Twenty or 30 years ago, the beer market in Canada was stable and predictable, with a playing field well defined by the major brands of the big two breweries. Today, the scene has changed.
Since the late 1980s, some 300 or more craft breweries have sprouted up across the country, their steadily growing popularity cutting into the still-massive market shares of Labatt and Molson. And while the volume sales of imports declined in 2013 by almost four per cent, according to StatsCan, beers from abroad still account for more than one out of every 10 brews Canadians consume — in a beer market that has been effectively stagnant or shrinking for the last two decades. One way to make sense and profit from this beery largesse is to follow consumer trends, which, according to Rob Swiderski, owner-operator of the three-location Craft Beer Market, can be easier said than done. “We find big differences province to province,” notes Swiderski, whose units operate in Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. “‘Hop heads’ — those who love big, bitter ales — are a lot more prevalent in B.C., where IPAs sell really well, while the Calgary market is more wheat beers and lagers.”
While Craft locations cater to all palates, Swiderski also takes pains to stock brands that he sees as being key to the development of the local beer culture, including traditional and sometimes challenging Belgian ales. “We always try to stay on the cutting edge,” says Swiderski.
Asked to identify trending beers, Swiderski demurs, offering instead the observation that “people’s palates are progressing” and that efforts to further that development, such as the serving of India pale ales in style-specific glassware designed by Spiegelau, have been well-received at all three Craft locations.
A similar view is voiced by Pat Thomson, beverage manager at Toronto’s Wvrst, although he notes a fledgling movement towards lighter beers (not “light beers”). “One thing I’m seeing is a bit of a trend towards lower alcohol but still full-flavoured ales,” says Thomson, citing in particular sub-five-per-cent alcohol American-style pale ales and IPAs. Thomson also reports growing interest in cider. “More and more, people are trying to stay away from gluten,” he says, “As an alternative to a gluten-free beer, a lot of people will choose cider.”
Of course, as beer selection grows, server guidance becomes proportionally more important, which is why the staff at Wvrst has achieved Certified Beer Server status through the U.S.-based Cicerone Certification Program, a fledgling beer equivalent to sommelier status in wine.
“[The certification] not only gives our staff a basic understanding of beer styles,” says Thomson, “it also lets patrons know the person on the other side of the bar has the knowledge to help guide them to a good experience.”
Perhaps just as importantly, Thomson says the education process adds an element of passion to the way staff approach their jobs. “When [staff has] been put through the program, studying and tasting beer, it adds to the enthusiasm they show when they’re on the floor.”
