Is the craft beer movement stagnant?

I think your picture of what is being released is overly limited, either by geography or paying too much attention to the forums here on BA, or whatever. There are lots of new beers available in SEPA every year that are not Stouts or IPAs, so I don't see any stagnation here. To mention only three of many examples, Victory has done new examples of other styles in the last two years, Troeg's has their Scratch series and in fact only very recently developed an IPA to become one of their regular offerings while still continuing their Scratch beers, and Flying Fish has their Exit series which in the last couple of years has offered up a range of styles, all of which were well above average to excellent.

 

I think many people are short sighted and just perpetuate misconceptions regarding craft beer in general. People still go on and on about how American brewers are incapable of balance and subtlety, cans dumb down good beer, I think you could throw this topic in there too.

To say that all breweries release are IPAs or Stouts is a gross over exaggeration. Do these release get more press? Of course they do, these are the styles that tend to excite the better beer audience. Just because a release is under the radar it does not mean it is not happening. Go look at beer pulse, there are plenty of release and labels being approved every day for something other than an IPA or Stout.

I will admit there are a lot of IPA and Stout release. You mention is may be catering to what makes money, while that may be true I believe it is only part of the story and leans towards the cynical side. Take money out of the equation and a brewery is not going to make it if people do not want to drink what they produce. Sure the money is nice but breweries want people to drink their beer for other reasons too. Let us not forget that brewers are people too, these styles you mention are among the most popular with consumers, it may be fair to say they are among the most popular with those who brew them. If I was brewing professionally I would find a way to brew what I liked.

 

The problem is also that IPAs and BA stouts are what most of the conversations revolve around on this site. I don't think that we should take that to mean that that is all that breweries are releasing.

 

Come to NC. EVERYONE is releasing a pale ale, and its getting on my nerves. Theyre not doing anything speical or unique with it, just releasing a pale ale. Hell, New Belgium has like 2 or 3. If they over hopped it or used a unique ingredient like they do at Fullsteam.

AND my personal favorite genius idea was to have a Pale AND a Golden on tap. If youre a brewery, how much different can those be if neither are hoppy? seriously.

 

While I still see plenty of new breweries opening here in the Carolinas featuring the typical lineup of IPA, Stout, Barrel-aged specialty, I have been pleased to see some new places breaking away from that. In the past two months or so, Fortnight Brewing, featuring British-style ales, and Brevard Brewing, featuring German-style lagers have opened...although, you'll notice, they both put out an IPA as well.

 

No. Crazy growth + tons of creative hybrids. You're just not looking hard enough. IPAs sell, so breweries must make them to allow them to do more interesting things - nothing wrong with that.

 

This past spring Smuttynose actually scaled back production of Big A IPA from year-round to rotational status so they could make room for Vunderbar Pils.

 

I was more under the impression that you can't swing a dead cat without knocking over ten new saisons.

 

I'm happy to see a few U.S. breweries starting to make more saisons and other Belgian styles, and some damn good ones. I'm still waiting to see some truly world-class German styles brewed on this side of the pond, but it will probably happen eventually. What we might see is a little burnout on the extreme hybrid barrel-aged everything-but-the-kitchen sink beers, and a return to more traditional styles crafted with skill and finesse (admittedly I could be way off on this score). I think there's a market for those beers, produced locally.

 

How about this as an example of non-stagnation:

Stoudt’s brewery made a beer to celebrate their 25th anniversary: Amber 25. This beer is based upon an Amber Ale they brewed 25 years ago but with a ‘twist’ in that it is fermented with Kolsch yeast. It is lower in alcohol; 4.8% ABV. It is a tasty beer which is lightly hopped and not extreme since it has low alcohol. I had it on draft and it is indeed yummy.

A good choice to celebrate 25 years of craft brewing!!

Cheers!

 

I couldn't disagree with you more.

 

I think that's pretty much dead wrong. I'm constantly seeing new releases from tons of different breweries in many different styles.

Take Grand Teton. Their Cellar Reserve series, while not all A+ beers by any means, is a great example of a brewery diversifying successfully. Lots of different styles, and most of the ones I've tried have been solid to very good (in fact, most of them are rated 4 or higher).

 

IPAs and stouts are popular, but if you really think that "breweries are only releasing IPA's" then you need to go to your local craft beer store and open your eyeballs.

 

I sometimes wonder if people who post things like this ever actual look at a shelf in a beer store.

 

More people should take after Great Lakes

 

Next trip up to NC and I'll be after some Great Lakes, thanks in part to your advocacy. Cheers!

 

The local brewery here (voodoo) has more belgian style beers than anything

 

haha well its all coming here now, so I would grab Oktoberfest before itd disappears, and Blackout Stout and Christmas Ale are coming soon!

 

Have you not noticed all the saisons, barrel-aged saisons, sour saisons, fruit saisons, farmhouse ales, rye farmhouse ales, hoppy farmhouse ales, wild ales, sours, fruity sours and all of that being put out recently??

I think that has added a LOT of variety to the shelves, and though not my favorite style (I'll still pick an IPA or Stout over these) there have been some crazy good things coming out.

For example the Civil Disobedience 4 and Ann from Hill Farmstead I shared with my bro last night.