As craft beer continues to navigate a period of slower growth and increased competition, many brewery leaders are finding that the strategies that fueled success a decade ago are no longer enough. The breweries that appear best positioned for the future are not necessarily the ones brewing the most award-winning beer. Instead, they are the ones expanding their definition of what a brewery can be.
That shift reflects a reality facing many today. Great beer has become the expectation rather than the differentiator.
“Brewing great beer isn’t enough,” said Corey Dickinson, director of marketing for Wilding Brands in a recent Q&A with BREWER. “There are so many great brewers out there, and opportunities to enjoy amazing beers in every market across the country. The experience a brewery provides — both for your customers and for your employees — is what can set you apart from the competition.”
The industry’s maturation has forced many breweries to reconsider how they attract guests, build loyalty and create sustainable revenue streams.
Ryan Bandy, chief business officer for Indeed Brewing, sees many breweries reaching an inflection point. As businesses age, investments mature and market growth slows, decision makers are often forced to decide whether to maintain the status quo or continue evolving.
“When I think of changes to our industry the last few years, I think of a lot of craft breweries hitting their 8-10 year mark,” Bandy said. “The industry is hitting a bit of downturn, investments are coming up to term and/or needing more investments, and breweries have to make decisions of which path to take.”
According to Bandy, many breweries are “circling the wagons,” doubling down on the strategies and audiences that originally made them successful. Indeed has chosen a different path.
“We’ve continue to invest in our R&D taproom in Milwaukee; we’ve become obsessed with creating the best taproom experience in Minneapolis and Milwaukee; invested in THC production; and renewed focus on creating sustainable internal processes,” he said.
The approach requires continual adaptation rather than relying on past successes.
“It has been — and will continue to be — probably the harder road than resting on our laurels,” Bandy said. “But I like the saying, ‘What got us here won’t get us there,’ so we need to always be progressing.”
That emphasis on the taproom experience is becoming increasingly common throughout the industry.
Cory King, brewer and owner of Side Project Brewing, pointed to a trend highlighted by the Brewers Association: while overall beer sales have softened, on-premise sales remain a bright spot.
“The Brewer’s Association recently noted that even as sales in our industry have stagnated or softened, the on-site sales in the tasting rooms are where the growth is,” King said.
Because Side Project has historically generated most of its revenue directly through its own locations, King said the brewery has continued investing in hospitality-focused improvements.
“To try to drive that point home, however, we have invested in a new food program at our locations, to be more inviting for everyone, even those who do not want a beer or drink,” he said.
Those investments are about more than increasing average ticket sizes. They are intended to make brewery spaces more accessible and welcoming to broader audiences, including families.
“This has also made our places more hospitable for many of our employees and ourselves, those of us who have children and need a place to sit, relax, and give our kids some fries and a board game to enjoy,” King said.
Wooden Robot Brewery in Charlotte has followed a similar philosophy by broadening the reasons customers visit its locations.
“At Wooden Robot, we’ve evolved from being just ‘a brewery’ to offering a full experience,” said Chris Piscitello, head brewer at Wooden Robot.
Piscitello noted that consumers now have countless options for quality beer, making differentiation increasingly difficult. To stand apart, Wooden Robot expanded beyond beer through an in-house kitchen, coffee offerings and a liquor program.
“These additions complement our beer offerings and drive traffic to our taprooms, giving guests multiple reasons to return,” Piscitello said.
The brewery has also invested heavily in community engagement, viewing local involvement as a long-term business strategy rather than simply a marketing initiative.
“Our focus extends beyond serving beer to finding ways to uplift and be an integral part of the community,” Piscitello said, citing partnerships with local nonprofits and neighborhood events.
While many breweries are enhancing experiences inside their taprooms, others see opportunities emerging beyond traditional craft beer channels.
Scott Wells, co-owner of Bolero Snort Brewery, believes consumer expectations regarding beer quality have evolved significantly.
“Big beer has done a great job of blurring the lines between corporate ‘crafty’ beer and actual well made ‘craft beer,'” Wells said.
However, he believes local breweries have benefited from a growing expectation that quality beer should be available in a wider variety of venues.
“We’ve been able to turn that back around on them, where well-made beer no longer needs to only be sold at craft beer bars, but your local watering hole now needs to have well-made beer on tap to draw customers in,” Wells said.
That dynamic creates opportunities for independent breweries willing to emphasize quality and local relationships.
“If you want to tell your customers you care about them, you need to offer them high quality products,” Wells said. “You need to go to your local businesses for it.”
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The breweries adapting most aggressively are not abandoning their focus on beer quality. Instead, they are recognizing that quality beer has become the entry fee for participation. The next stage of competition is being fought through hospitality, experience design, operational innovation, community involvement and the ability to create destinations that offer consumers reasons to return again and again.
As Dickinson put it, the industry’s future may still depend on the same spirit that fueled craft beer’s rise in the first place.
“Don’t be afraid to take risks,” he said. “Craft beer has built itself on successfully challenging the status quo, on innovation, and on creativity.”
