Flagship February: Remembering The Classics

Have you heard about the latest grassroots movement stated by beer writer Stephen Beaumont? Flagship February encourages craft beer fans to stop overlooking flagship (core) beers.

There’s no doubt that many of us, myself included, are attracted to new releases while flagship beers often sit on the shelf. And this isn’t because those beer are bad. In fact, many of us would proudly give these to friends and family looking to get started in craft beer.

So Stephen has started the idea of Flagship February to bring us back to the beers that made us craft beer fans in the first place and to try the core beers that we’ve never taken the time to try.

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The Past Was Built On Flagship Beers

In the past, all large breweries were built upon the foundation of a single beer or two. Many breweries actually made just a single beer for years before ever offering another style.

A Flagship Beer is an offering available year round, represents a large portion of a brewery’s overall sales, and is often the beer that the brand is most closely associated. This beer and the brewery are inseparable.

And this isn’t just exclusive to craft beer. Even the large macro breweries have just a few beers that represent the vast majority of their sales. These foundation beers literally built these breweries. Where would Anhueser-Busch be without Budweiser? Or New Belgium without Fat Tire? From Guinness to Yuenling Lager, we all recognize these beers because they are everywhere.

And while many will read that and say that these aren’t beers they like, there’s no denying that the huge sales numbers provided these companies the ability to grow and shape an industry. With just a single beer or two, companies were able to dominate the market and grow massive businesses.

And for many of us, it is these Flagship Beers that turned us into craft beer fans years ago. So Flagship February is the perfect opportunity to revisit these classics and fall back in love with craft beer all over again.

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Impact On The Modern Beer World

But in the modern beer world, this has shifted. Experimentation, creativity, and a flood of styles have created a market of consumers that want something new and exciting. Which means many drinkers rarely reach for a flagship beer.

And while this exciting world of craft beer is something I love. It also means that small to medium sized breweries aren’t able to rely on flagship beers to scale their business as many others have in the past. Instead, they must constantly release new beers to keep customers buying.

This is especially evident when a brewery enters distribution. While their first inclination may be to package their core beers, it is seasonal and special releases that often sell the best.

Releasing a new beer every 60 days or so is not an easy task. While modern craft beer gives brewers a ton of room to be creative, there is real fatigue that can occur with the brewer as well as the consumer.

For this reason, many have focused in on creating rotating seasonal releases to keep interest high and packaged beer selling. Locally, Rhinegeist and MadTree have done a great job creating demand for their flagship beers through the attention their seasonal beers receive. But this isn’t an easy strategy to execute.

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Drink These During Flaghip February

National / Regional Flaghip Beers

Cincinnati Flagship Beers

What Flagship Beers Would You Add To This List?

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Are Flagship Beers Dead?

No, they aren’t dead. I’m sure that large brands like Sierra Nevada and Sam Adams will tell you that Pale Ale and Boston Lager, respectively, are still huge sellers. But they would also tell you that these beers represent a smaller percent of their sales than they did in the past.

So we could say that flagships are dying or maybe the market is just adjusting.

It is possible that all along, these core beers were over represented. New beer styles are replacing much of the sales previously taken by flagships. And this is no secret among breweries; special and seasonal release beers have always been a focus of even the largest of breweries. And now we see the large providers of craft beer reacting much quicker than in the past to follow the latest trends.

But how long can this last? Will there be enough enthusiasts added to this market to keep special beers selling? Or will we eventually move away from the “newness” and settle back into a handful of flagship beers?

It’s hard to say. But with more breweries than ever before, everyone is considering what it takes to be competitive. This is especially true on retail shelves where everyone is attempting to sell their core beers in volume.

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Macro Beer Alternatives: Drink This . . . Not That!

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Measuring The Success Of Flagship February

For decades, select breweries have dominated the market with just a a few offerings. The beer aisle was much easier to navigate back then. Today, consumers are given more choice than ever.

Flagship February aims to bring us back to the beers that made our favorite breweries great. It is a movement to once again enjoy a classic Pale Ale or Boston Lager instead of reaching for a pastry stout or hazy IPA.

And it doesn’t have to be a beer that has been around for a long time. As long as it is one of the standard offerings from a brewery, it fits into the concept of Flagship February.

And while there will be many ways to signify whether this movement is a success, just talking about this idea is proof enough for me. Starting this conversation is important to the long term health of craft beer.

But the real goal it so ensure that we don’t overlook these beers. So grab some flagship beers this February and remind yourself that great beer doesn’t need hype or limited quantities.

When you drink a Flagship Beer in February, make sure to post it to your favorite social media platform and tag it with #FlagshipFebruary to let everyone know you still love the classics!