Social Media Standouts: THC Beverages, Cold Black IPA, and Brewery Closures

It’s been a busy few weeks on social media and among the topics catching my eye are THC beverages vaulting to the next phase in their adoption, the release of a Cold Black IPA 😳 by one of the most respected breweries in the country, and pleas for help as craft breweries shut their doors all around the country. I’ve got some warnings, some love, and harsh words for each topic respectively.

The Beer, Wine, Liquor, THC (!!) Superstore

A photo containing an entire end cap of THC beverages taken at a Total Wine in Minnesota turned a lot of heads recently. It marked a major milestone in the adoption of THC beverages as major retailers and distributors gain some degree of comfort over this emerging segment, despite the gray areas that remain and lack of clarity on a Federal level. Consumers will now face greater convenience and more choices than ever, including from craft breweries.

Illinois is experiencing the same break-through this week with a number of brands hitting the market for the first time via the distributor Louis Glunz. While THC beverages have been sold at licensed dispensaries prior, their wide availability at large retailers thanks to Hemp-derived Delta 9 THC opens the adoption door to the masses. I fully expect this trend to be a big one, but to evolve at a rapid pace. We’re going to go from hardly any brands to an unthinkable amount of brands in a very short time, which is already playing out in Minnesota.

surlybrewing

A post shared by @surlybrewing

THC beverages have a LONG way to go from the standpoint of consumer education and a number of producers will rush out their products for fear of missing the boat. I’m not sure how long it will take for consistent, quality winners to separate themselves from the losers, but I’m prepared for chaos as this gold rush plays out. Expect a lot more from me on this topic in the future as I partner with some experts to dive into all the ins and outs.

The Cold Black IPA

The Black IPA might not be loved by all, but its generally respected in most beer circles. Thanks to a legacy that spans back to the days of discovery when we didn’t fight over the legitimacy of beer styles, Black IPAs has earned a seat at the table. Or at least a seasonal, one-off, rotating seat…The Cold IPA on the other hand has generated quite the two-sided reaction from different angles of the industry. Not terribly dissimilar from the early days of New England Style IPAs, the vitriol over Cold IPAs is instead more due to name, than process or ingredients making these differences in opinion easier to overcome.

The Jedi Masters at Firestone Walker are no strangers to the Black IPA, having helped popularize the style last decade with their famous Wookey Jack. They didn’t shy away from the Cold IPA trend either with Hypnosis, their big 2022 release. Hypnosis called itself an IPA, but Brewmaster Matt Brynildson explained on the Craft Beer & Brewing Podcast that they use lager yeast, then company even published A Cold IPA Primer on their blog in March 2023, a year after it’s launch, to discuss in more detail and further validate the Cold IPA style.

Now, Firestone Walker has decided to turn down the heat on Wookey Jack with an all new rendition called Arctic Wookey. Yes, a Cold Black IPA. Now this style name would typically get a lot of eye rolls from the peanut gallery, but when it’s Firestone Walker, the concept is quickly legitimized and defended. And why not? If the beer were described as a “New School Black Lager” in conversation, nobody would bat an eye, but Cold Black IPA will stop everyone in their tracks.

I’m always appreciative of how open the Firestone Propagator Brewer Sam Tierney is on Twitter. He posts about a few times, and there’s some fascinating back and forth between brewers that you can check out in the comments (Teaser, In Process, and Official post). I am here for it and happy to provide their marketing team with a proper address for samples 👀 📦 .

Brewery Owners Plead For Help

Ending on a sad note here, but my social media is filled with brewery owners understandably speaking out over their fears for the industry. We’ve had 31 breweries in Illinois cease production of beer since the start of 2022, with that number sure to climb. When one of the originals in Metropolitan Brewing announced their upcoming December 17th closure this past week, any remaining feelings of invincibility dissipated.

I have no problem with anything that’s been said, and I’m only sharing the post from our IL Guild’s Executive Director because he assembled the lengthy list of breweries. But I do want to comment on the recurring pleas for support directed toward craft beer’s consumers. When most of our Illinois breweries opened, we were in the midst of a hype cycle. A euphoric rise as the economy flourished and expectations inflated for craft beer until there was no where left to go but down. Things were always going to get harder, but most were still caught off guard by the need to adapt and evolve quickly, while constantly pumping new ideasm, energy, and quality into their brand and business. Plenty have, and that’s why they’re still placing new bets and expanding.

For those still fighting this may sound harsh, but I believe if you’re pleading for support from customers, it might be too late. I’m not saying it doesn’t hurt to try but that’s not going to move the needle in any meaningful way and instead may distract from the real work that needs to be done. It’s not our fans’ job to keep finding reasons to love us. It’s our job to give them the reasons.