Document Type
Honors Thesis
Abstract
For this project I will be exploring how the history of beer has led to craft brewers competing against large brewers. Scholars (Reid, Watson, George) usually look at the issue from the craft brewer’s side or the macrobrewers’ side. They also go to great lengths to define each category from large brewers, to craft brewers, and more obscure categories such as microbrewers and brewpubs. Scholars also differentiate how large brewers and craft brewers appeal to their customers bases and how those bases have changed over time. In addition, they define the large beer conglomerate that now controls an astronomical percentage of the beer market. They also look at craft-style beers that were created by the large breweries in an attempt to defeat craft brewers at their own business. I think the gap in the research relates to history. Amy Mittelman’s book, Brewing Battles: A History of American Beer, does a phenomenal job examining the history of beer. I want to look at history because I believe there has to be a historical precedent for what we are seeing now in the beer industry. I think it's important to note that large brewers didn't always exist, especially here in the US. Determining how the history has helped create what we see now in the beer industry will help determine where beer is going in the future. My method will draw from strong academic research to prove my argument. In addition to traditional academic sources, I will use company presentations and detailed financial information to help with my argument. I feel that my research will be beneficial for both consumers and producers of beer and of alcohol in general.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Repository Citation
Orel, Joshua E., "This Bud's For Who? Craft Brewing and the Transformation of the American Beer Industry" (2018). Honors Theses - Providence Campus. 32.
https://scholarsarchive.jwu.edu/student_scholarship/32