Driving past a billboard recently, Food Trends spotted an ad for Green Tea Beer. Inquiring minds had to know- is the flavoured beer concept, which has admittedly been around for ages, trending up or is this just a passing fad? To get to the bottom of this and other beer-related trends, Food Trends spoke with Steam Whistle Brewing’s publicity guru Stephen Murdoch and The Professor of Beer himself, Roger Mittag.
It seems these days, consumers are putting their money where their rhetoric is regarding beer. Murdoch says, “We have found more and more interest in the green initiatives of our brewery and believe that people can help justify to themselves the premium expenditure (despite economic pressure to spend less) when they can have a clear conscience about their consumption.”
Buying Local to Drink Local
It seems the shop local, buy local and support your friendly neighbourhood brewery mantra is starting taking hold because Murdoch adds, “We have also been getting anecdotal feedback that people are happy to shop local/shop Canadian because of the economy, so there does seem to be more interest in domestic craft brewers.” Mittag agrees with this observation saying, “There is a drive towards local, fresh beers -as with food, Canadians are reaching and looking for something that is produced locally and Ontario’s brewers are well respected and produce some great quality beers.”
More Choices, More Beer Styles AND Flavours
Mittag has noticed that more brands and beer styles are being introduced into the Canadian marketplace which he sees as a cause to rejoice. He believes this is so because Canadians’ interest in new beers is growing and palates are evolving or changing. “One cool thing is that while our aging population wants to drink less and more flavourful beers, our younger generation is equally adept at looking at the world of beer with more wide open eyes,” says Mittag.
So what about flavoured beers like the green tea variety, or the fruit-nuanced kinds available on summertime patios all over the country? To that, Mittag responds by asserting that the longevity of any beer, flavoured or otherwise, comes from sustained sales and interest. He adds, “Most flavoured beers in the world have been around for centuries – such as Belgian Fruit Lambics like Mort Subite Framboise or Kriek. Recently, however, many craft brewers are adding different flavouring ingredients such as orange, pumpkin, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, and other spices in order to attract new consumers to the category or simply to attract more knowledgeable beer people to their brewery.”
Seasonality- Even in Beers
But here’s the rub - the issue, according to Mittag in many cases is that these flavoured beers are seasonal by nature and therefore don’t attract year long interest. The good news? “The better ones become fixtures each season though and that gives many beer drinkers something to look forward to,” he says.
Retro Beer Bottle Openers
In Ontario, Steam Whistle recently won Gold in the 2009 Ontario Brewing Awards for its prized pilsner. Their motto, “Doing One Thing Really, Really Well” is what they’re about- so don’t expect a Thanksgiving-spiced flavoured beer any time soon because this microbrewery likes to play it old school with pilsner. But they do like to have some fun too, so the company has launched its new, retro bottle openers for 2009.
You’ll find one in each “Suitcase 12 Pack” at the Beer Store in Ontario every summer. They release a commemorative bottle opener every year (this being their fifth year) and this one has a distinctly 1950s, brushed pewter charm that looks to us like a rocket about to take off. Happy sipping this summer!
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