That “can’t go back” idea comes from a lot of other craft brewers.

I mostly agree with that idea, but Stephen’s point about “drinking to the occasion” can’t be overlooked.

Posers will and people who were never really drinking micros, but stuff like Corona and Shiner Bock. I side with Jim Koch that once people really appreciate good beer they aren’t going to settle for less if they can afford to.

There is somebody else corporately in charge. Keith continues in his development role. I’m happy to see him stay in the brewery.

Send a growler of that Chardonnay Wit eastward, will ‘ya?

Ed: Here’s a link to Stonch’s post.

Yessir, this is no Cadillac, but it’s as close as you can get for the money.”

(But you need to hang out with a better crowd. My friends would rather drink mediocre wine than mediocre beer.)

I must protest, good sir. What we’ve seen, I believe, is the death of brand loyalty, which means that the “average beer drinker” IS going to be mixing up his or her beer choices among light lagers, craft beers and imports. And sure, people who get a taste for craft beer still drink light lagers — I see it all the time, among friends, patrons in bars, even beer writers. (How many times have you heard someone who should know better say “Ya, I had a Bud, but it was the only beer going”?) With all due respect to yourself and Mr. Koch, “better beer” drinkers do go back, and it happens all the time.

It’s what I call “drinking to the occasion.” A light lager or two after the softball game, a draught pale ale after work with colleagues, a selection of imports when entertaining, back to the light lager when doing yard work around the house. It’s not what you or I do, but I do believe it’s a pattern millions of beer drinkers still follow.

And careful of putting percentages in Mr. Kiely’s mouth. He simply states that the “bulk” of that average person’s beer is light lager, not that the percentage of light lager consumed correlates exactly to the market share those beers possess. “Bulk” could be simply 50% plus one beer.

There is little more dangerous than disagreeing with you, but I’m going to take my chances.

Certainly the bulk of beer consumed is from macros – the beer we love is a niche within a niche. But look at his statement closely. His description is of a single beer drinker, implying the “average” person. Average being consuming something along the lines of 10% imports, 4% micros and 86% bland lagers.

Granted, he does focus on the late 20s demographic, and there is a matter of what people can afford. But once people get a taste for what Jim Koch calls “better beer” and they can afford that (like when they get a little older) then they aren’t going back.

That’s what the large beer companies are fighting – trying to get the coveted “Gen Y” drinkers to commit to them instead of wine, spirits of beer with flavor.

To Coors credit – as much as I hate given the corporate entity credit – they are creating options for venturesome drinkers.

Because, Stan, it’s utterly and undeniably true. Craft beer and imports are growing, no question, but the vast majority of the US market is still divvied up between A-B, Molson Coors and SABMiller, and the vast majority of the sales of those three companies is light lager.

In fact, that paragraph is one of the most lucid statements about the current state of the beer biz that I’ve read from a big beer guy in quite some time. It’s certainly more realistic than what comes out of the mouth of Mr. Graham “craft beer is going to fade” Mackay of SABMiller.