From the closing of the 157-year-old Leinenkugel’s flagship taproom in Chippewa Falls to the closure of small taprooms like Herbiery in Madison, our guest today, Chris Drosner, takes stock of the state of the craft beer industry in Wisconsin. In his recent “Year in Review” for the Wisconsin State Journal, he says that closures are outpacing openings. The craft beer industry bubble was bound to burst, and this, says Drosner, places it more in line with standards in other industries. Some people feel very connected to specific beers and this can drive sales, but at the same time, cultural shifts away from craft beer mean that more people are drinking less these days.

Drosner gives us a peek behind the curtain of the big beer industry and shines light on the local breweries where you may actually be able to meet the person who makes your Czech pilsner. Drosner and host Douglas Haynes also talk about the history of brewing in Wisconsin, the difficulty of sourcing local ingredients, and labor issues in brewing today, including the lack of traction around unionizing. Meanwhile, earlier this month the US Surgeon General issued a new advisory on the link between alcohol and cancer risk. 

Chris Drosner, aka, the Beer Baron is Executive Editor at Milwaukee Magazine, beer writer for the Wisconsin State Journal, and Editorial Director of the Badger Beer Report.

Featured image via Wikimedia Commons.

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