The US craft brewers are renowned for their brewing innovation and boundary-pushing creativity with new trends, tastes and flavours tending to start in America and ripple across the world.
Here are the latest in US craft beer trends gleaned from the recent Great American Beer Festival (GABF) held in October in Denver, Colorado, and organised by the Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade association representing small and independent American craft breweries.
1) The haze craze lives on
Even after a decade in the spotlight, juicy/hazy IPAs continue to dominate the American craft beer landscape. Originating in Vermont in the early 2000s, the style exploded in popularity by the mid-2010s capturing beer drinkers’ interest with its unfiltered appearance, fruit-forward character and ease of drinking.
The Brewers Association recognised the Juicy/Hazy IPA style as an official category in 2018 and it has since become the most competitive category at both the GABF competition and the World Beer Cup.
The wide range of ‘hazies’ showcased at the festival demonstrated the style’s staying power, as brewers find new and creative ways to refine mouthfeel, develop aroma and flavour and layer complexity while maintaining a subdued bitterness that appeals to first time drinkers as well as die-hard IPA fans.
Flagship examples like Sierra Nevada Brewing Co’s Hazy Little Thing was launched in 2018 and is now the best-selling juicy/hazy IPA in the US and widely available around the world.
2) Lager than life
For many years, beer commentators have opined that ‘this is the year of the lager’. Judging by this year’s festival, perhaps that sentiment might finally ring true.
Brewers dazzled with an eclectic array of lager brewing excellence. From much loved favourites such as Firestone Walker’s Pivo Pils to award winners such as Deschutes Fresh Hop King Crispy there was every range of lager style conceivable including dry-hopped, wet-hopped, fresh-hopped, smoked, lager with lime, salt or fruits, Japanese rice lager, Mexican, Italian and Czech style lagers and the seasonally requisite Oktoberfest beers. Dunkels, Schwarzbiers and Bocks were also out in force.
3) Packaging formats
Talking of lager, Sierra Nevada has recently taken the bold move of packaging their German-style pilsner, PILS, in 8.4oz/250ml cans, claiming it better reflects European culture and ensures the beer stays “fresh, crisp and cold from the first to the last sip”. Look out for it in export markets shortly.
On the other end of the scale, the 19.2oz/568ml/one pint can format or ‘stovepipe’ is also proving popular, offering cash-conscious consumers more ‘bang for their buck’.
4) Beyond beer
According to the Brewers Association’s annual production survey, one in four craft breweries produces a beverage other than beer as they seek to broaden appeal and remain relevant to shifting consumer tastes. Beverages including cider, kombucha, hard tea and ready-to-drink cocktails are increasingly found in and bars and taprooms throughout the US.
5) Low & no alcohol
A small but fast-growing segment of the beer industry, low & no alcohol options were well-represented throughout the festival and reflected the mindful moderation trend.
In the US, 9% of all drinkers consume low or no alcohol options weekly. Among Gen Z, that’s 15% – Millennials 13% and for regular craft drinkers, it’s even higher at 18%. Beer has led the way in non-alcoholic innovation and consumers are now familiar with the concept, opening the way for bars, pubs and taprooms to turn the spotlight on low & no options.
Medal winners available in the UK from for example Athletic Brewing, Sierra Nevada and Samuel Adams, showcased high-quality and nuanced flavours.
In the UK, American craft beer is available through selected bars, pubs and dining venues as well as bottle shops, off licences and online from Beer Merchants.com, Athletic Brewing, Sierra Nevada shop, Hop the Pond Distant Lands or Cave Direct.
The UK is an important export market for American craft beer, accounting for 8.2% of all exports and ranking as the third largest market globally.
