In April, Budweiser Group acquired the first local craft beer house "Keba" and announced the closure of all six stores, leaving only bottled beer business. Prior to this, "Keba" was once strong because it was acquired. It started outdoor advertising on the Bund, and the number of stores doubled. As a fast-moving consumer product, it built a "Starbucks in the beer industry", which cost a lot of money to make a face-lift, but the landing effect was not satisfactory. Huang Wei, the founder of Kaiba, bluntly said, "Get out of the way with the new business model. It has lost its original spiritual core and lost a little human touch."
Human touch is the soul of all pubs. A glass of fresh beer, a sip of wine foam, with lights and music, makes you feel slightly drunk, not dreaming that you are drunk, but just relaxing for a while. This is a charming memory of the pub. However, due to the demolition of Zhaozhou Road, in the middle of February 20 18, the legendary bar "Jack's Dimple" in Shanghai announced its closure, ending the operation of 1 1 in this cold winter. It was once called "the smallest but full of soul". In fact, the warning has long been there. When the boss Jack was interviewed the year before last, he said wearily, "Once you open a shop, people will be trapped here and can't go anywhere. It's been ten years, and I don't want to set it up again. "
On the one hand, the high-end beer on the market is rapidly sinking, and a large number of craft beer are imported, forcing local manufacturers such as Qingdao and Snowflake to join the war and launch high-end series; On the other hand, hot money poured in, but the market transaction volume grew slowly. According to the data of China Craft Beer Competition (CCBA), the annual growth rate of China craft beer industry is as high as 40%, but the consumption is less than 1% of the overall beer market.
What happened to the craft beer that was once full of anger?
"Craft beer has not yet formed an industry standard in China, and the influx of a large number of players will inevitably lead to the flooding of the market." Yin Jie, a senior craft beer observer, told CBN, "For example, the wholesale price of ordinary beer is 3 yuan. As long as it is labeled as' craft beer', the retail price can at least double or triple, but the quality is still the same. Ordinary consumers can't tell the difference. They may think that craft beer is like this and will ruin the market. "
At the end of 19, the alcohol trade was quite prosperous, and fakes were once rampant in the market. In order to protect the interests of the industry, in the first half of the 20th century, the naming laws of geographical producing areas led by France became the international standard of the wine industry. Yin Jie believes that craft beer in China is going through a turning point, similar to the process of establishing wine industry standards. "The self-elimination of craft beer has already started, but it won't last long. Almost in these two years, some (brands) will be left behind, and then some will come in every year, and then they will be benign. "
3 yuan to 30 yuan, break the bargain spell.
Before the China beer market was divided by five oligarchs, namely China Resources Snowflake, Qingdao, Budweiser, Yanjing and Carlsberg, there were times when "a hundred flowers blossom".
Yin Jiechu was born in 1980. In the eighties and nineties of last century, Shanghainese's dining table was the home of local beer brands, while Shanghai, Donghai, Libo and Guangming ... now only Suntory is left. In my parents' generation, you can still drink Jardine Matheson, which was founded in 1933 by British businessman Jardine Matheson. Its product line is rich, ranging from yellow beer, dark beer and red beer to wort drinks and fitness dew.
"In the past, there were many specialty beers, such as Yangzhou Jasmine, Shanghai Dianshan Lake and Wuxi Taihu Water, which have all been acquired. Therefore, some people say that foreign beer has many flavors, and China beer has a taste. " Yin Jie is a little sorry. The rapid development of beer industry in China began in 1970s and 1980s. With the help of a series of national preferential policies, local governments mainly led the introduction of technology and equipment. At its peak, there were more than 1000 beer brands in China. However, around the Millennium, the beer industry entered a period of integration and expansion, and gradually formed an industrial beer style dominated by Palelager, which was characterized by lightness and bitterness.
Relying on this single type, since 2002, China's beer production has surpassed that of the United States, ranking first in the world. In contrast, it has been hovering at the price of three or four yuan per liter for many years.
"In China's traditional wine culture, beer has always been non-mainstream. It was originally imported, unlike wine, so many people think it is synonymous with cheap and can't get on the table. " Yin Jie thinks.
200 1 After China joined the World Trade Organization (WTO), the active entry of imported beer began to break the consumption curse. 20 10 During the Shanghai World Expo, Yin Jie was attracted by a "Victorian Bitter Beer" in the Australian Pavilion, and the price was as high as that of 40 yuan. Unexpectedly, it has an unprecedented rich taste, "not bitter, but cool", and has been fascinated by craft beer since then. He drank more than 3,000 kinds of beer, collected more than 5,000 wine bottles and more than 3,000 wine lids, and was called "beer hunter" by people in the industry.
At first, Yin Jie had to try his luck in the imported supermarkets. A small amount of German beer, a small amount of Belgian beer and other odds and ends were almost all he could find at that time. Until he was in the "Jack's Dimple" on Zhaozhou Road, he "unlocked" the craft culture. This humble little bar is covered with beer posters from all over the world except all kinds of beer that can't be named. The ceiling lamp changed from one bottle to another, and the warm light set off the warmth and uniqueness of this couple's shop.
"In 2008, I was taken to the store for a drink by a friend. At that time, it was still next door, only half as big as it is now, just a table, two freezers, six chairs, and it was a slender passage, about 20 meters. " Lin Lin, president of Shanghai Craft Beer Association, is another Jack dimple drinker. "I will never forget it in my life. The first bottle is Lan Zhimei. I was stunned. How about this beer? "
It has obvious malt flavor, outstanding floral and fruity fragrance, soft and sweet taste, and gradually fades out the faint bitterness. This classic Belgian monastery beer comes from Zhimei Distillery, founded in 1863, and is also a best seller in European and American craft beer. In 2007, with the help of the working background of an import trading company, "Jack's Dimple" introduced more than 60 kinds of unique craft beer in a space of more than 20 square meters. In order to let customers drink fresh fragrance, a draft beer system was developed, which has a high freezer and a wine head.
However, whenever a boutique bar is newly opened, almost all shopkeepers will come here to learn from the scriptures, and wine lovers who make a pilgrimage will queue up at the door. After more than ten years, such lively scenes have been repeated in major cities all over the country, from Niupitang in Beijing, Jing A and Panda Fine Brewing to Gaoshifu in Nanjing, pub 18 in Wuhan and bumper harvest in Chengdu. On Fahua Town Road in Shanghai, Zhang, the owner of Haifu convenience store, who started selling imported beer, quickly stood up. Her business has expanded from a cigarette and paper shop of more than 20 square meters to a "beer aunt" with five stores. The largest Baoshan branch has gathered more than 8,000 bottles of beer, which "can receive tour groups".
Yin Jie and Linlin are both the earliest customers of "Auntie Beer" and have a good personal relationship. According to Yin Jie's observation, "several stores of' Auntie Beer' are doing very well, and the best selling price of 35 to 55 yuan is mainly malt beer." While industrial beer is generally entangled in the low price of one liter in 4 yuan, imported craft beer can rush to the range of about 10, which has also become a great temptation to stir up the market.
Chaotic craft beer market
20 12 is generally considered as the first year of fine brewing by people in the industry. An important sign is that craft beer is finally unified into craft beer after undergoing literal translation such as homemade beer and handmade beer. Compared with the dull style of industrial beer, fine brewing seems to reopen the door of the beer world, with the smoothness of IPA (Indian light al), the thick sweetness of Shi Tao and the strong intoxicating of the monastery. ...
During this period, except for a few bars with self-brewing ability, most of the craft beer was imported and began to be distributed in supermarkets and bars, which met the potential needs of some high-end and emerging consumers and made up for the lack of diversification and personalization of domestic beer. According to the data of Beer Branch of China Liquor Association, imported beer broke out for three consecutive years at 20 12-20 14, with a cumulative increase of 426.8 1%. This trend has aroused public concern.
The beer is poured too fast, and the bubbles quickly overflow, which is difficult to control.
In Yin Jie's impression, some imported beer is under the banner of fine brewing, but it is actually just a fake name; There are also some small workshops that go directly to ask for money. In fact, they just hang sheep's heads and sell dog meat. "There are so many craft beers on the market that some wine merchants turn them into temporary wines regardless."
The definition of craft beer in China is unclear and there is no industry standard, which greatly contributes to this confusion. In the United States, the birthplace of modern craft beer, the Brewers Association has strict restrictions on craft beer: the annual output does not exceed 6 million barrels (about 700,000 tons); The winery is not controlled by non-handmade wineries or its shares are less than 25%; In more than 50% of the sales, no auxiliary materials were used to make wine. According to the unofficial standard of China Craft Beer Association (CBAC) established on 20 17, the annual output is limited to less than 20,000 tons, and there are no shareholders of non-craft beer enterprises.
"The annual output of 99% fine breweries in the United States does not exceed 1 10,000 tons, so the figure of 20,000 tons will not be surpassed by China fine breweries for a long time to come. The output of large breweries in China exceeds several hundred thousand tons. The threshold is set here to kick out the big wineries and protect the small wineries. " Lin Lin explained.
But at least until the national industry standard of craft beer is issued, the chaotic market will continue, and local brands need to adjust and adapt as soon as possible. Shanghai Boxing Cat 20 1 1 began to participate in international competitions. In 20 16, he won the silver medal in the world beer cup, the authoritative beer cup in the industry, which is the best achievement in China so far. "It has the sweetness of toffee and the aroma of malt is rich. It is a refreshing and smooth rag with few layers and no complexity. " Zeng Jianping, one of the founders of Boxing Cat, introduced to CBN.
"In the early years, the China market was very chaotic. Some people like to promote it by marketing, but medals can give consumers trust and enhance their sense of identity; By participating in the competition, international people can also learn about China's fine wine. " Zeng Jianping was born in Taiwan Province Province, China, and grew up in Canada. He said that when he first started to explore the boutique bar business, he hated to hear the saying that "there is no good beer in China".
Compared with industrial beer, craft beer is a wonderful collision of water, malt, yeast and hops. The fluidity of modern beer has been greatly enhanced, but for craft beer such as IPA, the use of hops is related to flavor and bitterness. "Domestic craft beer, the core raw materials are imported, especially different hops, there is no good choice. At present, China is only willing to plant a few varieties that big wineries want, and is unwilling to invest in niche markets. " Zeng Jianping said.
Shortly after the acquisition of Kaiba, Boxing Cat was also included in Budweiser Group, backed by the newly-built Wuhan Fine Brewery with an investment of 60 million yuan. Bottled beer and draft beer from boxing cats are continuously sent to big cities. "The craft style on the market, a small bottle of 350ml or even smaller specifications at least in 8 yuan. The cost of raw materials is transparent. If the price is lower, it must have sacrificed something. " Zeng Jianping said, "The price of fine wine is not so expensive. The best wine in the world costs hundreds of dollars a bottle, so this is not the wine you need to worry about. "
Sink into the second and third lines and go to the mainland.
On June 5438+ 10 this year, the "Kaiba" on Dingxi Road was renovated and opened in the name of "fist cat first pub", supplying 10 kinds of wine, equipped with a new self-service wine machine, with six or seven waiters, and the operating cost was equivalent to 30% to 40% of Sinan Road.
"At present, small bars are run by soul figures. Now we want to try to make wine a product without soul figures and see if guests are interested in contacting craft beer in such a place. " In Zeng Jianping's vision, the business model of "fist cat first pub" with relatively light assets can accelerate the sinking of second-tier cities. Lin Lin has a similar view. He believes that the growth point of Chinese craft beer in the past two years is in second-and third-tier cities. "If you don't grasp the second and third tier cities, it is impossible to develop."
Lin Lin's other identity is the chief product officer of Lai Bao Fine Brewing. However, before he came to Lai Bao on 20 14, the company had gained a firm foothold in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai boutique brewing circles with its own stainless steel bottled draught beer. The story behind it is actually a bit bitter, because we can't afford expensive glass bottles and beer filling lines, and each stainless steel bottle for ten yuan has become a desperate choice for the team, but the ending is satisfactory. With the help of instant brand image, Lai Bao won two rounds of investment of 20 14 and 20 15 to update brewing equipment and pave the way for restaurants and supermarkets.
Shang Chao, e-commerce, bars, which are important scenes for the spread, experience and consumption of beer culture, have always been the battleground and main battlefield for craft beer. For Lai Bao, who is good at marketing and promotion, it is an opportunity to seize the market by designing different wines for different scenes. For example, in order to take care of the sweetness of young people, 20 15 launched the "black rabbit" series, which is based on wheat beer and mixed with juice for fermentation. "Beer tastes like fruit", and the price of 13 yuan is easier to sink than the classic stainless steel series.
"One direction that China people can take now is to make flavor beer and special grain beer." Lin Lin thinks.
One of the reasons why craft beer has been sought after since its birth is that it can add almost anything on the basis of water, malt, yeast and hops, "only unexpected, no taste that can't be made". "Lai Bao" tried magnolia and peony flowers, "Boxing Cat" used ginger to sweeten and pepper to relieve boredom, and "Cowhide Soup" used oyster Shi Tao to be sweet and salty.
Lin Lin takes IPA as an example. In the craft world, IPA is the basic style At present, the United States has derived black IPA, white IPA, red IPA, turbid IPA and champagne IPA. On this basis, because of the potential market, a lot of segmentation has been done. "In China, as long as a relatively new style is made into a certain market volume, it should be successful in terms of word of mouth and profit."
Although China's beer production has been declining since it reached a high of 50,665,438+0.5 kiloliter in 2065,438+03, in terms of per capita beer consumption, China is only slightly higher than the world average and lower than Asian neighbors such as South Korea and Japan. According to Lin Lin's forecast, referring to the sales volume of American craft wine, it contributed 12.7% of the whole beer market. This figure in China is expected to climb from 1% to 10%.
The good news is that according to a report by the American Craft Association last year, the American craft market is becoming smaller and smaller and more localized, that is, consumers may prefer local small craft beer. Drinking local beer has become an increasingly important thing.