AfiftTh-PThffftflftff B Thft J/Afi 217want a slice of the pie, especially in developing markets: Asahi scooped
up Laverton in April 2013, followed by Mountain Goat last September;
Heineken bought a 50-per cent stake in US-based Lagunitas Brewing
Co. while Kirin purchased a 30-percent-plus stake in in Yo-Ho Brewing.
In April, Bavaria acquired a 35-per cent stake in Dutch label De Molen.
Even if the giants are not dabbing into the craft beer businesses, they’re
pumping out pricier premium lines to upsell craftmanship: Kirin opened
its Yokohama Beer Village; and Miller Coors launched Blue Moon.
A brand that continues to brave against the tides is Japan’s Baird Beer –
a long-time craft brewer with more than six taprooms around the country
since launching in 2000. The reason? “Attitude,” says Founder Bryan Baird.
“There are probably as many nuanced views on [selling out] as there
are craft beer market participants. Craft beer, in my view, is about an
attitude and an orientation, which is not in the DNA of an industrial
brewer. They can purchase and ape real craft breweries but they can
never be one,” he says, though admitting that his biggest challenge is
to grow at a rate that supports the big infrastructure investment he
made recently without compromising.“The craft beer market in Asia is
emerging and will eventually explode.”
True, selling out would undermine the sense of community that
comes with craft beer, but it’s also the best way to promote and distribute
the brand. “There’s beer that’s mass-produced on a huge, huge scale,
and then there’s beer that’s made with passion and creativity by people
who oversee and taste every batch and are putting forth something they
love; as cheesy as that sounds. That’s the craft beer market that goes
along with it,” says So. “For me, I just want to see better beer everywhere
without having to go out of my way to find a special bar. I’d like to sit
down and have a quality drink with my meal.”
Back at the Little Beer Room, the floor is buzzing with a steady crowd
on a Wednesday evening. “Craft beer will only be more widespread
here. If we don’t react, we’ll only be left behind like Kodak in face of the
digital camera shift. At the end of a day, craft beer is just a business, but
quality products will break through,” Wong says.
http://www.thebottleshop.hk
http://www.beertopiahk.com
http://www.bairdbeer.com
Clockwise from the left: Baird Beer
Bottom right: Little Beer Room