Getting into the beer business

As the year end approaches, some of you are no doubt beginning to think about the new year, and new directions. For those of you who are thinking in terms of a new career, entrepreneur magazine has this to say about the craft brewing business:

Ask industry experts what’s brewing and you’ll get a stout response: craft beer. The volume of craft beer sold in the first half of 2007 rose 11 percent compared to the same period in 2006, and dollar growth increased 14 percent, according to the Brewers Association. “People like the taste of hand-crafted beers that deliver unexpected flavors,” says Keith Villa, a brewmaster at Coors. Beer writer Stephen Beaumont credits the growth of craft beer to the trading-up phenomenon that is raising the bar across all industries.

Do the prospects have you giddy? If so, don’t discount women and do tap into underserved markets. Beaumont believes the image-friendly premium beer segment–seen as more tasteful than the frat-friendly nonpremium market–will draw a wide consumer base, and that in the U.S., markets in the South are “poised to turn the corner.” Craft beer has surpassed 5 percent of overall beer sales, according to the Brewers Association. Justin Fisch, marketing director for United States Beverage, a beer and spirits sales and marketing company, predicts that number will grow to 15 percent to 20 percent within the next 10 years.

If that taste makes you want to go into the craft brewing business, check out the whole article at entrepreneur.com.