If you haven’t read my article, The State of San Diego Craft – 2015, you should. This will be a series of posts where I share the complete and full statements from 20+ amazing individuals that contributed to my work. I’m going to start with those that I used in the article and then release the rest in alphabetical order. You thought I was done? Ha! Sorry, I got distracted by 2 car accidents in my household in less than 2 weeks, don’t worry, everyone had great insurance, and more importantly, everyone is fine. Today we have two women letting you know their thoughts, first up is Shannon Rogers from Burning Beard.
Shannon:
The industry has long been closing in on a precipice between business and art; 2015 saw definite inertia towards that divergence. In not just the coming year, but many to follow, the reconciliation will be in those clever enough to value both. The brightest most creative minds will follow where they are treated best, where creativity is cultivated and pay is not just sustainable, but enables a breathable quality of life. Consumers wrought with options will go where the beer isn’t just good, but that they’re treated genuinely. 2016 will see the rise of the Beertender. This isn’t just a stepping stone position anymore, it’s a weaponized one. Beer Education at every level will become increasingly pivotal to a business model and integral to its survival.
2015 is the inertia and 2016 the crag. The resulting verbage from the drop will see various failure and success, but most importantly our industry will never be as it was. It’s up to each of us to take stock, reinvent, and make it far greater than anyone thought a bunch of bearded, tattooed, and/or miscreant men and women ever could.
Shannon Rogers
Burning Beard
Up next is Alex Zalicki, the senior publicist for Bay Bird Inc, the firm that represents the San Diego Brewers Guild.
Alex:
We saw many changes in both the national and local craft beer space last year, and it’s only the beginning as the demand for craft beer continues to catapult— having now captured the attention of ‘big beer.’ But, thankfully, what has set apart San Diego’s craft beer industry is that it is truly a community and the events of the previous year have only united those devoted to the craft of brewing exceptional beer. Moving forward, let’s not lose sight of the independent craft brewers that have cemented San Diego’s reputation as a craft beer mecca. We must stand by them and support them— patronize local tasting rooms and brewpubs, vote with our dollars when at the grocery story and attend local beer events. Education will be key moving forward— make an effort to learn more about local craft beer and its makers and educate others. Strike up a conversation with the person seated next to you at the bar and let them know what’s so special about San Diego craft beer. With this approach, it’s only a matter of time before San Diegan’s consumption of craft beer, currently one-third of all beer sales, surpasses Portland’s longstanding benchmark of 40 plus percent. Choose local. Choose craft. Choose independent.
Alex Zalicki Bay Bird Inc.
Thank you to both of these amazing people for their thoughts and contributions to my article. I truly appreciate them taking the time.
It’s a pity you don’t have a donate button! I’d definitely donate to this superb blog! I suppose for now i’ll settle for bookmarking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account. I look forward to new updates and will talk about this site with my Facebook group. Talk soon!
Thank you! You can always donate to my podcast’s patreon – http://www.patreon.com/sdbeertalk