Beer, especially in summer, is a nice drink to enjoy with friends and family; after a long day, nothing is better than relaxing with a cold beer. Now, with the beer market growing at such a rapid rate, the options are endless. One such drink growing in popularity are craft brews. Bigger companies are entering the craft beer market in an effort to stay relevant and attract customers that prefer smaller-batch brews, and local pubs are now affiliating themselves with both craft beers and regular, domestic national beers to appeal to the masses.
According to the Brewers Association, in 2016, the US craft beer industry added 1.4 million barrels to its production volume, growing the segment by 6%, despite losing 1.2 million barrels to ‘big beer’ producers that have taken hold of the craft beer market. Globally, bigger companies, like Molson Coors, are branching out by expanding their portfolio of alcoholic options to include craft and flavoured beers. Besides producing unique craft beers with interesting flavours, like cherry and pumpkin, the bigger brands are also importing international microbrewery options from places like the UK, into Canada, to compete in the market. A strong craft portfolio is also built by acquiring local brews, such as Half Pints Brewing Co from Winnipeg, and Granville Island Brewing from Vancouver, both of which are now owned by Molson Coors.
But with so many options available, you might think that there isn’t room for more. More specifically, smaller breweries think they can’t compete in the bigger market, but this is where they’re wrong. More and more, people are enjoying local craft beer made in-house, in small batches. It is a growing market for businesses big and small; there is room for everyone. Although the big breweries and their recognizable brands aren’t going anywhere, it is just nature the industry that beer should always remain interesting, relevant and contemporary.
In order to stay relevant, it is important for any company to reinvent themselves, and this extends to the types of products you sell and manufacture, which is where Cemcorp can help. We specialize in complete plant designs, from brewpubs to microbreweries, and large commercial breweries. Starting off, we can help with feasibility – is it feasible to innovate your processes to include more craft beer options? If the answer is yes, Cemcorp can help with everything from grain receiving and milling, to brewhouses, refrigeration, filtration, commissioning, start-up and operator training.
