People who are predisposed to spend $95 to attend a beer and food festival say “high quality” is their main priority when purchasing beer, as opposed to low price or brand recognition.
Is this news?
Here are excerpts from the Brewers Association press release:
On Saturday, May 30, over 1,900 attendees enjoyed craft beer and food pairings from 68 craft breweries at the sold-out SAVOR: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. A post-event survey conducted by the Brewers Association finds that demand for quality beer remains high despite the economy. An overwhelming 91.4 percent of surveyed attendees said the economy has not affected the quality of beer they purchase. In addition, 98.8 percent of respondents cite “high quality” as their main priority when purchasing beer, as opposed to “low price” or “brand recognition.”
When it comes to spending habits, over half (54.9 percent) of surveyed SAVOR attendees said they spend more than $50 per month on beer, while 36.6 percent spend between $25 and $50 and only 8.6 percent spend less than $25 per month. And contrary to popular belief, many beer lovers enjoy other fermented beverages as well. Nearly half of respondents (46.9 percent) claimed to look outside the beer glass and consider themselves to be cross drinkers (enjoying a combination of beer, wine and/or liquor), while 51.6 percent identify themselves as beer lovers exclusively.
Survey Methodology: The Brewers Association survey of SAVOR: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience attendees took place online from June 1-2, 2009, with data derived from 257 respondents.
I find the idea that this survey of people who paid $95 to attend SAVOR (ticket details) was conducted and that the results might have meaning so strange I can’t think of anything flip to write.
“And contrary to popular belief, many beer lovers enjoy other fermented beverages as well.
Contrary to popular belief? What is this popular belief of which they speak, and where has it been written?
Given that SAVOR was explained as a lobbying effort, isn’t it fair to say that 100% of those surveyed were the sort of people who spend $95 in Washington for a food and drink lobbying event and were happy to tell people about it?
A conspiracy theorist might say that survey was cooked up to rationalize ridiculously high craft beer prices.
Alan — I know 4 people who went to the DC Savor who have no political connections at all to bolster, they just like good beer and I also heard the food was good too. Oh, and they also like “other fermented beverages as well.”
4 out of 1,900 isn’t a great majority, but it is a random 4.
Alan – I think SAVOR was created to showcase beer w/ food in a “classy” setting and as something of an East Coast festival for BA members.
That it’s in DC obviously sets up lobbying opportunities for those there any way. Much more of an issue today, when brewers face serious tax hikes, than it was when planning started.
Stan – Just my own take, but I think Alan was fishing for anything flip you might have written.
Okay, so was I! 😉
No, I need not bait Stan. Somewhere else (that I can’t find) I asked why there is this movable feast of the same core people meeting over and over across America to manufacture activity around craft beer and was told SAVOR was developing into the Federal lobbying event in that calendar.
My observation has two aspect – there is a recent move to branding a unity of craft beer with semi-celebrity leaders which is getting a bit weird and isn’t it a bit odd that craft beer has to go rather than attract? Sort of the opposite of “local.”