What beer trend will dominate 2020?

FOEDER everything.
But that's only the first quarter of 2020 as a trend.

 

I can forward you emails from several Russian and Asian women who will

 

... m-maibock

 

I prefer the 6 packs of 12oz beer to the 4 pack of 16 oz cans. I'm not sure why the 16 oz 4 packs are the current trend, but I wish we'd trend back to the 12 oz 6 packs.

 

I think seltzer is going to increase a lot. Will it be as popular as ipas, no but I think a lot of new breweries will be making them and eventually can them. Couple local breweries already make them and people are hyping it up. Bottle logic just came out with a blue seltzer that’s supposed to taste like a slurpee. People were going nuts on the IG post.

 

I believe the Hazier + Jucier IPAs will dominate for another year.
I would love to see more Lagers ………. and West Coast IPAs.

 

That format equates to greater profits for the breweries. They are selling you less beer (64 ounces vs. 72 ounces for 6-packs/12 ounce bottles/cans) for higher prices (typically $14+ in my area).

As longs as some craft beer consumers are willing to pay more for less the breweries will continue to package in this format.

Cheers!

 

You know the nicest people!?!

Cheers!

 

I am seeing an awful lot of Lager love here but the NBS and WBAYDN threads would indicate otherwise

Same, it is very easy for me to get my IPA hating but open to craft beer family/friends to like the craft Lagers.

Not necessarily. If you make and get to sample hamburgers all day you probably won't select a hamburger restaurant on your own time. But I do get what you are saying, though, and I have had some interesting discussions with brewers about Lagers.

I see this being the very big fly in the ointment. Consumers can help to make it worthwhile but...

 

First up for any brewery is a flag ship beer that sells very well and sells year round. For most places it’s ipas that pays the bills, everything else if free to explore a bit. Lagers are time consuming and expensive by comparison to brew and get to the customer, plus it’s difficult to brew, no place to hide any real flaws. A real challenge more brewers are stepping up to the plate to try. The across the board appeal to mostly any beer drinker makes it viable, and perhaps a nice revenue producer.

 

Do I remember or do I not remember a short experiment of Bigfoot being in 4pack bottles?

 

It's kind of a beer careful what you wish for situation because, inevitably, there will be more bad lagers on the market.

 

There's always Bigfoot.

 

Brace yourselves, the milkshake and pastry lagers are coming....

 

I would wager we see a continued demand for Hazy/Juicy IPA followed by an increased flooding of higher ABV beers with every flavor imaginable and a cost to match. Just a hunch I have, will be curious how it plays out. I think the demand for basic beers and simple ingredients is not going to hit as some think, the triple patty hamburger and the bigger is better crowd want big beers. (All in 4 pack 16oz cans of course).

 

Probably but you have to admit, the increase in the number of "plain old" Lagers is a promising sign. Shrugs.

 

I agree and I am a big fan of them, just have a gut feeling they are not going to get top priority from breweries, especially when they can drop the others for double the price. My local guys make a killer lager for 12 bucks a pack, but they also make killer big beers for $22, so I wonder if they wont push the more expensive for a higher profit. Also, and this is just a wild assumption, I think a lot of people today don't want simple. its too boring for them.

 

According to Twitter you are correct:

“2017 Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale! We listened to you & made the move from 4 packs to 6 packs! Have you spotted your #Bigfoot? #barleywine”

https://twitter.com/sierranevada/status/819711278243450882?lang=en

Cheers!

 

I forsee an increasing polarization taking place in the market between the heavy NEIPA, BA everything and high gravity/high abv flavored concoctions etc. on the hand and light beers on the other hand. I could see a segment like light IPA or low-cal IPA succeeding where session IPAs have (mostly) failed. The problem with the session moniker I think is that it signals indulgence in the form of increased beer consumption, yet leaves the drinker feeling let down by the compromise in flavor. The light moniker instead signals healthy behavior, and emphasises low carbs and calories (measurable numbers) rather than the promise of the same taste at a lower abv (subjective perception). The compromise is there in the name already.

So I could see this being a trend in 2020 to go along with the opposite side of the spectrum of heavy NEIPA, BA everything and high gravity/high abv flavored concoctions etc. For alot of the larger breweries that are struggling to grow in volume it will be of interest to find a segment of beer that can be sold in larger volumes, and I think by combining trends of low-calorie/low-carbs beverages and hops they can do that, even if it essentially means a repackaging or rebranding of the session IPA. Maybe Founder's All Day will finally start to see a slump in sales if drinkers percieve that there are "better" alternatives that focus on the health aspect while still bringing the hops. I also think the old taboo of becoming associated with the products of the large breweries will be felt less and less by brewers and consumers which will help this trend along.