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2014 is now in the rearview window and what a year it was for the craft beer industry. All week, we’ve been reflecting on “the year that was” – all the things that we found significant – and what it all might mean for us going forward.
And if you haven’t already read Part I or Part II yet… what were you thinking?
Craft Beer News Goes Mainstream
Craft beer is now very much a part of America’s pop cultural landscape and nothing exemplifies this fact more than its growing coverage at traditional media outlets, newspapers, and magazines. Mainstream publications such as USA Today, Esquire, and Men’s Journal all wanted in on this world in 2014 and started covering craft beer news and events with greater regularity.
Old Becomes New Again
One of the trends that gained momentum was breweries re-embracing less heralded beer styles that had fallen by the wayside over the last decade. The craft beer consumer is more informed than ever and willing to explore classic beer styles that haven’t been addressed as widely as the omnipresent IPA. Lagers made a comeback in 2014 and Pilsners rebounded. Brewers like Eugene, Oregon-based Ninkasi Brewing are reclaiming the Lager tradition and introducing exciting new variants in their brilliant Prismatic Series and they’re not alone… Firestone Walker debuted their Pivo Hoppy Pils in 2013 and it fast became one of their most popular beers ever! Nearly extinct styles like the German Gose have been resurrected by cutting-edge breweries such as Westbrook in South Carolina, and the once-overlooked Berliner Weisse style became more available.
New Hop Varieties Flourish
In spite of the resurgence of classic beer styles in 2014, the American IPA continues its reign as the most popular beer style in the country. And the immense popularity of this hop-forward ale has led to more aggressive hop research and development that is opening brewing to exciting possibilities. New hop varieties introduced last year included Cashmere (developed from the popular Cascade hop) and the immediately popular Yakima Gold.
Craft Beer Variety Packs Surge in 2014
Craft beer variety packs were up an amazing 21 percent by volume last year and commanded 24 percent of the dollar sales. And the packages themselves became more interesting. Sierra Nevada’sBeer Camp Across America mixed pack set the standard for creativity last year with their 12 different collaboration beer offerings…But many brewers like Sam Adams, Victory, Dominion and Odell Brewing also upped their packages (and game) in 2014 and it paid off in spades.
More Trends We’re Tiring Of
Crowdfunded Craft Beer Campaigns – Hey we get it – you’re excited about your new craft beer idea or that brewery you intend to build once you raised some cash. But crowdfundeded craft beer campaigns (and requests that we write about them) reached critical mass in 2014 and we can no longer keep up with all of them as much as we’d like too.
Gimmick Beers – Some brewing ideas are more about the marketing concept and less about the beer itself. And clever ideas that don’t translate into something that drinks credibly just don’t matter to us anymore. Please don’t send us all your press releases hyping beers you brewed with marijuana or moon dust, if that’s all you’ve got. We need more than “the story” – we need something we can take seriously – and so do your consumers.
