Lifestyle

Texas Craft Beer Market is a Delicious Target for Large Brewers

By  | 
Tony Maples Photography

 

Texas is a demographic in and of itself, and when it comes to the craft beer market, that demographic is a demigod. Let’s look at this closer. By the end of 2015, the number of breweries in Texas climbed from a modest 59 (mortal status) to a mind-blowing near-190 (divine status). With that the statistics on “own-premise” brewed beer skyrocketed as well, from almost ten thousand barrels in 2014 to more than sixty-two thousand in 2015! That puts Texas just behind the likes of California, Oregon, and Colorado in terms of home-grown barley and hops goodness and puts a gleam in the eye of larger producers looking to cash in on the Texas craft beer cash cow.

More Texas Beer for My Fellow Texans!

Texas Craft Beer Market is a Delicious Target for Large Brewers

Photo: Wikipedia

So, it’s no wonder that the rise of Texas craft beer has brought the big dogs barking, and industry powerhouses such as MillerCoors are buying Texas market models like Revolver Brewing Co. based in Granbury, for the purpose of making “…sure its beer is enjoyed by even more consumers in Texas.” Following that, Anheuser-Busch InBev announced its acquisition of Karbach Brewing Co., citing that the Houston-based brewery’s unique offerings “…appeal to the laid-back lifestyle that resonates with Texans.”

Smaller Brewers With Modest Market Moves

Texas Craft Beer Market is a Delicious Target for Large Brewers

Photo: Wikimedia

Smaller brewers want in on the craft beer market in Texas as well, making modest moves to enhance their appeal from Colorado, Michigan, and North Carolina by opening and operating Texas-based breweries. The state produced a little over a million barrels of this apparent liquid gold in 2015, ranking sixth in the country (behind Ohio, Florida, Colorado, California and first-place Pennsylvania), with growth potential that large and small brewers alike would like a piece of.

The Great Go-To’s

Texas Craft Beer Market is a Delicious Target for Large Brewers

Photo: Wikimedia

And yes, Pabst (Lone Star beer right-holder), is getting in on the action, establishing new offices in Dallas-Fort Worth to further develop its regional strategy, while Shiner brands (carried by Spoetzl, the largest Texas craft beer producer) continue to produce results, although Shiner Bock is known more as an all-purpose beer as opposed to “craft” and therefore doesn’t occupy the same market.

Survive to Partner or Divide and Conquer

Texas Craft Beer Market is a Delicious Target for Large Brewers

Photo: Pixabay

With creative partnership development, the Texas craft beer market can have more opportunity for growth and influence working with big industry as it attempts to diversify its brands across the US, rather than balk at the opportunity and think that small is good and because it’s made in Texas, local customer support will naturally be there. That’s not always the case, and when the big guys get finished waltzing across Texas, it may leave some staunch Texas craft beer institutions wondering where the chips fell. With a similar market in Florida, it may even be beneficial to watch developments there to predict possible next-steps. With approximately 1.2 million barrels worth of production in 2015 and a jump from 45 craft breweries in 2011 to 151 now, the market development could be eerily parallel.

When the Foam Settles

Texas Craft Beer Market is a Delicious Target for Large Brewers

Photo: Pexels

Hindsight being what it is, it’s a wonder the buy-in to the Texas craft beer market model by large brewers didn’t happen sooner. But with much more of the demographic to experiment with, a per capita ratio of beer drinkers that’s to-die-for, and a dream of making it big with a different type of ‘Texas tea’, there’s plenty of time left to watch the foam settle.

Source:

Marketwatch