The craft beer industry in the province says that it appears to be stabilizing after years of high costs and uncertainty.
Ahead of this year’s summer, usually the peak season for the industry, breweries hope that events, such as the FIFA World Cup and the last NHL playoff matches, paired with patio weather, will drive sales.
Ken Beattie, the executive director of the BC Craft Brewers Guild, tells 1130 News Radio that companies are partnering with restaurants to try to promote local products.
“The hockey playoffs are also some help, the fact that Montreal Canadiens are hanging in there, and that gets a lot of people going out and celebrating and enjoying the experiences in a tasting room or a pub, or so, hopefully people are drinking craft beer,” he said.
Despite the cautiously positive outlook, he adds that the industry has been facing some tough challenges lately with rising costs and changing consumer habits.
With people generally drinking less alcohol, breweries are trying to shift their focus to add more non-boozy options.
The biggest challenge, however, remains the high operating costs.
Especially small and family-owned microbreweries are having a hard time.
“The biggest struggle is cost. I mean, the costs continue to be layered on, whether that be through taxes or the government had to raise user fees to the manufacturers, so that was an increase,” Beattie explained.
“Sales for our smaller members are off a bit, but the big members, the regional breweries, are doing, they’re kind of flat. Considering the industry is off about four or five per cent compared to the major big foreign brewers, that’s a pretty good. We’re hanging in there.”
Beatty says there is strong support in the province for local craft breweries, and there is a push to increase craft beer presence in restaurants and private liquor stores.
– With files from Ben Bouguerra.