What will be the next "big thing" in beer?

I think we're going to see a lot more situations where craft breweries get bought up by the mega-conglomerates.

We will also see many of the larger craft breweries working together with distribution deals in order to both compete with the larger producers/distributors and save money in doing so.

We will see smaller more mediocre breweries falling by the wayside. Those who do not have a proper niche or a top-notch product will be unable to survive.

Meanwhile, the smaller brewpubs who do serve a niche will continue to grow in number and thrive as long as they make sure they don't try to get too big for their britches.

I think it's only a matter of time before an existing major chain restaurant starts brewing their own beer in house. TGI Fridays or Applebee's eventually serving a house made beer.

In other words, things are about to get very VERY corporate and the beer community is going to have a lot of decisions to make.

 

This. Cider w/ brett, barrel aged cider, mead/cider blends, etc.

 

Oh man, hell yeah to the brett! And Woodchuck already does a BA cider so it's a start. I also second the meads. I would love to see mead get bigger (We've got Kuhnhenn and B. Nektar so far).

 

Yeah i'd love to try a brett cider, i've heard some cider makers in Oregon are already working on them. I've tried Crispin bird on a wire (bourbon barrel aged i think) and one from Potters that is aged in apple brandy barrels. Ciders seem to be gaining a lot of momentum and with the increase of people being diagnosed with celiac disease ciders are going to continue to get more popular.

Oh and i had Zombie Killer from B. Nektar recently...pretty interesting

 

Goose Island had a very interesting idea, they brewed Oolong tea in their Kolsch to make Golden Goddess. Kinda interesting double brewing that wasn't super well implemented. With the right combination of styles, this could be awesome. Just my 2c.

 

I think the fact that beer are not really evolving shows signs of a lost beer producing market. They do not have new ideas so they are inflating the old. Double, triple IPA. Stouts and BA versions of the same stout. Aged for 6 months, 1 year, two years. Yes some great products have come from this, but it just a matter of time before everyone is doing the same thing, just a little more than the next. The next big thing will be a break from this aspect of more and moving towards new. Possibly wild variants of ingredients through genetic engineering. Not to say that genetic engineering is a good thing, but possibly a wave to hit in the near future.

 

All the most beautiful women in the world will become entranced by chubby, bearded, bespectacled craft beer lovers. A little optimism never hurt anyone.

 

overvaluing mass distributed shelf beers and/or "in it to win it" attitude in trade forums... ohh wait ;(

 

Session beers/low abv. I'd put money on it.

 

I think session beers will be the next wave. But only if the price of those beers comes down commensurate to their ABV.

A lot of BA's try to pretend that they aren't enjoying a drug, but you are. And higher-quality drugs command a higher price.

I'm not buying a bag a schwag for the price of nugs just because the next fad is a less-intrusive high

 

Session Beers

Cider/Mead

 

More lagers. Less of the "we don't do lagers here, ONLY ALES!" attitude at breweries

 

BARLEYWINES

 

I am drinking a Pipeworks Batch 1 BA Smoked porter RIGHT NOW!!

 

And now i poured 3oz of bourbon into my glass on top of it.

Can't wait for work tomorrow, going to try out some new Two brothers burundi coffee.

 

I think we'll see a lot of the same stuff, but honed to perfection. There aren't a lot of new ideas, but brewers are combining flavors and perfecting existing ideas with really good recipes.

 

florida weisse

 

If we're being realistic, I'll say sours.

If we're being wishful, I'll say sours.

 

check out J Wakefield Brewing. I've had a handful of their offerings and all were pretty impressive.