B ee rT re n d s
At Draft in San Diego , top-selling beers include Seattle ’ s Elysian Brewing ’ s Space Dust IPA and San Diego-based Societe Brewing Co .’ s The Pupil IPA .
are Seattle ’ s Elysian Brewing ’ s Space Dust IPA and San Diego-based Societe Brewing Co .’ s The Pupil IPA .
“ In Southern California , it ’ s a very broad mix of classic American beers and Baja-style lagers as well as IPA and craft beers ,” says Moiles . “ I feel it ’ s a split : Some people are looking for simple approachable flavors , a moderate ABV , and everyday drinkable beer , and others are looking for bold flavors and new experiences .”
In fact , depending on where you are , there is still quite an appetite for creative brews with more mass appeal . For example , in the Las Vegas area , CraftHaus has had success with a strawberry mochi milkshake IPA called Sugoi . “ It has a cult following ,” says Forrest . “ That one sells out within hours .”
At Ray ’ s bar in New York , a top seller is Filson Gold Rush , says Carlos Quirarte , a partner in parent company Authentic Hospitality Partner . He describes it as “ a Rustic Gold IPA , starting with a crisp blend of pale golden malts and premium , hand-selected hops from the Pacific Northwest .” This IPA is dry-hopped and packaged unfiltered for a “ bold rustic hop experience ,” he says .
Also popular is Filson Maritime , a gose beer , which Quirarte describes as “ a tart wheat ale with notes of citrus , pine and fresh grass , and a dry , clean finish of pure Pacific Northwest harvested sea salt to evoke elements of both land and sea .”
Hazy IPAs are still in at Nemo ’ s Beer Shop and tasting room in Queens , NY , says owner Andrew Bronstein . “ I still sell three times as many hazy IPAs as anything else in the store . It blows my mind sometimes .” Bronstein , who
30 • Fall 2022 also co-founded Brooklyn ’ s Sixpoint Brewery in 2004 , says things have changed considerably since he started in the business . “ It used to be about color and brightness ,” he says , “ and now it ’ s about aroma and soft juicy flavors .
Among the newer styles he is seeing are smoothie sours . “ Fruited sours that aren ’ t sour ,” he says . “ They have lactose in them so they are , again , soft and fruity and juicy and they don ’ t have the bite of an actual sour beer but somehow they fall into the sour beer category .”
ALCOHOL-FREE BEER ADVANCES
Non-alcoholic beers are “ on-fire big time ,” says Adam Wolloch , director of purchasing at At Half Time . “ More and more brands are coming out with non-alcoholics by the week it feels like .”
Will this be the year where non-alcohol beer finally gains widespread acceptance ? The sub-category had its run years ago and never took off . But they may be here to stay this time , thanks to new brewing methods resulting in better quality .
Sales have shown strong growth , albeit from a low starting point . “ While the non-alcoholic beverage category remains small on Drizly …. the growth in this category is significant ,” says Paquette . “ In 2022 to date , share for non-alcoholic beer has increased by 41 % compared to the same period last year ,” she adds .
“ I think it ’ s very big ,” says Engert . “ NA Beer was such an under-utilized category for decades . They weren ’ t good — people didn ’ t like the way they tasted , they were typically old on the shelves and that probably stymied
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