WEEK 180---factors hindering the spread of craft beer drinking culture

craft beer is niche---meaning it's not commonly available to masses like MACRO BEER does---both in terms of production capacity or accessibility--in a way----add in the fact that quite some craft brewers do not want to go big or increase production---it's understandable to geeks that craft beer will be small and niche---though at the same time geeks do like to see newbies get introduce to the entirely different world of beer drinking---it's easier said than done no thanks to some hindering factors:-

craft beer一直以来是小众的，一定意义上其实也不想成为像大厂啤酒那样无处不在垂手可得的商品，对啤迷来说，能看到更多新朋友接触了解喜欢上craft beer是乐事，但如何让多些人知道认识craft beer并改变对啤酒的错误刻板印象不是件轻易的事，以下是一些障碍：-

1) Ingrained idea/ Stereotype about BEER/Beer/beer

casually did a sort of opinion poll on both Hong Kong and Taiwan craft beer group earlier---basically listing a few hindering factors--and the most commonly agreed one is this---the very general idea /perception of  BEER is just some cheap yellow fizzy alcoholic beverages---there is nothing to explore---the idea of beer can be so delicious it needs at times serious tasting sessions is something most people don't know and likely don't understand when first told.

The harder part of introducing craft beer to people is that most people already have fixed idea/perception/expectancy of how a beer should taste or look like long before he or she has had the first craft beer--it's only natural that he or she might run away after first taste of craft beer if that taste profile is something so new/so strange/so "haven and earth moving" that their palate are so shaken up they decided they want to run away.....

1）刻板印象，先入为主

早前有随意做个意见反馈，在香港和台湾精酿团体社交媒体上问大家推广craft beer遇到的障碍，提出的几个阻力点中，被多人认同的一点就是消费者对啤酒的刻板认知，在绝对大多数人心目中啤酒就只是廉价酒精冷饮，没什么美味层次可言，这个刻板印象很大程度上让很多人对啤酒有了太过片面的错误认知，觉得啤酒就只是那样，就算craft beer也不过只是啤酒，有什么特别？这样的刻板印象确实让craft beer推广遇上很大阻力，因为很多人在接触了解之前就已经下定论。情况有点像对喝惯即溶咖啡的消费者说精品手工手冲咖啡多么不同那样，要让观念上已先入为主的人们改变看法接受啤酒的全新美味世界绝不是件易事。

2) No easy access/ Low visibility

BEER has always been easily available---it's almost everywhere--super market,  convenience stores, coffee shop, restaurants, gas stations---you name it. However we all know it's not so with craft beer---you need to move your ass to specific bars/bottle shop/taprooms to get your craft beer fix---it's not easily available--it's not everywhere---meaning it has very low visibility/availability to the general public---hence lowering the chances of someone randomly picking a bottle and somehow started to explore more.....

2）不是随处可得，能见度低

大家认知中啤酒是随处能买很容易找到的酒精冷饮，无论超市咖啡店便利店啤酒都能找到的商品。但craft beer并不是那么随处可买到的啤酒，亚洲来说基本都需要去专卖吧瓶子店才找得到，虽然啤迷都理解这是craft beer小量酿造供应量有限的特色，但对大众消费者而言，这特色一定程度上妨碍了更多人能遇到进而探索啤酒另一个全新世界的机会，既不是能随处看到买到，一般消费者也就无从知道啤酒世界原来并只是有大厂啤酒而已，什么是美味的craft beer至少要让人看到喝过才有机会认识一下。

3) ohh the Price---isn't BEER something cheap?

BEER is supposedly cheap alcoholic drinks--nothing more---that's been the perception to most--so it's not surprising to see some newbies gawk at some craft beer prices( nope not referring to grey market or secondary prices).

why craft beer prices are seemingly higher than those MACRO ones? though prices is quite a relative matter--but for the sake of comparison---we all know what is an economic of scale---compare the production capacity of craft and MACRO the answer is obvious.

then of course there are the small matters of the quality/choices of malt/wheat/barley, hops, yeast craft brewers would go for, as well how much fruits/food items/spices/adjuncts some craft brewers might throw into a beer---not to mention the time needed to either barrel aged or condition a beer before it's available for sale---at times due to really small production capacity---there might be only 100-200 bottles for sale---and nope--it's not the Big Corporation style of manufactured marketing to create scarcity--it's just that craft brewers can be really small like a 1 to 2 people team initially or mostly.

3）这价格，啤酒不是很便宜的吗

对好些第一次接触craft beer的人来说，价格乍看之下会让人觉得，不就是啤酒怎么需要付比平时熟悉大厂啤酒价格更高价位？

大众认知中，啤酒是便宜酒精冷饮，但人们忽略的一点是去认清为什么有的“啤酒”会价格高？大厂啤酒会比较“便宜”的因素不少，简单经济原理来说，产量巨大成本低的商品自然能便宜卖。

craft beer可说是小型酿造代名词，特点是不同酿坊很多，但绝对大多数都少量酿造（少到可能一批次某款酒只有100-200支可卖），加上很多酿酒师对啤酒美味层次的追求，除了选用优质麦芽酵母啤酒花和水之外，添加优质食材水果香料草本提味再加上桶陈过程等时间工序都意味着高成本，craft beer价格会比大厂啤酒高是可预见的，但如果算上好喝啤酒所能带来美味层次味蕾享受的话，懂的人都会觉得花钱买便宜但难喝啤酒才是《买贵了》。

4) some sort of knowledge needed--craft beer don't really sell by itself

This surely can be argued---some might not agree but it's fine.

BEER has always been available at most places--it's easy to pick up a few bottles/boxes---most people do that--no explanation/ guidance needed--but if one were to put up shop--filled it up with craft beer bottles--leave it to consumers to make up his/her own mind and expect the shop to show glowing sales figure every month---it's most likely would fail than succeed---for the simple reason that craft beer with it's variety of styles---and most importantly being something totally alien to general drinkers do need someone with knowledge to give basic guidance---people generally won't spend money on something he or she not sure what it is---curiosity buying does happen but that alone won't be enough....

The unique fun part of craft drinking is the varieties of styles available--but for first timers it could also be confusing or even intimidating---this is where a good advice/some form of guidance needed---a craft beer bar/shop staff/owner who don't know much about what is what can be very off putting.

4）需要一定基础认识，不是放着就能自动卖

这是可以有争议的观点，一直以来啤酒是摆在超市便利店或咖啡店冰柜就能自动卖出的商品，可是同样情况放在craft beer销售并不通用，一定程度上这是需要有懂得什么是不同类型风格酒款的人去介绍讲解带入门的啤酒生意，将一堆啤酒摆在柜子上冰柜内等喝酒人自己发掘是过于消极方式，craft beer有趣在不同类型风味啤酒选择很多，对新朋友来说，第一次走进专卖吧瓶子店看到众多不同酿坊不同风味啤酒名称及专有名词很可能会眼花缭乱不知道什么是什么，这时当然最好能有懂的人简单介绍讲解一下，如果店家店员对craft beer没基本认识一问三不知那会让新人更困惑或就此走人。

5) the lack of a commonly accepted basic guidelines/guidebook

Personally speaking--craft drinking is a process of palate training to discover what different styles of beers could bring to one's palate enjoyment---that beer drinking is no longer those ignorance days of MACRO gulping---craft beer is something worth exploring further for enjoyment of various taste and flavours---it's never about chasing alcohol or getting shit faced.

However---the spread of craft beer drinking culture does have it's obstacles--and the lack of commonly accepted basic guidelines or guidebook is one---say for examples if i were to tell someone new that you DO NOT ADD ICE when drinking craft beer--which is unspoken rules--but who am i to tell someone he or she cannot ADD ICE even though it's a basic no no? 

It is true that even craft beer drinking is all about personal preferences---what you like in a taste profile would decide your choice of beer---which is part of the fun of craft drinking--having a somewhat standardized or even rigid newbies guidelines/guidebook may sound like very "un-craft"---which probably partly explained why there's none so far---everyone and anyone who became a geek all started from zero---either by exploring the world of craft beer by himself/herself or somehow guided by someone initially/constantly on his/her craft journey.  Not sure if we would see a standardized guidebook emerging anytime soon--but with or without one--it's important that newbies do get the correct idea about what drinking craft is about from the start--that it's basically about exploring deliciousness/taste in a beer than anything else/

5）缺乏简易通用的新人入门指南

个人来说，喝craft beer其实是训练提升个人味蕾鉴赏力的过程，意思是如何让自己舌头嗅觉认知从原来只知道大厂啤酒“单一无味”中逐渐提升到通过不同类型风格认识分辨更多能通过啤酒酿造呈现的不同美味怪味趣味风味，从此扭转啤酒只是单一无趣完全没有任何美味层次可言酒精饮料的刻板印象。

如何让更多人接触了解认识喜欢上craft beer是第一步，亚洲不同城市有不少热爱的啤迷们通过各自方式在专卖吧瓶子店啤酒节庆活动还有社交媒体上或多或少尝试推广，这过程是需要的，但同时也是各司各法，没有“同一教材”或“统一方式”，大家都各凭自身经历/经验/心得/看法/认知去分享，这是可以理解的事，喝啤酒和吃东西一样，有个人口味选择/认知现象的存在，因为没有所谓权威的公认的入门指南或标准，新朋友从开始接craft beer触初期到喝了几年後的口味变化/味蕾鉴赏力提升与否有时会跟喝酒路上遇到什么样的酒友或“启蒙人”有着一定影响，当然会有能自己摸索自我提升的新朋友，但缺乏“同一教材”“统一方式”在一定程度上还是让一些新朋友因为不知道从何下手无所适而成为只偶尔喝下的“好奇尝鲜”喝酒人，或因为第一二次喝到不对味或味蕾太受震撼被吓跑，从此消失在craft beer美味探寻路上。