Neshaminy Creek
Brewing Co . in Croydon , PA , added Warehouse Lager , a Mexican-style pale golden lager , to its year-round lineup in May 2020 .
Has the turmoil of the past few years led to more nostalgic beer styles , a harkening back to simpler times ? That ’ s one possible explanation for what appears to be a renewed interest in lagers this year among beer drinkers .
“ Craft lager has reinvented the wheel and is making a big comeback ,” says Grace Skarra , beverage manager at Harrah ’ s Resort SoCal in Funner , CA . Her guests generally look for more health-conscious and organic options . “ I ’ m predicting low-ABV beers will trend ,” she says .
Such lighter beers also fit a shift in drinking habits because of the pandemic , observers say . “ Day-drinking on the weekends has become a thing ,” says Greg Engert , beverage director and partner of Neighborhood Restaurant Group in Alexandria , VA .
“ The lower-ABV classic styles you can drink while you ’ re playing a game or doing other activities ,” Engert . “ It stands in contrast to the office-based Happy Hours and late-night drinking sessions in darker bars .”
People were moving toward sessionability again this past summer , says Jason Daniels , chief operating officer for the Poughkeepsie , NY-based retailer Half Time . “ So being able to consume a number of beverages rather than during Covid when they were drinking 16 and 18 % beers and trying to forget that they were in a national pandemic .”
Indeed , Drizly data shows that “ consumers may be starting to pull away from heavier , hoppy beers in exchange for something lighter and more refreshing ,” says Liz Paquette , head of consumer insights for the online ordering and alcohol delivery platform .
On Drizly , light lagers gained two percentage points in sales year over year from 2020 to 2021 , while IPAs declined
By Andrew Kaplan
Grace Skarra , Beverage Manager at Harrah ’ s Resort SoCal in Funner , CA , predicts that low-ABV beers will be trending .
two percentage points . In 2022 so far , the share for IPAs has remained flat at 9 % compared to the same time in 2021 , while light lager gained two percentage points .
This popularity of lighter brews is being seen at bars and restaurants nationwide . But it just scratches the surface of what ’ s going on in beer considering there are 9,247 craft brewers in the U . S . at last count .
“ We ’ re in the thick of a beer renaissance ,” says Steve Lewis , one of the owners of Union in Chicago . “ And I say that in the sense of creativity , innovation , honing skill and using science to make better beers .”
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The overall beer landscape remains a category divvied up between the high-volume mainstream brews from the big domestic and foreign brewers and the more artisanal offerings from the thousands of local craft brewers .
It ’ s reflected on national platforms like Drizly , where the top-10 sellers are Bud Light , Coors Light , Miller Lite , Corona Extra , Michelob Ultra , Modelo Especial , Budweiser , Stella Artois , Heineken and Blue Moon Belgian White Wheat , in that order .
But along with the low-carb Bud Light NEXT , the fastest-growing beer SKUs on Drizly in 2022 so far have been the flavorful and high-ABV Goose Island Tropical Beer Hug ,
28 • Fall 2022 www . cheersonline . com