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Any of you who read us regularly understand that we’re not geniuses. But since we do cover the craft beer industry daily, we’ve opinions about where things are going this year… and we might even be right about some of them!
So welcome to the first in our series of craft beer predictions …Check them out and let us know what you think.
More Growth & More Failures – The wave of startups and new breweries coming on line will continue in 2014 – it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to make that call. But we do think that we will begin to see more breweries faltering in 2014, especially when compared to last year.
Expect to See More Notable Craft Breweries Sold to Bigger Brewers – Craft beer is a growth industry and consolidation is no stranger to growth industries. The sale of Kansas City-based Boulevard Brewing to Belgium’s Duvel Moorgat last October was no fluke – but rather a harbinger of things to come. And we predict we’ll see more notable breweries sold to bigger entities in 2014.
Cans, More Cans, & a Whole Lot More Cans – When a longtime anti-can activist with the stature of Boston Beer‘s Jim Koch decided to bite the bullet and began canning his craft beers at Samuel Adams in 2013, it was a watershed moment. And no matter what your take is on the whole bottles vs. cans debate, canned craft beers are here to stay – and will continue to grow in 2014. Here are some reasons why.
Sour Beer Sales Will Sweeten – Sour beers will continue to grow as American craft beer’s newest “next big thing” and more craft beer fans will discover and embrace them in the coming year.
Naming Disputes and Trademark Litigation Will Continue to Pose Issues – With more craft breweries than ever before operating within the continental United States, naming disputes and craft beer litigation issues are only going to increase. Yes, craft beer continues to be more communal and collaborative than other industries – but with so much growth and so many startups cropping up everywhere, business plans and visions will increasingly collide, bringing even more legal challenges.
The Trend towards Session Beers Will Continue – Some will argue that American craft beer’s second revolution was spurred on by the popularity of high alcohol beers, and there’s no doubt that high ABV beers have helped define and sustain the movement. But with every action, there can be a reaction, and the growing popularity of session beers (generally defined as those that contain no more than 4.5 or 5% ABV) speaks to that. Will lower octane beers eventually supplant those big West Coast IPAs? Frankly, we’d be surprised if they did anytime soon. But artfully crafted session beers (like this one) will continue to gain market share in 2014.
