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Almanac Adventureland & Brewery
Almanac shifts its focus from "beer geeks" to families.
ALAMEDA, Calif. - Breweries have, in recent years, been the center of a hotly debated question:
"Do kids belong here?"
The Alameda-based brewery Almanac is answering with a resounding, "yes."
"The 'community hub' aspect is something we're really proud of and that we translate to the brands we have at the marketplace. As we started having all these local families show up, we wanted to let them know that they were welcome in the space," Kevin Scoles, Almanac's Executive Vice President of Sales told KTVU. "We pride ourselves on being a safe space, that's where the sandbox and the arcade games and the bounce houses and the wrestling events came into play. We're really leaning into the audience we already had coming to the brewery."
The sandbox, games, and other kid-friendly activities are just one way the company is signaling to visitors that it's a family-friendly space. The biggest sign isn't even in the brewery, it's outside.
About 18 months ago, the company changed the signage at its Alameda headquarters from "Alameda Beer Co." to "Alameda Aventureland."
Scoles said shifting focus from "beer nerds" to the community at large has only been a benefit.
"Craft beer growth was everywhere. The business was booming, but that really plateaued over the last couple years at about 10 to 12 percent of the market share," Scoles said. "One of the reasons we think that happened is that a lot of breweries forgot about things that the other 90% of consumers were looking for: a fun space to hang out with friends and develop community."
Their family-friendly focus extends to their product line. Almanac has even rebranded to include terms like "love" and "hugs," and uses descriptions like "smiles for miles." Scoles said the company wants to use branding and language that people will gravitate toward, and that will create fun moments.
A community space, a business, or both
What they're saying:
The craft brewing boom of which Almanac was a part kicked off in the late aughts. As those businesses grew and their clientele started families, people were divided by the question: is a brewery a place to bring your kids?
It's become a hotly debated topic over the years, raging across Reddit and TikTok.
One camp is a firm yes, arguing that the casual, community atmosphere and outdoor space are the perfect venue for a day with the family — that people with kids shouldn't be restricted from enjoying certain social activities, including enjoying a good beer.
Detractors say it's akin to bringing a kid to a bar, and that if parents are drinking, they shouldn't be driving their kids home. One of the more common complaints is that parents seem to leave their kids unsupervised, which creates a chaotic atmosphere akin to a Chuck E. Cheese.
Scoles said welcoming families to Almanac is just being part of the community, and not catering to a specific subset of the population: "beer nerds," as he calls them.
"It's one of those 'chicken versus egg' things. We've been so fortunate, when we moved to Alameda, that location really became a community hub, and it doesn't feel like a brewery. When you're on-site, everybody doesn't look and talk like I do," Kevin Scoles, Almanac's Executive Vice President of Sales told KTVU. "It's not all beer nerds, for lack of a better term, it's really a snapshot of the community. It's young families, old retired couples, (people of) ethnic and racial background."
Staying ahead of the game
Big picture view:
Almanac is bucking the trends of its industry. Beer consumption in the U.S. has been falling, and in 2024 hit its lowest level in 40 years, partially as a result of the rise of canned cocktails and hard seltzers, partly due to bad press.
Former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy in January called for cancer warnings on alcoholic drinks, and multiple studies have shown no amount of alcohol is safe to drink.
Finally, some people are just opting out of drinking entirely. A 2023 Gallup survey showed that between 2021 and 2023, 62% of adults under the age of 35 have ever had a drink. That number is a 10% drop from twenty years earlier.
Brewing has, as a result, become something of a volatile industry. While Almanac risks alienating some customers by pivoting to a family-friendly atmosphere, others are joining forces.
Fort Point Beer Co. and HenHouse Brewing Co. made headlines last month with the news that they would be merging into Fort Point HenHouse. San Francisco-based Cellarmaker Brewing Co. acquired Berkeley-based The Rare Barrel in 2022, while San Leandro's Drake's Brewing Co. bought Sonoma County's Bear Republic Brewing Co. in early 2023, and those are just a few examples.