By Iron Chef Leftovers
The blog, Seattle Beer News, recently posted a poll on “What type of beer would you like to see more of in Seattle?”
Here is what he said:
I recently had a conversation with someone looking to open up a brewery in Seattle who asked me what I think the Seattle beer scene could use more of. I know my answer, but what do you all think?
I don’t have any issue with asking the question. It is a valid one. There are a ton of breweries opening up and many of them are producing some very good and different beers, but they don’t cover everything that is out there.
Where I have an issue is with someone who is looking to open up a brewery asking that question. First, if you are planning on the capital outlay for a brewery, wouldn’t you think you would have already done enough market research on your own to answer the question already? Heck, all they need to do is go to a beer festival and ask the 400 or so hard core beer drinkers what they would like to see. Second, just because a people say they want more barrel aged beers or Belgian style beers, doesn’t mean that they will actually buy them. Third, shouldn’t you produce beers that are to the brewer’s strength rather than trying to fill a market niche? There is a ton of competition out there and if your brewer makes a stellar stout, wouldn’t you want to put that out on the market to get people familiar with your beer instead of making something that may or may not be any good and ruining your reputation? Plenty of breweries have proven that you can make a name with a style that is already “over-represented” in the market (Fremont Brewing and Black Raven come to mind).
So to all you aspiring brewers, brew what you love and what you are good at and then brew the unusual or under-represented styles. People around here are going to try a new beer regardless, you might as well make it your best one and get people hooked.
FlatbreadGarden 
I’d have to guess that when only looking at the microbrewries, beer sales fall into the 80/20 rule — 20% of the styles account for 80% of the sales.
It may be even more pronounced than that, like 90/10 or something.
If it were me, I’d produce another ESB or IPA or Red to add to the already crowded market. It seems like that’s where the money is. Just look at Men’s Room Red — Elysian sells a ton of it despite all of their other quality offerings.
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In a related note, I would *not* ask the hard cores what they want. I’d ask the casuals, there are a lot more of them.
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Mens Room is a perfect example of what I was saying. Micro brew beer drinkers in general are not as brand loyal as macro brew drinkers and aren’t as locked into styles as their macro counterparts, but, I know myself, I am more likely to try a new IPA since that is one of my favorite styles, than a barrel aged beer or a sour, which are beers that I tend not to gravitate toward unless I am in the mood for them. I think when it comes to beer, you ask the casuals what they want to build your sales base and the hard cores to get the cult following.
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