just-drinks authors and correspondents

Biography

Stephen Beaumont has been covering the global brewing industry for three decades. During that time, he has written literally thousands of articles and columns for publications ranging from Playboy to The Globe and Mail newspaper and has authored or co-authored 14 books, including two editions of The World Atlas of Beer (with Tim Webb) and his most recent, Will Travel for Beer.

Stephen finds that the best way to understand a beer is by going to where it is brewed, so he travels frequently and extensively. In addition to tasting and writing, he frequently speaks at industry conferences, hosts tutored tastings and beer dinners and consults for hospitality companies. When not on the road, he makes his home in downtown Toronto, Canada.

Columns by Stephen Beaumont

Comment - Beer - Beaumont's Brews

Award-winning writer and author Stephen Beaumont gives us his monthly thoughts on what is keeping the global beer industry busy.

Articles by Stephen Beaumont

Why US craft beer is still holding its value - Comment 26 November 2019

just-drinks' beer commentator has had another craft acquisition to digest this month. Stephen Beaumont takes a closer look at Anheuser-Busch InBev's decision to eventually move for Craft Brew Alliance. His conclusions may differ from yours.

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The next big thing in North American beer is…? - Comment 29 October 2019

This month, beer category commentator Stephen Beaumont surveys the brewing scene in North America, and considers which beer style is poised to be brewers' Great White Hope. Again.

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Why low-alcohol is the next growth opportunity for beer - Comment 24 September 2019

Back from his long-haul travels, just-drinks' beer commentator, Stephen Beaumont, believes he has found an untapped growth opportunity for the world's brewers.

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How concerned should the beer category be about the hard seltzer boom? - Comment 28 August 2019

Hard seltzers have hogged the headlines in recent months, particularly the category's perceived threat to beer. Our beer commentator, Stephen Beaumont, looks under the hood of the newcomer's numbers and considers how real the threat truly is.

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Why beer consumers care less about the detail than you do - Comment 24 July 2019

While brewers around the world are keen to highlight any point of differentiation from their competitors, they risk losing sight of the bigger prize. Category commentator Stephen Beaumont has a warning for those in beer focussing their efforts at the geekier end of the consumer spectrum.

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Low-alcohol - Where the beer growth lives - Comment 27 June 2019

Historically, the brewing industry has enjoyed the race to the top, in abv terms. Category commentator Stephen Beaumont, however, believes the brewers that have stopped and turned in the opposite direction are best-placed to capitalise on the trend among consumers towards lower-strength brews.

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Is diversification the future for beer? - Comment 29 May 2019

From operating way beyond the beer category to selling off so-called non-core assets, brewers are now looking for growth elsewhere again. just-drinks' beer commentator, Stephen Beaumont, considers the cyclical history and looks at where the world's brewers are now.

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Big beer versus craft beer - Is the fight finally over? - Comment 23 April 2019

For beer commentator Stephen Beaumont, the recent activities by Carlsberg in the UK signal the end of the war between 'big beer' and craft beer.

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What will be Carlsberg's priorities for the years ahead? – Analysis 21 March 2019

Following on from just-drinks' analysis this month of Carlsberg's performance over the last five years, beer commentator Stephen Beaumont considers the takeaways for the wider brewing industry.

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How much do consumers care about the ingredients in their beer? - Comment 21 February 2019

Earlier this month, a very public row broke out in the US over ingredients claims in the nation's beers. Stephen Beaumont takes a look at the in-fighting, but remains unconvinced of the need for such concerns.