American Microbrewery beer is a better quality beer than imported beerAnthony Perrone Activity 9.1 Classical Argument Position Paper

Thesis: American Microbrewery beer is a better quality beer than imported beer

The majority of Americans automatically associate American beer with the standard Miller, Coors and Budweiser. When in retrospect they are missing out on true “American made” beer. With the general population being content with the “big three” brewers, some Americans demand more out of their beer which steers their attention to an imported beer. Imported beer offers a variety of flavors and different styles, which the big brewers don’t offer, tempting Americans to choose one. What people don’t realize is that America has a lot of good quality micro brewed beer that comes in more flavors and styles than imports have to offer and is a better quality beer. With the craft beer market rising rapidly in the United States, there is a colossal variety of tasty brew to be had.
The trademark of craft beer and craft brewers is innovation. When people accuse American beer of being dull and boring, the first thing that comes to mind is big name breweries like Budweiser, Miller or Coors. Al Davenport says “What they don’t know is that the U.S. has an extremely rich and diverse craft-brew industry that produces, by many accounts, some of the best, if not the best, beers on the planet” (Davenport, 2012). Top American microbreweries like Shipyard, Dogfish Head, Stone and Sierra Nevada brew at the level of excellence beer enthusiasts’ love and exceed the quality of the very best foreign breweries. Craft brewers interpret numerous styles with unique twists of flavors and develop new styles that have no comparison to any other beer. With all the new microbrews being created it’s almost impossible to not to find the same, if not a better tasting flavor than an imported beer.
As the number of microbreweries and brew pubs in America continues to grow, craft brews are starting to become more readily available to people causing them to want to try something new. The Brewers Association states “As of March 17, 2014, the Brewers Association is aware of 413 brewery openings in 2013 (304 microbreweries and 109 brewpubs). Plus the majority of America lives within 10 miles of a craft brewery and don’t even know it.” (Brewers Association, 2014). American Microbrews cleared the way on the market against imports. There are over 2500 microbreweries in the U.S. and makes up for approximately 8 percent of the American beer market. Craft brew sales accounted for approximately one billion dollars and selling 196,241,321 barrels of beer increasing to 11.2 percent from last year compared to import beer sales only up 2 percent. The introduction of microbrews over the last 10 years left people craving that fuller and bolder tasting beer and turned them away from imported and mass produced beer. During a period when imported beer has shown either flat or declining performance, the craft beer market is continuing to grow at an impressive rate. Unlike its imported beer competitors, craft beer has been able to climb in the overall beer market trends and continue expansion while still remaining a small part of a 78 billion dollar industry. Kevin Lapoint says in his scholarly article “This can be surprising for those who view the craft brewing industry as luxury goods compared to the cheap lagers provided by the large breweries. Craft brews now have such a strong fan base that they are no longer easily swayed by differentiations in the overall market.” (Lapoint, 2012)
Some people lean on cost to decide what they are drinking. While the average cost of a big name American beer 6 packs will cost you around $4.99 to $7.49, where the cost of a six pack of imported beer will set you back about $7.25 to $8.99 on average. For those with the appetite for craft beer will be digging a little deeper in their pockets for the average cost range of $7.99 to $10.99. If it’s not payday that might turn you away however, you get what you pay for. With the cost of craft beer being slightly higher, you are paying for what the company can produce not their advertising. Big name brewers foreign and domestic invest millions upon millions of dollars annually on TV commercials, billboard, magazine, etc. advertising while the annual profit of a microbrewery might not even be close to a million dollars. Most craft beer companies invest in local brewpub advertising and bottle art saving tons of money to put towards the quality of their beer. Next time you go to the beer store, see which label on the shelf grabs you attention first. You might surprise your self.
People want many different things in a beer. Yet the genuine love of people drinking beer in this country has always stayed constant and will never change. But there will be that moment when you spend the extra couple bucks to support a true “American made” company and try that better beer rather than the average mass produced import or domestic and you’ll be hooked. You will never go back to the old, boring beer, other beer ever again. Craft beer is America’s best-kept secret on the rise.
References:

Abc News. (2014, March 30). Business of Beer: Imports Gain, Microbrews Rebound. Retrieved from www.abcnews.go.com: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=88407

Brewers Association. (2014, Mar 14). A Passionate Voice for Craft Brewers. Retrieved from http://www.brewersassociation.org: http://www.brewersassociation.org/pages/business-tools/craft-brewing-statistics/facts

Davenport, A. (2012, July 2012). Top 10 Controversial Topics About The US. Retrieved from http://listverse.com: http://listverse.com/2012/07/16/top-10-controversial-topics-about-the-us/

Holmgren, C. (2005, Febuary 4). More than Water, Hops, Barley and Yeast: Authenticity and the Microbrew Revolution . Retrieved from http://xroads.virginia.edu: http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma03/holmgren/microbrew/

Hughes, J. (2012, July 12). Are imports really worth it? Retrieved from www.badassdigest.com: http://badassdigest.com/2012/07/12/are-imports-really-worth-it/

LaPoint, K. (2012, April 1). Microbrewing in the US: An overview of the microbrewery industry and a business plan for future success.

Ross, D. (2014, March 31). 2014 U.S. Beer Market Forecast. Retrieved from http://www.beveragemedia.com/index.php/2014/03/2014-u-s-beer-market-forecast/: www.beveragemedia.com

Shea, M. (2013, April 30). Is imported beer better than 'imported' beer? Retrieved from www.thevine.com: http://www.thevine.com.au/life/food/is-imported-beer-better-than-imported-beer-20130430-233979