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"EoinMag":3ctm60mw wrote: I mean even there I'm sure the brunt of his turnover is still from the macros.[/quote:3ctm60mw]

Nowhere near. Take all the premium bottled Beers and Irish Draught, versus macros, and you have a selling ratio of 2:1. Why have the Irish Beers have survived, safety in numbers <!-- s:lol: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_lol.gif" alt="" title="Laughing" /><!-- s:lol: -->

The biggest threat i could ever see to the macro's is business owners noticing their customers asking for something different, and reacting to it(or being brave enough to!).

&amp;quot;silenus&amp;quot;:1jlkl483 wrote:

&amp;quot;EoinMag&amp;quot;:1jlkl483 wrote: I mean even there I'm sure the brunt of his turnover is still from the macros.[/quote:1jlkl483]

Nowhere near. Take all the premium bottled Beers and Irish Draught, versus macros, and you have a selling ratio of 2:1. Why have the Irish Beers have survived, safety in numbers <!-- s:lol: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_lol.gif" alt="" title="Laughing" /><!-- s:lol: -->

The biggest threat i could ever see to the macro's is business owners noticing their customers asking for something different, and reacting to it(or being brave enough to!).[/quote:1jlkl483]

Ok nice one, but I think that might be down to your speciality niche ( purveyors of premium beers <!-- s:) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_smile.gif" alt="" title="Smile" /><!-- s:) -->), but good work in any case.

Eoin

&amp;quot;EoinMag&amp;quot;:2h5xqm9o wrote: I'm not sure what chance micros have outside of a specialist beer setting the likes of Silenus place. I mean even there I'm sure the brunt of his turnover is still from the macros, the few times I've been there the other people at the table not of our party were drinking the usual swill.[/quote:2h5xqm9o]+1

I think if a micro beer is to have any chance in the main-stream market, it'll have to sell itself as such - a mainstream beer.

Most people don't care about all the "local craft beer carry-on". They want a "trusted" brand, with an image as a popular, predictably bland, session beer.

I don't really think the micro's can pull that image off. (edit: or should)

(Even if they could, I can just imagine the complanits about the funny taste - I've seen too many people ask for ice, and even a "splash of cranberry" in their Fosters, to have hope)

All that said, I think awareness of craft beer is growing amongst people who would actually be intereseted in a beer with taste. And that is where the market is.

&amp;quot;GrimRob&amp;quot;:2g76owtl wrote:

&amp;quot;EoinMag&amp;quot;:2g76owtl wrote: I'm not sure what chance micros have outside of a specialist beer setting the likes of Silenus place. I mean even there I'm sure the brunt of his turnover is still from the macros, the few times I've been there the other people at the table not of our party were drinking the usual swill.[/quote:2g76owtl]+1

I think if a micro beer is to have any chance in the main-stream market, it'll have to sell itself as such - a mainstream beer.

Most people don't care about all the "local craft beer carry-on". They want a "trusted" brand, with an image as a popular, predictably bland, session beer.

I don't really think the micro's can pull that image off.

(Even if they could, I can just imagine the complanits about the funny taste - I've seen too many people ask for ice, and even a "splash of cranberry" in their Fosters, to have hope)

All that said, I think awareness of craft beer is growing amongst people who would actually be intereseted in a beer with taste. And that is where the market is.[/quote:2g76owtl]

I was talking to a bloke the other week who would kinda be a meat and potatoes sort of chap and would just order a pint of whatever. He was quite blasse with his opinion of what he called "trendy" beers and how silly it is to see shelves full of gone off "specialist" beer that about 3 people in the whole pub/off-licence would buy. This was in Scotland now so I suppose slightly different story to here.

&amp;quot;Diablo&amp;quot;:2g76owtl wrote:

&amp;quot;Alan Gold Label&amp;quot;:2g76owtl wrote: cause the brewers aren't really doing that great of a job at marketing their beers. [/quote:2g76owtl]

I'd say they're busting their ass marketing their products with the limited resources and limited distribution channels they have vs. the massive resources of macros.

Creating a great product is only half the battle. Telling the customer about the prduct and Getting the product to the customer are arguably the greatest challenges.[/quote:2g76owtl]

Yeah I know what you're saying - it's hard marketing and advertising when you're a tinchy company. I remember The Beer Nut talking about this on a forum before and he was saying how secretive some micro-brewers can be and it doesn't help them. O'Hara's website has been pretty dormant for months! There's a bit of a blurb on it and a picture but that's about it. No list of pubs and offies where you can get the beers or anything.


In contrast Galway Hooker's website is pretty damn good with a list of locations to buy the beer and all that.

Aldi in the states has been marketing private-labeled beers from regional craft breweries (Gordon Biersch most often) for many years.

A person's only got some much time & money to fanatical about something. You can't be nuts about everything. Are Porsches and BMWs better cars than, says, most Toyotas or Fords? Yes, but people still drive Toyotas and Fords, regarding those vehicles as mere transportation than a transcendental ride. Same thing for O'Hara's and Belfast versus Guinness and Bud. For some folks all they care about is a cheap thirst-quenching fermented beverage.

You should see a documentary film called "beer Wars" which tells sad tales of Micro vs macro
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="beerwarsmovie.com/">beerwarsmovie.com/