The air is warm, the sun is shining. You’re surrounded by your best friends and a wealth of beautiful strangers. Your favourite DJ is playing a killer set and you’re grooving along, soaking up the experience. A smile is slapped across your face and you can’t help but feel that everything is perfect in that moment. As the heat increases you sip your beer and are suddenly snapped out of your daydream as a flavorless lager barely tickles your taste buds. Your smile disappears and that perfect moment feels like a distant memory as you ask yourself, “damn, I paid 13 dollars for this!?” It’s a scenario I’ve lived far too often at music festivals. The events create a near perfect utopia with one glaring element missing: a complete lack of craft beer or any decent beer selection. Any self-respecting beer drinker can feel the pain experienced when I was told I could “choose” between 4 light beers variations at one festival. In addition to my personal preference there’s a host of reasons why craft beer needs to a part of the festival experience. From consumer demand, to disparity with food options, to bolstering the event city’s local economy, local craft beer at festivals is a win for everyone.
With craft beer accounting for 23% of beer sales, why do we have 0 options at music festivals?
While I may feel very strongly about this matter, I’m not the only one; demand for craft beer has increased greatly in recent time. In the U.S. craft beer sales grew 5% in 2017 while overall beer sales declined by 1%. Further, craft beers sales represented more than 23% of all beer sales. With craft beer accounting for 23% of beer sales, why do we have 0 options at music festivals? Sure corporate sponsorships from beverage giants bring in big dollars, but does every event need a headlining beer sponsor with exclusive rights? Are we okay with big brands monopolizing our beer selection at our favourite events? I certainly am not and you shouldn’t be either. Choice is something we should revel in, which brings me to my next point….
With this level of choice for food, why are we stuck drinking the beer equivalent of McDonald’s light, McDonald’s lime and McDonald’s Strawberita as our only beer options?
The disparity between beer and food options is baffling. With the rise of food trucks a new world of mobile culinary excellence was born. Long gone are the days of choosing between hot dogs and reheated pizza slices at festivals. Today options range from wood fire pizzas to jerk chicken, braised beef sandwiches with hand-made aioli, to lobster mac & cheese and every variety of poutine you could dream of. With this level of choice for food, why are we stuck drinking the beer equivalent of McDonald’s light, McDonald’s lime and McDonald’s Strawberita as our only beer options? Imagine if your only food options at music festivals were hamburger, cheeseburger or McDouble? That’s what we’ve got in terms of beer right now. I want a porter with that poutine, a session ale to fight the heat or even a crisp pilsner to go with that lobster mac & cheese. Don’t you?
When it comes to beer though, the money isn’t going back to the local economy, a vast portion of the sales are going the multinational beverage conglomerates already worth billions…
Beyond just personal preference and festival-goer choice, the addition of craft beer can have positive impacts on the local economy of host cities. From hotels and local retailers, to on-site vendors, aforementioned food trucks and more, music festivals bring a ton of money to the local economy. When it comes to beer though, the money isn’t going back to the local economy, a vast portion of the sales are going the multinational beverage conglomerates already worth billions. Imagine if instead of letting all that money filter out, festivals brought in local craft breweries. This would not only improve the beer selection vastly but it would ensure that the cities hosting the events reap further benefits. Not only would this impact the overall economy but it could help craft brewers grow and expand, further improving the beer community in that area.
On top of everything I’ve mentioned the addition of craft beer and real choice would help to elevate the festival experience. More and more festivals are scaling back in size and attempting to deliver a “boutique” experience. If there’s one thing that fits the boutique vibe these festivals are working to create it’s craft beer. There’s nothing sophisticated or specialized about a mass produced flavorless light lager.
The need for craft beer at music festivals is strong. But will it ever happen? The optimist in me says yes, but there’s no clear indication of improvement on the horizon. If you’d like to see craft beer at your favourite festival share this article, tag your local festivals and breweries, and talk to your promoters. Let’s make this a movement! Just imagine the possibilities…drinking an IPA as your favorite DJ throws down, crushing a pineapple sour while your dream band takes you into the evening, or sipping a chocolate stout to cap the night off. Cheers to a brighter future with better beer!
