Colorado brewers at the forefront of the next beer transformation

Colorado was a state of beer since before it was a state. Adolph Coors and his partner Jacob Schueler opened what was then the Golden Brewery in 1873, three years before Colorado became a state. A century later, Colorado was in the vanguard of the brewing movement when Boulder Beer launched in 1979 and claimed the title of first licensed microbrewery in the country.

In an industry that has seen its growth run out of steam in recent years, beer manufacturers are on the lookout and, in many cases, are already working on the next wrinkles to throw in their tanks that could potentially attract new drinkers or stimulate the interest of consumers. those existing.

Not surprisingly, Colorado is expected to be at the forefront of the next wave of beers and alternatives to beer, according to industry advocates.

"Colorado has been known as the home of innovation in beer for several decades," said Andres Gil Zaldana, executive director of the Colorado Brewers Guild. "In recent decades, consumer preference has been more focused on health and well-being, which is really Colorado in general. We all like running, hiking and cycling.

The growth of gluten-free breweries is indicative of this trend, says Zaldana.

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Holidaily Brewing Co.'s founder, Karen Hertz, discovered that her home country was fertile ground. After two cancer attacks and the diagnosis of a rare thyroid disease, Hashimoto's disease, her thyroid was removed in 2009. Doctors told her to stop eating gluten to protect her health. It was a problem for the former Coors Brewing employee who was in love with beer: she could not find the gluten-free beverages she liked.

She embarked on a multi-year quest to offer gluten-free recipes that she thought were craft beer. This involved testing the brewing on the campus of Colorado State University and calling on a commercial brewer. This culminated with the opening in 2016 of its brewery and reception hall at 801 Brickyard Circle in Golden.

Replace traditional brewing grains such as barley with millet and buckwheat provided by Grouse Malt House in Wellington, Holidaily – named for Hertz's philosophy of treating each day as a holiday – brewed 1,200 barrels of beer last year, nearly four times more than the 257 barrels obtained achieved its first year of business. On May 4th, Holidaily will celebrate the official opening of a $ 2.8 million, 10,000 square foot brewery facility located one block away. houses of his first brewery and his own factory. It will triple the capacity of society.

Hertz's relationships in the industry have certainly helped Holidaily grow. It currently has 300 distribution accounts in the state and is available in prestigious locations like Coors Field and Broncos Stadium in Mile High. But it also attributes the unique culture of the state.

"The Colorado community just perfectly combines this beer with health, wellness and craft beer," said Hertz. "With this overlap, Colorado was the perfect place for our beer."

Just a few miles north of Colorado 93, Pedro Gonzalez, founder of New Planet Beer, based in Boulder, is dedicated to growing his gluten-free brand exclusively through distribution.

New Planet is a precursor in the brewing world without gluten. It was launched in 2009, six years after Gonzalez's diagnosis of celiac disease. After brewing sorghum for years, New Planet reformulated all its beers in 2015 and now uses ingredients such as blue corn and Grouse Malt House millet. The company does not publish its barrel production figures, but Mr. Gonzalez said his sales grew by 3% in 2018, 1% less than the overall 4% pace of the beer industry craft. It currently distributes in 10 states outside Colorado, including Florida, Massachusetts and Michigan. Gonzalez said he expects the growth of 2019 to reach between 5 and 10%.

There are differences between New Planet and Holidaily beyond the business strategy. Holidaily is a "dedicated" gluten-free brewery, which means nothing contains gluten going through its doors. New Planet beer is manufactured at Sleeping Giant Brewing, a Denver contract brewer. Its beers are classified as gluten-free and reduced-gluten in the guidelines of the Food and Drug Administration, said Gonzalez.

New Planet beer is cheaper. And the company uses less grain than Holidaily, which reduces the alcohol content of its beers. Where Fat Randy's IPA contains 7% alcohol by volume, on par with many gluten-containing APIs, New Planet's IPA of Second Planet accounts for only 4.9% of ABV. The decision to lower the ABV was intentional, says Gonzalez, and touches the trends of beer and the market in general.

"What I'm seeing is that we've turned to lighter beers, lower calories, and healthier ingredients," says Gonzalez. "The consumer is kind of focused on health and well-being. And, you know, people want to feel good the next day.

The decrease in taste for alcohol – especially among young people – is felt in the beverage industry. In a presentation shared earlier this month with Brewers members of the Boulder-based Brewers Association, market research groups Nielsen and Nielsen CGA presented poll results that found that 47% of regular consumers alcohol declared themselves resolved to drink less. People aged 21 to 34 represented the highest percentage of drinkers seeking to limit their consumption. Health was the main reason why participants chose to reduce their consumption.

Colorado is consistently ranked as one of the healthiest – if not the healthiest – states in the country. This represents a market opportunity for Athletic Brewing Co., Connecticut.

Co-founded by Bill Shufelt and award-winning brewer Jon Walker, Athletic produces non-alcoholic craft beer in an exclusive process. Ninety-five per cent of this company's under-year business comes from distribution, including direct delivery to the consumer. Until now, 10% of the company's sales were made in Colorado, Shufelt said. Although Athletic is only available at liquor stores, Total Wine at 3905 E. Evans Ave., Denver, and Colorado, ranked 21st in terms of population.

Shufelt and Walker came to Denver last week for the Craft Brewers Conference to strengthen their local presence. It was the first year that the conference organized a seminar dedicated to low or non-existent ABV beers.

"Everyone is watching the same people and trying to sell them more beer," said Shufelt. "And we think there is a totally different population. We only make beer for a modern, healthy and conscious adult.

Athletic is not alone. Molson Coors announced in 2017 that it was testing new varieties of non-alcoholic lagers. A bill signed by the governor, Jared Polis, earlier this year, allowed state brewers to produce malt-based beverages with an alcohol content of between 4% and 0.5%. weak ABV that previously required a separate license. Zaldana, of the Colorado Brewers Guild, expects a wave of slightly alcoholic 'beers' is needed across the state.