Big Beer Brands Suffer at Hands of Craft Brewers on Independence Day

Courtesy: Instagram @grapevineontap

Every year, the Fourth of July holiday brings the best in food, friends, and beer to residents across the country. While the fireworks rain down and the burgers smoke on the grill, beer has remained a staple of many people’s celebrations. The National Beer Wholesalers Association published a study in 2016 to determine the most popular holidays for beer sales, both on and off premise, and unsurprisingly led the pack in both fields.

However, recent trends have many beer consumers switching from traditional big brands like Budweiser and Coors to local, artisan craft beer. MarketScale spoke with Grapevine Craft Brewery to learn more about how breweries like theirs stand apart from the competition and how they plan to celebrate Independence Day this year.

Craft beer makes up 15% of the total beer market in Texas, which according to marketing director Lane Joseph, is a sign of just how popular craft beers have become not only locally, but nationwide.

“Right now, we’re at the pinnacle [of the market]. It has gotten to a point of saturation where you have to stand out from the competition,” Joseph said.

Much of the reason behind the rise in popularity of craft beers are the difference in quality and impact to the community around them. With specialties like the brewery’s GRACE American Wheat, where 50 cents of every sale goes to GRACE, a non-profit relief agency based locally in Grapevine, or beers made with lavender, wheat, and other herbs and spices sourced from local DFW farms—these craft breweries are striving more to be community institutions rather than corporations.

“People are definitely growing more open to craft beer,” Joseph said. “A lot of people will come into our brewery and be overwhelmed by the selections—so when they come and ask for something like a Bud Light for example, we’re able to introduce them to a product of higher quality and expanding their tastes and knowledge of craft beer.”

While overall beer sales fell 1% in volume in 2017, craft beer sales grew 5%, a sign the consumer tastes are changing, and the trend may be here to last. This year’s holiday weekend coincides with the Grapevine taproom’s 3rd anniversary. From July 6th to 8th, the Brewery will have a weekend full of dance parties, family fun, brunch, and in true 4th of July spirit—tons of beer.