Brews News: Some predictions for the new year

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Change nothing and nothing changes. Keeping craft breweries rolling means adjusting the game plan. Here are 10 things I expect to happen this year.

Be like Alberta: Independent craft brewers in Ontario are paying eight times what breweries in Alberta pay. I think Premier Doug Ford will come through with fairness.

Talk is cheap: No, I don’t mean saying something and not doing anything. I’m referring to storytelling about craft beer and engaging with customers. If staff can’t deliver a quick spiel about a beer to a curious customer, are they doing their job? If they can’t muster a hello, are they in the right role? Expect sharpened skills for front-line staff.

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Middle ground: There’s less fear about ordering a non-alcoholic beer, even if the price seems high. I expect low alcohol beers to get a whirl. Lake of Bays in Baysville is leaning into it with 2.5 per cent alcohol beers such as Low Tide IPA and Near Shore, a hazy pale ale.

Yeast you expect it: Rethinking the use of yeast brought us cold IPAs, using lager yeast for a fresh take on the hoppy style. Is there more to explore?

Pour you: How a beer is poured will get renewed attention with curiosities such as the “sharp pour” from Japan. It’s all about presentation and reassuring beer fans a big, foamy head on a lager is a thing of beauty.

Wacky ingredients: While we’re skeptical beer drinkers will ever like paying a premium for fizzy yellow beer, they will line up for one-off beers with imaginative ingredients. Lobster beer? Pinch me, it could happen at your neighbourhood brewery.

Friends and partners: Collaborations to spark learning experiences have been a thing from the get-go of independent brewing. Watch for this to get amped even more. Beertown’s work in 2024 with Bellwood’s brought us Beer Belly. Expect other beer-focused restaurants to hop on and make it a trend with beers that aren’t simply a re-labelling.

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Helles yes: Wee 4est Brewery in London knew what it was doing when it looked to Germany to inspire a lager. Suddenly, this perfect style is at craft breweries everywhere. Look for small breweries to emulate the Germans in more ways in 2025.

No sale: There’s likely not a small craft brewery anywhere that’s not overtly or quietly for sale. With buyers scarce, dreams of early brewers following a build-in and sell-it retirement plan are dashed in 2025. Some familiar names will shutter, some will start coasting and be content just to keep the lights on.

Capitulate to cocktails. Resistance to canned cocktails is futile and having them on the board to attract a younger demographic to small breweries is more important than ever.

Wayne Newton is a freelance journalist based in London.

BrewsNewsTravels@gmail.com

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