American Craft Beer Looks Back At 2014 – Part II

 

2014 was a whirlwind year for American craft beer and the industry – just an incredible ride! Throughout this week, we’ll be reflecting on “the year that was” – all the things that we found significant and what it all might mean for us going forward.

So welcome to the second part of our ongoing year-end series- and if you haven’t read Part I yet, we’re pissed at you.

Brewery Acquisitions Accelerate

2014 will be remembered for the consolidations that took place – a portent, we think, of more things to come. The biggest and certainly the most decried acquisition was without a doubt Anheuser-Busch’s November 5^th purchase of Bend-based 10 Barrel Brewing. Five days later, Green Flash announced that they had acquired the highly respected Alpine Beer Co., a southern California boutique operation with an enormous reputation. And then, on December 17^th, Founders Brewing surprised the industry by announcing that they had sold a 30% minority stake in their company to Spain’s leading brewing company, Mahou San Miguel. No matter what you think of any (or all) of these acquisitions – they must be seen for what they are – defensive moves taken to strengthen and better position the companies involved in an increasingly crowded and competitive national and international environment.

Session IPA Ruled and Lagers Re-emerge

What started in full with the success of Founders All Day IPA spread like wildfire in 2014 and it seemed like everyone was introducing their own take on these hop-forward, lower alcohol Pale Ales. And after years out of the spotlight, craft beer Lagers quietly re-emerged as more craft brewers re-committed to brewing this more expensive and time-consuming style.

2014’s New Next Big Thing

Although barrel-aged and blended beers continued to command the attention of craft beer’s hardcore fans, they were dethroned in 2014 by the craft beer community’s growing fascination with Sour Ales. Five years ago, only a handful of breweries were championing this difficult and once cultish style, and now everyone wants in on the game. And just as the Lager quietly re-emerged while all the session IPAs were attracting all the attention – watch out for the rare Gose style to become more common in 2015 – especially now that Sours are all the rage.

Trends We’re Tiring Of

1. Collaboration Beers – We’ve grown weary of this once-exciting concept. Maybe there were just too many last year – maybe we finally realized that many of them “weren’t all that.” Whatever the reason, the thrill is gone – at least for now. One notable exception last year was Sierra Nevada’s beautifully executed Beer Camp Package – a brilliant variety pack that delivered some truly interesting collaborations.
2. Beer Festivals – They proliferated in 2014, as more and more promoters discovered that there’s money to be made in the craft beer biz. But more is not necessarily better and many of the festivals we covered last year were undistinguished at best and too many had a sameness that was disheartening. We’re not talking the majors – like the GABF, SAVOR, or events like the Firestone Walker Invitational. We also enjoyed many events that were curated regionally by state brewers guilds. Unfortunately, too many commercial beer festivals last year were thrown simply to make a profit – and it showed.