EP-147 Bart Watson of the Brewers Association

It’s hard to be objective when it comes to such a subjective thing like
beer. We’re all driven by our own preferences and tastes mapped out by
sensory experiences of flavor and aroma. Things are good and bad, sought
after whales and shelf turds. Beer is an experiential good and our exposure
varies on time of day, mood, company and more.

But there are still plenty of cold, hard facts that factor into the social,
cultural and business side of beer, which is why this week’s guest is a
special one for me.

Bart Watson deals with numbers. Truthful, verifiable, factual data. As one
of only several economists who work within the beer industry, it’s his job
to offer context and insight into what’s changing, and often, what’s to
come. His logical and well-cited reason is regularly seen on the Brewers
Association website and increasingly in media around the country. When some
may be focusing on the hot take du jour, Bart can be found writing a blog
post or interacting on Twitter with calculated answers. And it’s about
beer.

As the BA was preparing to kickoff the Great American Beer Festival in
early October, I sat down with Bart inside the Colorado Convention Center
to geek out, talking about the new challenges within the beer market,
including price points, marijuana use, distribution and more. With
thousands of people scurrying around the building ready to celebrate craft
beer, it was exciting to take a fittingly calm moment to evaluate the state
of the industry and where beer lovers should be looking in 2018.

Who knew economics could be so cool?