A CNBC article over the weekend decided to talk vague concepts of beer finance while simultaneously taking shots at ‘millennials,’ aka Generation Y. Apparently, liking beer that tastes good makes you a snooty elitist.
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First of all, I despise the term ‘millennial.’ It has a completely negative connotation and implies that you are self-obsessed, narcissistic, and can’t put your phone down. Ok, maybe the last part is true. At least being in Generation X was cool and had a WWF team. Regardless, plenty of people who are older than 35 are also ditching bud light to move on, because it doesn’t taste that good; so I’m not really sure what the argument is here. Basically, CNBC is pissed that people like drinking more varieties of beer. Over-generalization at its finest. I can’t say I’m shocked that I am the only person my age enraged by this article, most of my peers prefer their news in 140 characters or less, or in “listicles” (not exactly Pulitzer prize winning material either).
It’s no secret that this country has had an interesting history with alcohol, especially in the 20th century. According to documentaries like Beer Wars (documentaries are the source of all knowledge for millennials), the economic conditions in the beer industry coupled with the laws in the United States did not provide a climate for smaller breweries to thrive until recently. Many would argue this is still a problem today, but you can see some clear success and growth in this market. It’s great to see for entrepreneurs and as an American to know that a good business idea can still succeed, even in an economy driven by big business. Provide a superior product that fills a customer’s needs and you will be successful. It’s what the whole concept of capitalism is built on; and this should be celebrated instead of chastised. A smart business will make the necessary adjustments to give the people what they want and a lot of these companies already are beginning to. We’re the taste-makers now, and “big beer” knows that (even if CNBC doesn’t). Look at the changes and additions to these companies’ portfolios; buying out successful small brewers(sell outs) and making all new brands to appeal to their new market. If you don’t believe me; think about what people drink and go out the most? Single people without children. You know how old most of those people are? 21-35 years old. We are the market the alcohol industry wants to grab right now. It’s one of many reasons Blue Moon isn’t called “Coor’s Belgian Wheat,” even though that’s really what it is. Our generation sees Coor’s on a label and it reads back “not delicious” to them. Coor’s needed to package Blue Moon differently to meet our market and have it be successful.
I would also argue that craft beer would have been more popular all along had it ever been a real option. The options used to be Heneiken and six beers that generally taste the same with different labels; and it really alienated a lot of consumers. This is part of the reason there’s such a large group of “non beer drinkers” in the US in the 35+ demographic. The best selling beers in the US never actually tasted good; and it’s all these people had access to when they were forming their taste preferences for alcohol consumption. Smaller beer companies saw this area for potential growth and they are now starting to reap the rewards with the rise of the next generation to being the taste makers. I suppose it is also possible that I am wrong, and not ordering a Blue Moon makes me an Un-American, big business hating, a-hole.