Blame Instagram
Instagram has received a lot of well-deserved credit (and blame) for igniting the New England-style IPA trend, in part thanks to its bright, colorful, juice-like appearance that's typically accompanied by very attractive and 'gramable can art. We were brought up understanding that beer should be clear, but Instagram has been slaying the fundamentals of beer, one after another. We shouldn't be surprised, as Instagram has become a key source of advertisements, inspiration, and [gulp]...influence for all industries. We're watching a lot less TV these days, which is where we used to get our style and pop culture trends, whether intended or not. I wouldn't have gone through that baggy pants phase in 6th grade if it weren't for a combination of Joey Gladstone and MC Hammer. In those days, it was all in the hands of the largest corporations with the heftiest advertising budgets. Today there are few barriers-to-entry into the realm of content creation, whether you're a business or a fan. Instagram has become the epicenter for its simplicity and visual component, including trends well beyond just the Hazy IPA in beer. I point to this Facebook-owned App for pushing most trends in beer, for better or worse. Here are four reasons why Instagram is the cause of, and solution to, most of beer's problems:
Your Flagship Lost its Sizzle? Blame Instagram
Instagram, Untappd, Beer Forums, and countless Facebook beer groups have created a 24/7 outlet for beer enthusiasts of all levels to feel connected. You can share an opinion, review, or experience, along with a photo, and quickly receive feedback from like-minded fans. It's addictive. The open forum encourages exploration and experimentation, but causes beer purchases to skew toward what is new, versus trusted. Posting about a reliable flagship these days isn't likely to spur the conversation that a new beer would. It's difficult to say anything that hasn't already been said about Allagash White, despite its brilliance, resulting in minimal feedback or engagement.
And Flagships aren't dead, but many established favorites are losing organic momentum (excludes new markets). Breweries have been responding with new formats for their flagship to widen the net. Additionally, we see more rotating series, specialty one-offs, and fewer expectations of anything new going year-round. It's necessary these days as its common, even among casual craft beer drinkers to Instagram a beer they enjoyed. But nobody wants to 'gram the same beer twice, which works strongly against the trusty flagship. If I had a well-established, respected year-round brand, I would expect to replace 10-25% of its volume elsewhere over the next few years. So blame Instagram if you must, or thank it for forcing you to maintain the consumer's curiosity and interest, while triggering more innovation and disincentivizing complacency.
Not into Appearance-Driven Beers? Blame Instagram
Once it all clicked that Instagram had such a big hand in the New England-style IPA's popularity and penetration into mainstream beers, small breweries needed to look for that next big draw. So in came glitter beer, dazzling with it's flashy, constantly-in-motion appearance. With glitter beer, as silly as this sounds, I can't imagine not Instagramming a pour had I ever gotten one, given that the visual component is why it was ordered in the first place. Given how organically each pint likely spread on social media, it's no wonder that these were the talk of the beer community for a month or two in 2018. Honest question, when people order a glitter beer, do they even care what style of beer it is? Probably not, they just want the glitter and I'm personally 100% okay with that. The long term problem for the trend was always, how many glitter beers do you need before you're all set? Once you've 'grammed one, do you really need another? I suspect that's why you don't see them as often as you did 6 months ago.
Missin' those margins from 22oz Bombers? Blame Instagram
We stopped buying bombers for many reasons, but first and foremost, we stuck ourselves with too many. During the glory days of 2013-2015, it became common for enthusiasts to stockpile anything "special" or barrel-aged. I wrote this tweet last week and got more "likes" than any other tweet in my life, so clearly this hit home for many:
Pushback from the consumer started coming in early 2016 as "cellars" became stuffed full of beer aging past its prime, often in sub-ideal conditions. No coincidence, this is also when small ripples of "the pinch" started to be felt by the regional and national craft breweries. The specialty IPAs were the first to go, then the next 1-2 years saw barrel-aged styles beginning to follow suit into smaller formats. I'd be remiss to not mention that competition is also driving the moves from large format to small. The breweries who can see far ahead down the road and can afford it, often make the first move to more customer-friendly formats and get an early advantage for doing so. Still, I blame Instagram.
Frustrated that Pastry Stouts Get All the Attention? Blame Instagram
During the Summer of 2013, Goose Island announced that it would be releasing a new brand extension of their Bourbon County Brand Stout (BCBS). Proprietor's (aka Prop) would be a rotating variation each year, only being sold in the Chicago market. The concept would keep the "home" audience and retailers engaged, while generating a new level of enthusiasm for the overall brand. "Prop 13" was a rye whiskey barrel-aged version, aged on toasted coconut and released on Black Friday of 2013. It wasn't just good, it was great, still ranked #4 on Untappd's World Rankings, with the following years' Prop '14 sitting at #1. There was only one problem...99% of the bottles were seemingly gone after the first day.
As 5-bottle cap ratings and beer forum chatter spread, Prop 13's trade/secondary value exploded. Beer trader/completists from all around the country needed to acquire a Prop to round out their set and "catch'em all". The high bottle-count, as a potential acquirer likes to quote to drive the price down, was rendered meaningless because it was an insta-sellout. The reviews were glowing and BCBS was in the orbit of every beer trader in the country.
So what did beer enthusiasts do when they either couldn't acquire Prop, or liked it so much but couldn't acquire more? They made their own using a French Press, and naturally took to the internet to share their experimentation on Beer Forums like BeerAdvocate & TalkBeer, and unable to check-in these homemade creations on Untappd, they took to Instagram.
It all started innocently, but enthusiasts weren't going to stop at just recreating the elusive one-off variants made by Goose Island. A few months after the 2014 BCBS release, former Paste Magazine freelance writer Jason Stein released an article recommending four unique, create-your-own BCBS variant recipes including Mexican Cake, Thin Mint, Vanilla, and Coconut.
"As the craft beer industry has grown, word has gotten out about the ingenuity of BCBS, and its popularity has expanded, making these beers even harder to come by. On top of that, stores sell out fast, they limit the amount you can purchase, the prices are high and some of us simply can’t get to the beer store by 5am," Stein wrote. "If you are one of the many who missed out on this years variants, or just cannot wait until next year rolls around, why not try replicating the variants yourself, or better yet, coming up with your own version? "
By 2015, Instagram had taken off as a popular medium to share beer experiences and engage with other members of the beer community. It provided more of an open canvas than Untappd and allowed users to incorporate other interest into their feed. Recreating allusive BCBS variants eventually evolved, as Stein suggested, into creating and sharing your own unique recipes. The French press experiments became a common segment at bottles shares, where groups of friends would create their own variants, then share with their followers.
I reached out to Jason, who now writes for HopCulture.com, to ask his thoughts on why we love sharing experiments like this to Instagram. "We are in a state of beer where excess is celebrated," Stein explained. "People want to show what else is possible and push the limits." The boundaries indeed continued to be pushed throughout 2015 and into 2016, which is when we saw a lot of breweries respond with commercial versions of what used to originate in a french press. The "pastry stout" as Don't Drink Beer coined it, was born and is still humming today. Thanks Instagram.
I hope it's clear that I'm using the word blame tongue-and-cheek. And when i say Instagram, I'm referring to all social mediums, though I find Instagram to be the clear winner. It has generated more enthusiasm for craft beer than any other tool out there, favors the younger demographic that the category badly needs, and squeezes the most creativity out of its users. It's not all rainbows and carebears, as there are egos and assholes lurking in the dark corners, but Instagram remains a positive outlet overall. As Stein said, its where excess is celebrated and the limits are pushed. The ability to show off what you've creatied, are drinking, or the brewery you are visiting helps spread interest, inspire new ideas, and keep consumers aware of that new new new that drives breweries crazy, but keep them relevant during this new era: the Golden Age of the Consumer.