Trends

Should a low-ABV beer be high on your brewing schedule? Here, brewers who are crafting “mid-strength” ales and lagers—in the neighborhood of 3 percent ABV—weigh in on whether they might thrive among stronger and nonalcoholic options.

From pandan to seaweed, there are certain flavors catching on with consumers. For breweries willing to experiment, it might be possible to capture some of that buzz.

Is it true that younger people are drinking less beer? And are there fewer beer drinkers than there used to be? Let’s consider some numbers that might undermine those assumptions.

Chasing flavor-driven trends on retail shelves is certainly one way to pursue growth. Yet smaller breweries may find more success by recommitting to an identity grounded in intentional brewing.

From nostalgia and augmented reality to big cans and clear communication of flavor, here’s how today’s breweries are standing out on increasingly crowded retail shelves.

The chief financial officer turned chief marketing officer at Chicago’s Revolution Brewing, known for dabbling in hot takes via his humorous social-media presence @beeraficionado, offers his perspective on the trends facing craft beer in 2023.

Consumer preference around packaging format is a moving target. Here, we visualize packaging on a global scale as well as recent movement in consumer trends in the United States.

In demand and on trend, hop water is proving to be a low-effort, high-reward offering for many small breweries.

Sales of imperial IPAs are outpacing their standard-strength counterparts. Yet breweries need to find the right packaging mix, price point, recipe, and marketing to keep margins in line.

Are proper craft-beer bars and bottle shops in danger? As thousands of breweries coalesce around profitable taprooms and a handful of trendy styles, craft beer may be losing a piece of its soul. Greg Engert of the Neighborhood Restaurant Group explains.

Donna Wamsley of Seattle-based SoRSE Technology—a specialist in figuring out how to get flavors into our foods and drinks—talks consumer trends and what’s on the horizon for the beer industry.

When uncertainty rules the day, brewhouse-equipment purchases need to offer trusted ROI. Breweries should look for equipment that solves today’s problems—but also tees up future flexibility.

New book on making hard seltzer is aimed at professional brewers as well as enthusiasts.

Be still, my beating heart: There are data to back up the oft-repeated (or is it oft-wished?) observation that lager may be the next big thing.

The alcohol delivery platform Drizly recently conducted a first-of-its kind survey of retailers in its network. Here are some of the more interesting findings.

What can social media chatter tell us about beer trends and the market? Here we chart a few metrics.

The beverage ecommerce service Drizly shares its data on what people drank during one of the year’s biggest weekends for parties and advertising.

Hard seltzer continues to sparkle; cans are set to out-fill bottles; and brewers are betting high on low-strength, low-cal, low-carb.

In time for New Year’s resolutions and Dry January, Delaware brewery announces a “virtual community” for runners.

There’s no denying the popularity of hard seltzer—the beverage success story of 2019. Unlike with beverage fads of the past, brewers large and small are betting on the bubbly longevity of hard seltzer, and they're poised to pivot to whatever comes next.