Lotte Peplow, Brewers Association American Craft Beer Ambassador for Europe, looks at the latest craft trends to emerge from across the pond.

The U.S. 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 then, are the latest in U.S. craft beer trends gleaned from the recent Great American Beer Festival (GABF) held in Denver, Colorado, and organised by the Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade association representing small and independent American craft breweries.

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 USA and widely available around the world.

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.

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 that 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.’

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 States.

Low and No Alcohol

A small but fast-growing segment of the beer industry, low and no alcohol options were well-represented throughout the festival and reflected the mindful moderation trend.  In the States 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 no and low options.

In Ukraine, American craft beer is available in Silpo or Good Wine stores.

The Brewers Association publishes a wealth of resources to understand and enjoy craft beer, downloadable free of charge from www.brewersassociation.org 

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About the Brewers Association

The Brewers Association (BA) is the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, their beers and the community of brewing enthusiasts. The BA represents 5,600-plus U.S. breweries. The BA’s independent craft brewer seal is a widely adopted symbol that differentiates beers by small and independent craft brewers. The BA organizes events including the World Beer Cup^®, Great American Beer Festival^®, Craft Brewers Conference^®& BrewExpo America^® and American Craft Beer Week^®. The BA publishes The New Brewer^® magazine, and Brewers Publications^® is the leading publisher of brewing literature in the U.S. Beer lovers are invited to learn more about the dynamic world of craft beer at CraftBeer.com^® and about homebrewing via the BA’s American Homebrewers Association^® and the free Brew Guru^® Follow us on Facebook, Xand Instagram.

Issued on behalf of the Brewers Association, 1327 Spruce Street, Boulder, Colorado, 80302 USA.  www.brewersassociation.org

For further press information: Lotte Peplow  atlotte@brewersassociation.org  +44 (0)7973 698 414

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