In my home of Chicagoland alone:

Hopewell Brewing announced Lil' Buddy, a lager aimed at the on-premise (bars) targeting those looking for a final-final or perhaps a shot & beer special. At $6 to $7 for a 4-pack in the off-premise, it's not exactly a deal when looking at dollars/ounce, but the total price is low enough where consumers don't bother with math and treat it as an add-on to their intended purchase. I enjoyed quite a few on paternity leave, where 8oz was about all I could muster on little sleep.

Saint Errant, one of Chicago's smallest operations, began using the same vessel for their high ABV, sweet stouts. This strategy is more along the lines of how I would have expected this format to be used, but I never saw it coming from an upstart brewery. Similar to Hopewell's, the Saint Errant stubbies also come in 4-packs. Thus far, we have seen four unique brands from them in the 8oz cans, all high gravity.

Penrose Brewing was the third brewery I saw doing this in a short time period. They went in the direction of Northeast-style IPAs and heavily fruited kettle sours, and put them in mix four-packs

4) Market-Only Releases

Breweries are catching a lot of flack from their local bar owners who are facing slumping sales and pointing to taprooms as a major culprit. In search of a partner, not a competitor, retailers are becoming more sensitive to the concept of supporting a brewery (through keg purchases) when that same brewery's taproom is stealing their regulars. With those drinkers looking for fresh, new, and local options, moving to an out-of-market draft list isn't likely going to turn things around for the bar and in fact, could make matters worse. Legislative changes in many states have further empowered the brewery's ability to sell direct-to-consumer, which is increasing the friction between the two tiers. With very few breweries experiencing growth in their draft business, some have begun using this friction as an opportunity re-establish a positive relationship with bar owners.



I've seen this done well, and I've seen it fall short. In all cases, the brewery wants to improve their relationship with the retailer. There's no doubt about that. But for me it comes down to what the brewery is giving up. The Law of Conservation of Beer says that sales cannot be created, nor destroyed (I made that up), so the gesture by the brewery will only be meaningful if they're truly make a sacrifice. Let's say the brewery splits a hazy IPA mash into two fermenters, dry-hopping each slightly differently, then sends one to the market with a fancy name marketed as not being poured in the Taproom. Then the other half of the brew stays in the Taproom under a different name. I have no problem with this happening necessarily, I think it's smart. But let's not go throwing yourself a parade for breaking down barriers and putting retailers first. This is a maneuver to make or keep an account excited. But now let's say you have a rare and special beer that's a big draw and could easily sell it all out of your taproom, but instead share it with your retailers. That's how you play the long game and make a real impact. Give something up.

5) Market Expansions Galore

I thought this would be the year that we start hearing a lot more about breweries pulling out of markets, versus launching new ones, but my newsfeeds tell me I was wrong. The big breweries are filling in their last remaining opportunities to go national. Regional breweries are looking to fill in the remaining states where their brand has a chance to resonate. Small breweries continue to launch craft centric markets where opportunities still remain. In a way, it makes sense that this push is still happening. Large distributors will still welcome in a strong behemoth like Founders and Bells with open arms. Small boutique distributorships need exciting brands to build out their portfolio, further their credibility, and add efficiency to their deliveries. The problem is that with growth heading toward flat, something's gotta give.