re: Proof you don't have to sell boring beer to pay the bills

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I have talked to enough people intimately familiar with the economics of craft beer sales in LA to know that the top sellers are almost always, across the board the "boring" beers. Maybe in 10 years the palates will shift to hoppier offerings, but in LA we still have lots and lots of new craft beer drinkers.

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This ain't just Louisiana. Even in Oregon, the "boring" beers are the best sellers for most breweries. There are some breweries that specialize in certain styles, but even most of them have a pilsner or a wheat that they make to please the people who want their beer to taste as inoffensive as possible.

More breweries will open in LA. If they are fantastic, they will sell more beer than they can make and will have to expand production soon after startup to keep up with demand. If they are OK, they will probably still do OK, making boring beers that the locals will drink, just because people naturally support their local brewpubs.

Once LA has 5-6 good IPAs and 2-3 good DIPAs, then it won't seem like the breweries aren't making enough product - which seems to be the case with GitM and Grace and Grit. If you had a few more of those great DIPAs, then there should always be something on the shelves to scratch that itch. Right now, everyone scrambles for as much GitM as they can find, drink it, and then wait 2 months for the next batch to come out. There needs to be a few more out there to fill that void.

It will happen. I predict that within 1 year, there will be at least 2 really good IPAs being produced in LA that aren't being made right now.

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you hate IPAs
you don't count

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That doesn't change anything. I have had enough of them to know, there has to be a gateway so to speak. Bud to IPA is kinda like Wolf to Woof. It can't happen overnight. Heck, for many, it can't happen at all.

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there has to be a gateway so to speak.

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I contend that it has already happened. I think there are enough people that know what an IPA is, and that they want to drink them

For others, they will follow the hype if the beer is great (see: Ghost)

There is a big hole in the Louisiana craft beer supply that a great IPA and/or session IPA can fit

There is a reason Chili's, McDonalds, etc are best sellers.....most people like familiarity, convenience and crap.

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Make a kick arse single IPA and you won't be able to keep up with demand and will be printing money.

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This. Or, just make really good standard styles. Make a great IPA, Stout, Saison, etc...

Leave the kingcake crawfish boil thistle wheat to the homebrews. Also, forget the blonde , cream, wheat, bland beers.

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Proof you don't have to sell boring beer to pay the bills

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I've never bought into this argument. Since the start of the craft beer revolution, has there ever been a case of a poorly located brewery that makes awesome craft beer having to closer their doors?

Look at Toppling Goliath. Located in the middle of Iowa, at least several hours away from any major metropolitan area, and the demand for some of their beers has gotten so crazy that they've had to resort to lottery systems, secret releases, etc. for some of their stouts. Single bottles of their beers are selling for $500+ on the secondary market. And their hoppy stuff flies off the shelves garners a significant frenzy on its own.

This is not typical, but just goes to show that the sky is the limit, regardless of location. I'd argue that if you at least make exceptional beer, the beer nerds will find it.

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Look, I would love for Andrew to ditch half his Canbrake output

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I'm not saying he should either. Canebrake is an established beer, enjoyed by many throughout it's distribution

When Andrew started out, Canebrake was so popular that he had to devote most, if not all, of his resources into making enough to fill the demand in the markets he distributed to, and it did not allow him to make some of the beers he wanted to make, like Ghost and Grand Reserve.

You could do the same thing, starting up now, with a great IPA.

Big fan of what Courtyard does with their hops

The mavens will always fins the exceptional beers. There aren't enough of them in most cases to buy enough of it to make a brewery profitable...in most cases.

They aren't making a whole lot of the 5hundo on the secondary market...the guy who waited in line and paid 15 bucks is the one making that.