Don't Judge a Beer by its Cover

"Don't judge a book by it's cover". We've all heard the saying. But doesn't it apply to beer too with all the gimmicks and superficial selling points influencing us to buy certain types or brands of beers? God help us if we really need a bottle or can with blue and white mountains to let us know if it is cold or not. As if the past few hours it spent in the fridge or cooler, or the sensation to your hand as you picked it up didn't already tell you that. Does the rate of speed your beer comes out of the can or bottle make it less enjoyable? Great news, a certain brewery makes beers with a "vortex" design in the head of the bottle and a small "punch hole" in cans. Now you can guzzle that beer and enjoy it even less than you would have if you had drank it like you normally would. Not to be outdone, "The King of Beers" has introduced their own line of gimmicks as well. Including a bow tie shaped can and a bottle with a white area on the label for you to write on. Thus providing....a better grip and a way to express yourself to others I guess? And it seems the aluminum bottle is the cool thing to do nowadays as all 3 of these macro breweries have introduced their beers to the market in this vessel. 

With all gimmicks, these companies must be having a hard time keeping up with the demand right? Wrong. According to MSN Money:

"U.S. beer sales have declined in recent years and aren't showing many signs of improving, according to a new report by consumer research firm Mintel. 

There were 2.79 million cases of beer sold in 2013, broadly flat compared with the 2.78 million cases sold in 2012 and down from 2.9 million cases sold five years ago. And, worse, beer sales are expected to rise by just 4 percent to 2.89 million cases within the next four years. "

The exception? Craft Beer. Sales for craft beer is predicted jump from $83 billion in 2013 to $95 billion in 2018. Why? Because craft brewers have made the decision that it's what inside their can or bottle that matters more than what they put on the outside. It's why a brewery like Dogfish Head with what some have called their "plain, boring, bad marketing" 12 oz bottle labels saw a 17% growth in 2013. (The previous comment does not apply to their larger bottles which feature some of the most detailed art labels on beer bottles). 

After all, it's whats on the inside that really counts right? True beauty is within?

Cheers.