Beer
“ We sell more IPAs than any other craft — whether it ’ s a Hazy , Imperial , Session — they all do well and are hard to keep up with .”
– Christopher Mullins , Jr ., who runs McGillin ’ s Olde Ale House in Philadelphia with his parents .
Hard seltzers are selling well at Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery , says head brewer Tauren Johnston , but not as well as when they first debuted .
EXPERIMENTAL EFFORTS One of beer ’ s big advantages over wine and spirits is the ability to create new products and invent new styles quickly . After all , wine waits for the harvest , and spirits often need to mature in barrel or stainless-steel before release . Brewers , however , can roll out a new batch in a matter of days . Often with inventive results .
Take Wynkoop Brewing ’ s recent IPA release , for example . Named On Belay ( a rock climbing term ) Hazy IPA , the ale incorporates climbing chalk normally used to improve climbers ’ grip on granite , but in this case adds a “ fluffy mouthfeel ,” according to the Denver-based brewer .
It ’ s not as strange as it sounds — traditionally , chalk is used to adjust brewing water minerality — but it ’ s certainly an intriguing marketing tactic . Wynkoop also brews a Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout with a special ingredient : bull testicles .
Perhaps with the aim of creating crossover appeal for wine drinkers , some brewers have experimented with beer-wine hybrids . Brooklyn brewer Wild East , for example , adds pinot grigio juice to its version of Berliner Weisse , Turnstyle Venezia . And Goodlife Brewing has added local Oregon pinot noir juice to its golden ale , refermenting with Brettanomyces yeast , and aging in pinot noir wine barrels .
IS THE IPA STILL KING ? Hop-forward India Pale Ales are ubiquitous , crowding beer lists and accounting for many retail skus . One reason for the style ’ s continued popularity is that brewers are ringing ever-new variations on the IPA : British , West Coast , Hazy NEIPA , Double , Triple , Imperial , DDH , Milkshake , Black , Brut , Rye , Session , Fruit , Sour — and
whatever they dream up tomorrow .
Indeed , the Brewers Association recently revamped its beer style guide to include New Zealand-style IPA . But are consumers getting tired of huge hop intakes and looking for something easy to drink ? Yes , say many in the industry .
“ The IPA has an ever-expanding repertoire of different styles . And as a group , IPA is still king ,” concedes Johnston at Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery . But , she adds , “ Lighter ales , lagers and sours always trend up during the warmer months of the year , because they ' re so satisfying on hot days , and the lower ABV extends day-parties into the night .”
“ IPAs are still the hottest-selling craft beers , but pilsner is a heavy hitter as well ,” says John Stanton , assistant general manager of Henley , a modern American brasserie in Nashville . Six , mostly local , brews are on tap , supplemented by 10 bottled selections . “ Nothing Fancy , a pilsner from [ Nashville-based ] New Heights Brewing , is especially popular ,” says Stanton .
“ We sell more IPAs than any other craft — whether it ’ s a Hazy , Imperial , Session — they all do well and are hard to keep up with ,” says Mullins at McGillin ’ s .
“ IPA is still king of the hill ,” says Daniels . “ But there are so many styles now . Then there ’ s the crowd that ’ s burnt-out , drinking rainbow cookie yadda yadda and other wild stuff that now just wants a really good , well-made pilsner or lager .”
At Applejack , Hanson notes the boom in Hazy / New England IPAs . In summer , lighter and fruitier styles are popular , such as shandies , fruit beers , fruited sours and so on . “ As the weather cools , pastry stouts and other darker and barrel-aged styles will definitely maintain their popularity ," he adds .
In 2021 to date , the combined IPA subcategories on Drizly account for 17 % of beer share , according to Ana Tantum , B2B brand marketing manager for the ecommerce company . IPA is the third-largest beer subcategory , after hard seltzer ( 23 % share ) and
www . beveragedynamics . com September / October 2021 • Beverage Dynamics 23