‘ironic downscale chic’ choice for bike messengers and other younger drinkers who viewed the beer as a statement of non-mainstream taste.” Talk about brand loyalty. This love continued even after the price was raised as much as $1.50 this year.
The new generation of potential beer drinkers is the largest generation in U.S. history and their entrance into the prime beer drinking age bracket will undoubtedly have an impact, if it hasn’t already. [See more highlights from Beacon Assets Managers report on the generational growth of the beer industry here]
So what does this mean? For the small, unique breweries and bars, keep doing what you’re doing. For the wine industry and bigger beer brands, attempt to overcome the challenge of the demo’s aversion to snobbery and corporate culture. And for all of the above, there’s the added imperative to enforce a message about responsible drinking to this next wave of young consumers.
Chart found on Beacon Asset Managers
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