5 Trends To Watch in the Beer Industry in 2022
As the number of craft breweries continue to expand, we keep seeing new waves in the beer industry when it comes to fresh products and trends. 2022 has already been an interesting year, and we can examine how the industry has changed to see where it might go from here. Below are a few trends to watch in the beer industry in 2022 that might shake things up a bit.
Healthier Alternatives on the Rise
With the popularity of alcoholic seltzers and a general shift to more health-conscious consumers, the beer industry has been trying to keep up with healthier alternatives. While some brewers continue to try to reduce calories, there are other methods of creating healthier beers. This includes the rising popularity of the non-alcoholic beer market, which has seen a huge jump recently.
Bioengineered Products Replace Raw Materials
As our planet’s climate continues to change, access to the same raw materials like fresh hops isn’t something that every brewer will be able to affordably find. To replace these materials, many brewers are turning to science for an alternative. Alternatives to these materials, such as bioengineered yeast, may completely change the way that we think about brewing beer.
Beer Expansion Beyond IPAs
While IPAs still tend to dominate the craft beer market, there are only so many that the industry can support. Breaking into the IPA market has never involved taking on more competition. As a result, we might see many new and familiar craft breweries switch to different beer varieties to avoid the oversaturated IPA market. IPAs will likely stay on top for a while, but there could be a whole host of new stouts, porters, or lagers released very soon.
Small Craft Breweries Challenging Mass Producers
It’s no longer on the shoulders of a few huge companies to supply consumers with the beer they want to drink. Craft breweries are still on the rise, and in 2022, it’s possible that we could see a shift in the industry that favors them. Giants like Anheuser-Busch certainly aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. However, some smaller breweries have begun to make larger names for themselves that could take away some of their market share.
The Release of More Sours
An unexpected trend to watch for in the beer industry for 2022 is the rise of more sour beer varieties. What was once a very small subset of the beer market has rapidly grown to a much larger share. This trend of consumers choosing sours over their standard beer may mean that we see lots more of them coming out from familiar brands.
If you’re trying to get on the ground floor of these trends yourself, you can check out our stainless steel brewing tanks so that you can get started on the right foot with the best brewing equipment around.