The newest thing…
At a high-top table at the far end of the brewpub, I sat across from John Jenkinson, head brewer at Folly Brewing. I asked him what he thought a ‘craft beer lifestyle’ might be.
“There’s this consumer aspect where people always want to try new things,” John told me. “There’s different threads of tension that pull in all sorts of different directions: one is a push to try new things, and so breweries want to have all these innovative new styles – people don’t want to buy the same thing over and over again – so core brands kind of get left behind to a certain extent because the craft beer drinker wants the newest IPA or the newest sour.
“I don’t think everybody’s like that though. People also just want good quality, and something reliable, which is why I always have Wellington Brewery‘s Helles in my fridge – it’s my go-to.
“And then there’s the hyper-locality, trying to support the people around you. Knowing where the money I spent is going. That may be the most romantic, and I like that aspect the most – keeping the dollar in the community… And I see that more and more as more breweries continue to pop up: there’s a greater and greater push towards that locality, and a stronger sense of community because of it.”
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