Are Beer Geeks Gen Y’s Answer To Wine Snobs?
Posted by meredith on 10-07-2009
In the spirit of Oktoberfest and this article on the growing number of Gen Y’ers experimenting with homebrews, I thought I’d discuss a related trend I’ve seen lately in my own backyard: the Gen Y beer geek.
I know, I know. To pair recent college grads with the trend of beer drinking seems a bit obvious. But hear me out. What I’ve been reading about on local blogs and increasingly noticing in my own Brooklyn neighborhood is less in the realm of beer pong and more along the lines of beer halls and microbrews. In these past few months alone, I’ve seen more and more beer gardens and bars that boast an extensive number of local beers on tap. You can bet the same can be said of most, if not all of WSJ’s other “youth-magnet cities.”
Why microbrews? Some of the reason stems from an anti-corporate mentality. This generation has consistently shown a preference for things that are organic, unique and locally grown; and a relative disdain for big brand products. Also, whereas restaurant wine lists have been known to cause anxiety among some Y’ers due to lack of knowledge, the world of local beers and the restaurants and bars that purvey them are generally accessible and youth-centric. Not to mention the significant price difference.
Of course, that’s not to say there isn’t a time and a place for cheap beer. But for this segment of urban Millennials, those choices are driven by similar motivations. As Ad Age pointed out a couple months back with the spike of popularity with Pabst Blue Ribbon, aka PBR: “Pabst executed a highly effective word-of-mouth campaign that made the long-declining brand an ‘ironic downscale chic’ choice for bike messengers and other younger drinkers who viewed the beer as a statement of non-mainstream taste.” Talk about brand loyalty. This love continued even after the price was raised as much as $1.50 this year.
The new generation of potential beer drinkers is the largest generation in U.S. history and their entrance into the prime beer drinking age bracket will undoubtedly have an impact, if it hasn’t already. [See more highlights from Beacon Assets Managers report on the generational growth of the beer industry here]
So what does this mean? For the small, unique breweries and bars, keep doing what you’re doing. For the wine industry and bigger beer brands, attempt to overcome the challenge of the demo’s aversion to snobbery and corporate culture. And for all of the above, there’s the added imperative to enforce a message about responsible drinking to this next wave of young consumers.
Chart found on Beacon Asset Managers
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Quitting Their Jobs To Focus On Beer [New York Times, reg. required]
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October 7th, 2009 at 10:20 pm
Visit http://www.getinsyght.com/?p=242 for our take on Generation Y and Beer in response to Meredith’s article.
October 8th, 2009 at 11:05 am
Actually, I find this to be mostly right on. It’s not that Gen Y doesn’t drink both beer and wine, but I’m seeing beers become higher end, and wines stay lower end.
My friends are brewing their own beer, and picking a different microbrew every week. To be fair, though, even my parents have recently migrated to Shocktop (not a “real” microbrew, but certainly not a Bud Lite).
I am Prohibition Ale loyal, myself – its basically the way a beer should taste. I love the look of shock when I introduce it to people who drink shitty beer.
I disagree with your assessment of beer as something to be pounded, Bret – a good beer gets sipped and enjoyed with a meal like a fine wine – but the luxury is more affordable than a good wine habit. You spent $20 on a microbrew beer, you’re getting top of the line. You spend $100 on a wine, it’s still the low end of the good stuff.
I think once you’re in the company of people who drink because they enjoy it, rather than to get drunk, you’ll see the difference shake out.
October 8th, 2009 at 7:38 pm
Dear Kristen O,
? Be honest here, did you really read the article that I wrote about beer and wine? No where in it do I make the statement that all beer is for pounding, that beer is known for it. Generation Y is gradually being introduced to the wonders of wine and like a wine, as they age they will enjoy it more.
October 9th, 2009 at 10:35 am
Bret – did YOU read what you wrote?
“Beer is for pounding and Wine is for sipping, something that will come more and more with the migration away from all night binders.”
While you admit Gen Y drinks both beer and wine, I think you’re still missing the point of Meredith’s observation.
October 9th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
Generation Y takes beer where they can get it and the average price point from a regional perspective here in the Pacific NW is about a buck a can. More than any other reason Generation Y drinks to get drunk, forget the taste of Micro Brews, their price point is to high. Generation Y will change their relationship to beer as time moves on, but this article assumes that Generation Y drinks for the same reasons they drink Wine, which is emphatically incorrect. Just sayin.
October 9th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
“More than any other reason Generation Y drinks to get drunk.”
Fair enough, though quite frankly, the same exact thing is true of Gen Y’s current relationship to wine and liquor. The majority (the majority being recent college grads or younger) are only drinking to get drunk.
But this irrelevant to the observation that there is a significant portion of Gen Y that is interested in microbrews and microbrew culture. The microbrew movement into mainstream is an interesting cultural transition to follow. As more Gen Yers drink microbrews, we’ll probably see price points get lower and distribution increase, as well as more (don’t pretend you haven’t noticed) of the big beer brands buying up smaller breweries.
To put it flatly, the Gen Yers who are moving towards microbrews are leading the ones currently drinking whatever $1 beer they can get. So if you’re working on a campaign today, taste may not matter as much as a few years down the line. The whole point of looking at a trend is planning for the future.
April 27th, 2011 at 9:01 pm
[...] grads who aren’t quite ready to give up the college lifestyle. Whether you’re a wine snob or a beer geek, you spend your money on booze. When an old friend is in town on a business trip, we don’t offer [...]