BC Business publishes feature story on BC Craft Beer
To beer drinkers’ delight, B.C. is hopping with craft breweries. Cutting prices is just one way to generate buzz
The scene at Central City Brewers and Distillers’ downtown Vancouver brew pub doesn’t exactly look like something that will reverberate around the province. On this May morning, a couple of TV crews are on hand, setting up tripods while a few other journalists mill around, clutching leather notebooks. Bar staff go about their day as usual, cleaning countertops and changing taps.
In front of the cameras, Central City brewmaster Gary Lohin and vice-president of sales Daryn Medwid announce that the company will be selling its most popular brand, Red Racer beer, in 500-millilitre cans at 355-millilitre pricing for the foreseeable future.
“We’ve been making great, consistent beer since 2003; nobody can argue with that. But with the technology today, it’s not hard for lots of people to make good beer,” Medwid explains. “So you have many small competitors; they continue to open up at the bottom end of the market, they continue to nibble at your heels. And from the top end, the scale brewers like Anheuser-Busch and Molson Coors are trying to go after the craft market. So, being one of the larger craft brewers in the country, where can you go? The only thing to do is to fight up.”
