Fourth in a series.
The phenomenon has been around for quite some time, but it was while enjoying a frosty beverage one afternoon at Three Wide Brewing in the shadow of Texas Motor Speedway that the phrase and the concept first coalesced into a real and practical thing for me. Craft beer and brewing has been around for a long while now, but that new thing would be the wider idea of craft beverages.
To start, Three Wide Brewing opened in March of this year literally within walking distance of TMS and with a racing theme to match. (The phrase “three wide” refers to three cars adjacent on a track, a risky arrangement that increases the risk of accidents and can draw penalties in some races.) The new modern multistory brewpub includes some North Texas veteran brewers at the helm, namely Matt Morriss and Tom Anderson most recently from Justin’s award-winning Rabbit Hole Brewing (which unfortunately closed in 2019). However, they have come back strong with new backers in their fresh sports-forward brewpub with local Brazilian chef Roger Evaristo lending a great unique flavor twist to some menu items.
For most successful microbreweries, an evolution of product and production exists from original craft beer at opening to eventual complimentary products like flavored hard seltzers and then possibly into distilling. (Denton’s Armadillo Ale Works did venture into the market of craft sodas, but that brings its own regulatory headaches as such nonalcoholic options fall under USDA jurisdiction instead of TTB and TABC.) However, such product progression usually comes as craft breweries grow into their market space, with whiskey and spirits the next logical and pragmatic option after beer. Three Wide Brewing decided to incorporate the idea into their business model from the start.
“No matter how many different styles of beers we create though, there will always be some folks who are looking for something different,” says Morriss. “[P]erhaps beer just isn’t their thing, or perhaps they’re in the mood for something else.” Shortly upon opening, Three Wide Brewing applied for distilling and winery licenses on top of their brewing license, a move many years ahead of craft breweries like Community Beer Company that have slowly evolved into such a multidisciplined market model. “The craft beer market has gotten a lot more challenging in the past few years as interests shift toward other options,” Morriss continues, “and if we’re capable of offering products beyond just beer, it gives us more opportunities to say ‘yes’ to our customers and patrons.”
…it made sense to strike quickly to begin establishing ourselves as a ‘craft beverage company’ more than just a ‘craft brewery.’
The domestic craft beer market may or may not have topped out of consumer capacity, but it has definitely seen other commercial elements cut into its success. Overall, consumers are buying fewer alcoholic beverages than they did pre-pandemic (whether due to economic or social factors has yet to be determined), which leaves some craft breweries treading water in efforts to grow their respective businesses. Flavored seltzers and other non-beer alcoholic drinks (“malt beverages”) have flourished in this consumer environment, as these are the easiest and most ready options to co-produce and sell under current state brewing licensure.
Three Wide Brewing has worked to incorporate distilling operations within its brewhouse almost since its brewhouse was first operational. “Even just during the development phase of the brewery, we were noticing a shift in consumer tastes,” says Morriss, “so it made sense to strike quickly to begin establishing ourselves as a ‘craft beverage company’ more than just a ‘craft brewery.’” Such a multifaceted approach seems to be a visionary first for a local startup, even if several other craft breweries around the state are already operating along that same multipurposed product path.
What does this augur for the future of the industry? Expect craft breweries to begin building in the same multiplicity of product from the start, whether that is beer and wine, beer and cider/mead, beer and spirits, or even beer plus craft sodas or freshly roasted coffee. Just as they have been incorporating kitchens and food service into their business models, so will craft breweries continue to expand their types of product offerings on the beverage side.
The net for the craft beer consumer has now been cast just a little bit wider than simply quality craft beer, or even inventive new beer styles. If this new effort can reap benefits to keep a core craft brewing program financially healthy, then all the better for both consumers and craft brewers. PH
