Upcoming Craft Beer Trends

This is a good dream.

 

This.

 

I'd love to get my beer in individual 12-oz charred-oak bourbon mini-barrels. Instead of a punch-top can you could uncork your own bunghole. [insert crass bunghole jokes here] And instead of recycling the can, you could compost it.

 

Then the breweries would only need to brew the base beer, and each individual could "barrel age" as s/he sees fit...throwing in their own cocoa nibs, chili peppers, vanilla beans, etc. Would obviate a lot of the commercial experimentation.

 

1. Make oak beer stein
2. Char beer stein
3. Age bourbon in beer stein
4. Drink bourbon
5. Fill stein with beer
6. profit ???

 

This will all sound crazy until DFH or Stone actually try it.

 

1. Make oak beer stein
2. Char beer stein
3. Age bourbon in beer stein
4. Drink bourbon
5. Fill stein with beer
6. Fun!

 

American sours in cans maybe?

 

Step one:

 

Future Beer Trends in order of least ridiculous to most ridiculous:

1. Limited releases get put into increasingly smaller bottles - hits wider audience, more money for breweries?
2. Once cans become commonplace, container innovators will start packaging in Capri-Sun like pouches -cheaper than cans, easier to ship, avoids light contact (same benefits of can vs. bottle argument)
3. Beer Trading Cards - All the benefits of hoarding beer but with lower shipping costs, less storage space, and they can be sold on ebay!

But in all seriousness, I think it would be cool for breweries to expand on cooking with beer. Including a recipe on a six pack would be sweet.

 

That one's been done - Beer Pouch

​

 

Agree on the consumer thing - look at the popularity of BMC and Velveeta cheese.

I don't see SN, BBC, NBB buying out anyone though. I think InBev or Miller will be doing that.

If anything I think we'll see an enormous saturation by the crafts owned by InBev (now and future) alongside the best of the best in a given local market, with the marginal and poor ones slowly squeezed out of business. The latter part needs to happen damn soon, IMO. The "buy local" fad seems to be at a peak in popularity.

 

Well your question must be answered with a question... are you referring to what the trend will be for rare whale type beers here on BA? Or are you referring to the trends among "average" craft beer consumers? Cause I can tell you this, the current trend for "average" consumers is not barrel aged, sour, or any other kind of funky beers. Whales might represent a fair amount of lust for some BA's, but amongst the greater masses of consumers... not so much. The trend overall will continue to be standard beers... remember, new entrants into the craft world are typically growing out of their taste for BMC... that is where the growth in the industry will come from for the foreseeable future.

 

Maybe US craft beers going to 11.2 oz (at least for "European style" beers--Helles lagers, pilsners, dunkels, belgians, etc.). If you charge the same as you did for 12 oz, over time, it would increase profits. At least once the switchover had time to recoup bottle/can changes.

 

But those pretty much don't exist at this point, do they? Aren't they all just "brands" owned by somebody or other and contract brewed by one of the big boys? Unless you mean Yuengling but they ain't going away anytime soon.

 

I suppose you're right. I haven't really paid attention and don't intend to start.

 

SN expanded greatly when the slowdown occured in the late 90s to early 2000s, and they did not buy up small breweries.

I don't think that either SN or NB will be buying anytime soon, as they will be focused more on capaicity increases at their new breweries in Asheville.

 

I think there is going to be a 20 year old sour quadruple barrel-aged overly hoped to hell with citra and cascade hops

 

i hope its lower prices

 

Using old fashioned gruits to bitter beers when the thousands of new breweries opening every year start making quintuple IPAs and create a massive hop shortage.