“The bottom line is that beer is a more democratic product than wine”

The bottom line is that beer is a more democratic product than wine. Generally speaking, it’s cheaper than wine, allowing connoisseurs access to a broader spectrum, and prompting the development of more esoteric palates. Beer also has a much faster turnout rate, with well-equipped breweries able to crank out dozens of batches a year, while wine may take three years or even longer before it reaches consumers. Therefore, brewmasters are more likely to invest energy and resources in experimental batches, compared to their winemaking counterparts, thus better supplying the demand for esoteric beers. In fact, this very experimentalism seems to be self-creating a ravenous demand among consumers for alternative beer.

Daniel Callan, “Two-Faced: Brett in Beer & Wine”, Beer Paper LA (August 2015), 15.