We asked, they answered: Six Colorado brewers tell us what beer is trending now

Craft beer has seen many trends come and go over the years. Some — like Brut, black IPAs, milkshake IPAs and even glitter beers— have come and gone. Others that at first seemed like a flash in the pan proved to have surprising staying power. Many people, for instance, predicted the demise of hazy IPAs years ago, with phrases like “hazy is lazy” and red hats stating “Make IPAs Clear Again.”

So to get a sense of which beers, habits and styles are trending currently, we asked six local brewers for their take.

“Our minds at Milieu go straight to what the kids are calling HSAs or hop-saturated ales. These are beers of pure excess: dry-hopping rates that annihilate yields, an endless barrage of flowable hop products, and aromatics pushed to the point of absurdity. It’s no longer a chase for the most bitterness, but for the most hop aroma and flavor one could possibly squeeze into a glass. Excess, of course, is nothing new for the American craft beer scene, and HSAs feel like the latest crest in a long-running obsession for over-the-top flavors. What makes them distinct is the build. A heavy oat adjunct load delivers a vanilla-crème mouthfeel and a body substantial enough to carry the hop intensity without collapsing into harshness. The result is a beer that drinks rich and saturated rather than sharp. Are HSAs a flash in the pan? Between drinkers who clearly resonate with the style and a hop industry churning out new products purpose-built for this kind of brewing, we don’t see HSAs going anywhere soon.”

— Rob Bessett, co-owner and head brewer of Milieu Fermentation

“I’ve been seeing a few things lately, time will tell if they are an actual trend or just a temporary fad. The first is the general movement towards clear beers. This certainly correlates with the rising popularity of lager beer, but I’m also seeing it on the IPA side. If I release a clear double West Coast or other clear IPA, it often sells at double or triple the rate as my hazy IPA releases. On that note, I’ve also seen a general increase in interest in old-school classic styles at the taproom, importantly from my younger clientele. I did an Irish Red for St. Patrick’s Day. It went over amazingly well. Could just be a novelty thing, but it is noteworthy.”

— Ross Koenigs, owner and brewmaster of Second Dawn Brewing

“It’s impossible to ignore the “trend” lager has been over the last year. Tap lists everywhere are often dominated by lagers and IPAs, speaking in broad categories. While craft breweries are still innovating and experimenting, I see far less of that in the market. I think a lot of craft beer drinkers who had driven the momentum in the American Craft Beer revolution are phasing out of experimenting as much as they used to and prefer drinkability. I see lagers’ increasing popularity less as a trend and more as a broad category of unique styles, rooted in historical popularity, that craft breweries are rapidly embracing as consumers’ demographic and drinking preferences evolve. I see the act of storytelling as a huge trend in the craft beer and marketing world. As a consumer first and brewer second, I see how much the rise in popularity of lagers is an easy story to tell. Many brewers are passionate about lager and they are already approachable, so when the passion from the makers is there and their stories are told, I believe it drives that momentum too. With a combination of approachable styles, passion from the makers, and engaging storytelling, I don’t see lagers going anywhere in the craft beer world.”

— Teresa Blaisure, brewer at Highside Brewing

“I’m seeing that the once popular Hazy IPA is on the downtrend. They can be a bit thick and heavy at times, which reduces their multiple-pint factor. West Coast IPAs are coming back, but not in the way they used to. We are seeing much less caramel malts in them, as well as less harsh bitterness. I think people like the smooth hop flavor of Hazy IPAs but don’t care for the thick mouthfeel of them. It would seem like the new West Coast IPA has learned from hazy IPAs and made huge improvements. These feature big hop aromas, clear bright appearances, and are bursting with crisp hop flavor. West Coast pilsners tend to fall into a similar category here but are much lighter in alcohol and body. This leads into an ever-popular style. It is the time-tested, tried, and true pilsner lager. Pilsners satisfy our desire to be refreshed but also provide the drinkability we crave during social events. Also, the non-alcohol beer drinkers are making themselves known. New technologies and process improvements have shown that a non-alcohol beer can be quite satisfying. Blondes and IPAs still dominate this sector as well, but I have great hopes for other styles to emerge in this realm.”

— Aaron Stueck, brewery director of R&D at BJ’s Brewery

“We’re noticing that people want reliability. Budgets are tight for a lot of people right now, and we’re seeing that some folks want to make sure they’re getting something they love for the money they’re choosing to spend on craft. In our taproom, that’s translating into people wanting the best versions of styles they know they like. Our top taproom sellers so far this year are lager, hazy pale, and West Coast IPA. We don’t tend to jump quickly on trends, but we do pay attention to how the industry is making shifts in the production of beers to combat the effects climate change and the economy have on how and what type of products we source – from purchasing local malt to experimenting with hop terpene products.”

— Betsy Lay, co-founder and owner of Lady Justice Brewing