Beer industry trending toward stability. Are we really that ridiculous?

Just Tapped

Today is Opening Day. The start of the MLB baseball season is like spring itself: a season of renewal, birth, and possibility. Hope springs eternal regardless of which team you root for, or even if you root for no team at all. Of course, nothing goes better with baseball than beer. Imagine summertime and short sleeves, the sun glaring in your eyes as you sit in the outfield bleacher seats sipping on something delicious. It's been a crazy winter, but the days of summer are on the way. PLAY BALL!

Dads UnTappd

Vinepair recently featured an article about a microtrend emerging on TikTok. Some TikTokkers are posting videos about their beer geek parents. It seems “kids these days” are amused by our beery obsession. For example, one video shows a girl rolling her eyes at the ridiculousness of her dad checking into beers on UnTappd and carefully arranging taster glasses for an Instagram moment. Another video jokes about a dad becoming irrationally exuberant and doing a happy dance upon visiting a favorite brewery for the first time.

One interesting thing to note, statistics show that over 30% of UnTappd users are between 25 and 34 years old. The vast majority are below the age of 44. So, in a way, these TikTokkers are making fun of themselves. Maybe they're just making fun of the old farts fumbling with technology.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, for drinkers of a certain age, craft beer has always existed in abundance and is nothing special. We don't care if the now-arriving generation of imbibers is UnTappd-obsessed. We don't need them to understand the differences between schwarzbier and tmavé pivo. We just need them to consume craft beer.

Just like every generation before it, this generation is making fun of its parents. We think that's perfectly fine. Sometimes, we think we're ridiculous too. Now you kids get off my lawn and go buy some craft beer!

The BPI is Trending Toward Stability

The National Beer Wholesalers Association just released the Beer Purchasers' Index for March. The latest BPI offers some pretty good news overall, but for the craft beer segment, the bumpy ride continues. Collectively, we’re trending toward stability.

The BPI surveys beer distributors’ purchases across different segments and compares them to previous years. A reading greater than 50 indicates the segment is expanding. A reading below 50 indicates the segment is contracting. The craft beer index at 28 continues to signal segment contraction but at least it shows a continued trend upwards. At least it's a bit less contraction than in most of the previous months. Read more about the BPI here.

Around the Web

• New Belgium Brewing recently announced that it will acquire the Constellation Brands brewery in Virginia. It will brew its own brands there but New Belgium has also reached an agreement to brew some of Constellation Brands' beers there as well. Read more. Story by Pro Brewer.

• The future of Trappist beers is in jeopardy as fewer and fewer people in Belgium are becoming monks. Without monks, breweries lose their Trappist status. It's already happened to one brewery. Read more. Story by the drinks business.

What Day is it?

As noted, today is Opening Day for the Major League Baseball season. But even if you don't like baseball, you have reason to celebrate. According to the National Day Calendar, March 30th is also National Turkey Neck Soup Day and National Take a Walk in the Park Day.

This week's Taster Tray was composed by Kendall Jones.