In 2005, there were 1,395 craft breweries located in the US. Fast forward to 2015 and that number exploded to 4,269. With this huge boom and saturation in the craft market, a few interesting developments have occurred. One of which was the layoffs announced by Stone Brewing this past October. For those who have been following the trends however, this doesn't come as a surprise. What it shows is that 1) acquisitions by big beer is causing undercutting of pricing and thus declining revenue for larger, established craft brands and 2) on a more positive note, major craft brewers are feeling the competition from hyperlocal microbreweries. And while this may not fare well for the larger craft breweries who have the ability to get their beer on shelves across the country, it does fare well for the consumers who enjoy having the ability to head to a local microbrewery in their area and experience new and envelope-pushing styles and flavors brewed with locally sourced ingredients while at the same time supporting their community. With this trend becoming the norm, we can expect more limited brewery-only releases, more "rare" beers, and more local craft beers taking up shelf space. So what are beer drinkers supposed to do if they want to drink like an "out of state local" regardless of where they live? They trade.
With the rise of local microbreweries churning out exceptional, unique takes on classic and experimental beer styles, the microbrew world is a craft beer trader's oyster. Trading craft beer not only allows craft beer enthusiasts to experience beers they wouldn't be able to taste unless they constantly traveled across the country, it also unites the community and provides much needed publicity and exposure to these smaller local microbreweries. With this shift in craft beer trends, it was inevitable that the trade scene would become more mainstream which is also a very good thing for craft beer. And as this flourishing trade scene continues to grow, along comes the Brewswap mobile app to simplify and improve the way we swap beer.
The Brewswap mobile app, available for download now in the Apple App Store, allows users to upload photos of the beer they are looking to trade and then swipe on other users' "For Trade" photos. If both users swipe right, they are matched and can immediately begin chatting privately. The Brewswap app succeeds on two levels: it introduces enthusiasts to available craft beer options that were never on their radar via a seemingly endless feed of craft beer photos they can swipe left and right on, while also giving users the ability to specifically seek out a beer that they are hunting for via a search function where one can enter in the name of the beer and brewery that they are after and only swipe on photos of that particular beer or brewery.
At its core, Brewswap is a community of craft beer heads who love to get introduced to new craft beers and don't want to be limited by location and distribution. Brewswap gives users the ability to rate their swap after one has occurred, with the rating and feedback being shown on all user profiles thus ensuring a trustworthy and reliable community. Brewswap also lets users enter the location of what they are trading which will expand to a "nearby Brewswappers" feature showing users in real time other nearby Brewswappers who can become In-Person swap partners or a friend to grab a brew with at a local brewery after work. A web-app version is currently being developed to give Android users the ability to create an account and start swapping and many more features are planned for the upcoming year.
Check Brewswap out in the App Store
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