Breweries are an integral part of Wisconsin culture. But recently, some of the Milwaukee's beloved craft breweries have decided to call it quits. Over the past year, fan favorites like Enlightened Brewery, Good City and Mobcraft have all announced an end to business, in one way or another.
Chris Drosner is the executive editor of Milwaukee Magazine and the Beer Baron columnist for the Wisconsin State Journal. He joins Lake Effect's Joy Powers to talk about these recent closures, and what it could mean for the industry.
"What we're seeing is kind of a shift from an industry that had been on a growth trajectory for a long time kind of coming back to Earth a little bit," he says. "And the closure rate that we're seeing now is probably more in line with other industries."
Drosner says a combination of rising costs, shifting consumer preferences and a growing number of alternative beverages are squeezing many craft breweries today.
"Everything's getting more expensive, people are drinking less beer and there's a lot more competition, both within beer and from stuff like THC beverages, canned cocktails — you know, the kind of things that are competing for shelf space and competing for consumer attention," he says.
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