How to increase the popularity of realales (beers)

[Alelover]

Just wondered what the opinions were on this subject. At the moment I feel that the real brewers of NZ are making some headway into the market, but I dont think the big boys are quaking in their boots. So what can change this? Price;availability;education;marketing? What can change the typical drinkers attitude;turn them away from the tasteless foam they so willingly swill?

[Ged]

I think all of the above and whole lot more. I still see a whole underlying cultural issue of older drinkers sticking to the Lion Reds, Crates etc, the middle aged drinkers floating in and out of Heineys, Montheiths, Macs etc and the younger generation drinking brands.

Looking at your points I can see Price and Education being very dominant factors. Standing in New World halswell last week which undoubtedly has CChurch's larger selection of ales trying to make my mind up I watched bloke after bloke have a cursory glance, pick up a bottle etc then seeing the price stick it back on the shelves and find the box of 12 monteiths for the price of 3 real beers. Education is a tough one as we all drink beer for different reasons. So many people view beer as cold, fizzy and gets you pissed. Its even better when its the latest and greatest brand. 4 months ago I fitted this category - as did my brother...Now we spend a small mortgage on better quality ales etc but thats only because I got into AG brewing and wanted to emulate the various beers out there. Even to some mates who are into brewing from kits, I had a wheat beer the other day and a banana smell was running out of it. I handed it over enthusiastically and said " what do you smell"
.His response was " I smell beer "

Luckily the microbrewery industry in NZ currently appears trendy/innovative to the mainstream public unlike the UK model which up until around 8 years ago was seen as fat bearded blokes in yorkshire drinking muddy coloured ale. I 'generalise' somewhat but the comparisons are very different from personal experience...Maybe its due to me drinking with dodgy sailors in shadowy pubs down the docks in Edinburgh and Glasgae. Thinking back I used to visit a trendy pub that bought in microbrewery beer - one pint was called Golden Promise - but had no clue about it then...

For the general population or at least part of it to make the swap, brewers, retailers, point of purchase promos, price and a whole lot more would need to advance from where it is just now - IMHO...

[Greig McGill]

Education and constant exposure. The rest will follow. Join SOBA (if you haven't already, can't tell from the nickname!). We're trying to achieve that. The uptake on the newsletter has been amazing, and it's just the beginning.

[nzbrewer]

Price - most people are looking for the best price. The huge number of guys I have meet while doing tastings in supermarkets that say they buy one of the three main premium lagers in green bottle, what ever is on special. They don't care about taste it is about price. You can make it cold when you get home, and its wet and fizzy, AMEN.

Education - most people aren't drinking for flavour, aroma, taste, anything sensory, except temperature. Largest complaint I get from doing tastings is, it would taste better if it was colder. I generally taste out Epic Pale Ale at 8 - 10 C so people get to really taste it.

Distribution - getting craft beer into bars, cafes and restaurants in this country is near impossible.
1. the big brewers have the outlets tie to contracts
2. the publicans / owners are scared of taking a risk because the beer might not sell (don't know if it isn't available to sell)
3. public if it isn't available they aren't going to try it or ask for it, because they don't know its there.

Craft beer collectively makes up 2.5% ( or 8 million litres ) for 50 small breweries. At a guess that is what Mac's and Monteith's are producing each, or more.

Distribution is the number on problem. If its not available then people can't buy it to try it.

[Ian]

I reckon Alelover and the ensuing replies have said is all really. But one needs to remember that part of it depends upon where you live. In Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington etc. there is, generally speaking, more disposable income about and folk are more 'trend' oriented - meaning, more aware and willing to try new things. Here in the top of the South there is a thing called 'Marlborough wage' and your average beer drinker earns a VERY average wage. Nice area to live, so folk make do. So the poor buggers quaff anything on special that gives them the quantity and effect they are looking for and simply chill the hard edges out of it.
The craft and imported beer shelf in the supermarket certainly empties fairly rapidly as a relatively small band of people experiment and become more discerning, but far and away most beer sold is generic slop (even Ranfurly flies out the door for God's sake)!
So, when you do a taster in a supermarket for example, the guys will give it a whirl and they will likely be fairly impressed, but to part with seven bucks fifty - an amount that will buy them a six pack of genslop - for one beer, is asking a lot.
I would fit into the middle-aged bearded category (though happily not yet with the gut) but have travelled and always been a beer enthusiast. But I'd still be guilty of compromising on quality to get the quantity when sailing or in a pub with mates, but am getting more fussy the more good beer I drink. Anyway, I can't manage the same vast quantities anymore, generally speaking, so I am trying to savour the good stuff and limit the crap - and of course, getting into AG brewing in the hope of learning to make half decent beer so I don't need to torture myself in winter when the B&B business is quiet and income slows right down to a trickle!
But thre is hope, and with young folk really getting to uunderstand real beer it will become more and more part of the culture hopefully. Just the way fast food outlets don't make an impression in Italy because kids are brought up to appreciate what proper flavours are about and won't touch crap food.
Step one...BAN ALCOPOPS!

[Kempicus]

I'm sorry to have to say this but marketing….Tui isn’t big because of the flavour it’s big because it’s cool to drink it (supposedly)

Similarly Lion Red was big in the 90’s because of marketing, we all remember those ads…’there’s only one beer we drink around here mate and its red like a fire engine’
Most of the ads if not all won’t mention taste, ingredients, cost, craft they just pump how cool it is to drink one and how cool everyone will think you are. Those other things obviously have some importance….cost being the one that’s as important if not more important than coolness but the others mean nothing.

Basically in the eyes of the pleb (97.5% of the beer drinking population) I’m not at all cool because I don’t toe the line and I cast aspersions on their choice of beer but I think I’m rare (present company accepted)
Sure there are good beer drinkers waiting to get out….look at Ged but for the most part, being cool and part of the crowd is better than anything….and it just so happens to be the cheapest option (apart from meths).

People like us that are into flavours and quality over cheapness and quantity are very very rare, we’re willing to spend money not on volume but on quality…….so I guess what I’m trying to say is that I think the best thing to do is try to make craft beer cool, REALLY make beer the new wine and make it so damn cool to be drinking the good stuff that tui drinkers are seen as the new ranfurly draft drinkers…

I think the ‘organic’ movement is a pile of shit but I have nothing but respect for breweries that use it to sell their beers, now that’s tapping into a ‘cool’ market!

[denimglen]

"I'm sorry to have to say this but marketing….Tui isn’t big because of the flavour it’s big because it’s cool to drink it (supposedly)"

True, true.

Luke, you should employ some young hotties to work at your brewery and then your sales would go through the fucking roof!

[Kempicus]

takes a lot of cash to convince people beer that bad is cool....i'm talking about tui by the way
remember that ad with the mouse in the student flat, even i liked that ad....

[James P]

The funny thing about the cheaper beers, is that if Epic sold for $12 a dozen people would think it's another Tasman or Double Brown, or Carling....

Beer festivals are another great way of getting the message out there, unfortunately the one at the Twisted Hop late last year relied on people "giving it a go" and there was little or no education being provided.

As I have never seen an Epic ad, Epic must rely heavily on passive marketing such as blog, twitter etc and the passion of real beer drinkers who set forth into the wastelands in an attempt to convert the uncooth palates! I would assume the same for most craft beers.

[Ian]

I have found the eloquent and thoughtful arguments on a very worrying subject - the matter of youngsters (even children basically) binge drinking, very valid and interesting. The problem has to be a very complex one. Without doubt in the 60's and 70's young folk (yours truly certainly not excepted) drank heaps of beer and wine (many would have argued too much) and some folk harder liquor, yet somehow it tended to involve socialising at barbies, pubs, boating and sporting clubs etc. That is to say, young folk seemed generally to be more into hobbies and active pursuits and the total couch potatoe was a rarity. A lot of the young now don't seem to be drawn to the same outlets for physical activity and creativity and the drinking is almost a substitute for those things - sometimes almost a response to a sort of social depression. But to make matters worse, and I know it has been mentioned in this group before, don't you think the cheap, sweet, pre-mixed horror drinks so readily and cheaply available short-circuit the zero to drunk in half an hour condition?

[Greig McGill]

Luke, you should employ some young hotties to work at your brewery and then your sales would go through the fucking roof!

You've obviously never seen his videos from Blues, Brews, and BBQs a couple of years back. Mmmm, Epic Label Bikini and dancing on the bar... ;)

[nzbrewer]

actually I was told at the Blues, Brews & BBQ's that the difference between the Epic & Corona tent was a $400 sun shade. I wish it was that easy.

[Alelover]

Thanks for the replies so far, some good comments. I would like to throw a bit more into the mix. I have lived in NZ for 2 1/2 years having come from England so i will draw some comparisons - rightly or wrongly.
Price - most bottled RAs here upwards of $5 most bottled RAs in the UK £2ish or 4 for £5 on offer ($13 for 4 bottles) Pubs - probably around £2.20 pint in northern England.
Availability - Just about every supermarket stocks real ales, most towns have a selection of pubs that serve hand pulled ales.
Education - Campaign for Real Ale CAMRA is doing a good job and has groups in most regions, (SOBA will achieve this with support) always plenty of litrature available in good pubs. Beer festivals are becoming more common, we use to have an annual one in the local school! every classroom was turned into a themed bar!
Marketing - not a lot of commercial marketing, some sponsorship.

One pub chain in the UK stocks a good selection of mostly local microbrewed ales - Wetherspoons, who sell them at a good price together with good meal deals. They currently sell Green King IPA for 99p/pint! They opened 20 more pubs in 2008.

So maybe we need a 'new' national chain of pubs that support the microbrewing industry.

One more thing - how much taxation is on our pint?

Plus how could I forget James & OZ, what will their exploits encourage?