10/8/21, 3:57 PM 5 Best Beer Trends in 2021, From Smoothie Beers to Hard Seltzer

BEER

5 New Beer Trends That Are Here to Stay

From fruity beer smoothies to beers without any alcohol at all, here are some varieties to try.

by: LOUIS LG

July 20, 2021 0 Comments

PHOTO BY JULIA GARTLAND. FOOD STYLIST: ANNA BILLINGSKOG. PROP STYLIST: AMANDA WIDIS.

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F
rom the west coast pale ale, fruity and sweet hazy IPAs, and heavily fruited sour
beers, the beer industry is used to change and chasing trends. With nearly 9,000
breweries across America, it's just about impossible to keep up with what's
going on with beer these days—unless you're committed to continually tasting a seemingly
unending number of styles and flavors.

Luckily, we are committed. So if you're looking to stay on top of what's all the rage in the
industry right now, or just want to try something you usually wouldn't, we've assembled a
list of what's been trendy in the beer world and what recent styles are here to stay.

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10/8/21, 3:57 PM 5 Best Beer Trends in 2021, From Smoothie Beers to Hard Seltzer

A Very Handy Pocket Guide to Our Favorite How to Make a Boozy Beer Float
Beers

1. Craft Hard Seltzer

Under federal regulations, seltzer is beer, so it is only fair to include the popular drink.
Seltzer differs from beer in that instead of fermenting wort made with sugar pulled from
grains, breweries are typically just fermenting cane sugar in water. Calories and carbs are
kept much lower than beer, and the fermented sugar water provides a blank canvas for
brewers to add several fruits to create a refreshing and lighter feeling drink than beer. Big
brands are releasing more and more seltzer—and craft breweries are following suit. Why?
It’s a multi-billion-dollar business. Seltzer fests are now a thing, as are seltzer bars; and
chances are if you like La Croix, you’ll love hard seltzer.

Some to try:

Untitled Art’s Florida Seltzer (sometimes available here)

Stray Forth's whole line

2. Smoothie Beers & Seltzers

Chances are you live by at least one brewery making a smoothie, sundae, push pop, or
other similarly named beer style. A smoothie beer or seltzer is usually jammed full of
sweet adjuncts—fruit, marshmallow, chocolate, lactose, and vanilla – and has the thickness
of a (you guessed it) fruit smoothie. The texture achieved by adding cheesecake or mango
puree to beer can be upsetting to some beer purists (though I am of the mind that beer
should be fun—drink what you like), but the wide array of colors and flavors have quickly
become popular in the beer world, with some breweries, like Imprint, building their brand
on the trending style.

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5 New Beer Trends That Are Here to Stay 0

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DRINKS Does Foam Really Matter When Serving or Pouring Beer?

BEER Can You Age Beer Like Wine? (Short Answer: Yes)

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Some to try:

Drekker Brewing Co.'s Chonk and Braaaaaaaains series (I especially recommend the
Chonk series; the Sundae Sour with mango and marshmallow is pictured).
Froth Brewing Co.'s Strawberry Banana Smoothie-Style Hard Seltzer
450 North Brewing Co.'s Slushy XL beers (available online here
Imprint Brewing Co.'s Schmoojee beers
Smooj's whole line (sometimes available on Tavour, with plans to begin more
distribution)
Lua Brewing Co.'s Pina Colada Smoothie-Style Seltzer

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3. Nonalcoholic Beer
Removing alcohol from beer has long been seen as a way of stripping beer of its greatest
asset: flavor. While former non-alcoholic brands may have nominally kept the notion of
beer alive on the palate (many are sweet due to a restricted fermentation), new products
have raised the bar for non-alcoholic offerings. We now see a range of flavors and styles
from IPAs to coconut stouts, to fruited sours and hazy IPAs. And thanks to new technology
(Wisconsin’s Untitled Art uses reverse osmosis membrane filtration—this process filters
out alcohol through high pressure and fine membranes; WellBeing uses vacuum
distillation), the flavor of these beers can rival its alcohol-filled brethren. Essentially, the
beer can be fully brewed and fermented like normal before removing the alcohol. While
the market for this section of craft beer is small, more and more breweries are offering the
option and it could lead to a watershed moment in the market.

Some to try:

Untitled Art's nonalcoholic Juicy IPA & Florida Weisse

WellBeing Brewing's whole line
Athletic Brewing Co.'s whole line

4. Beer Ice Cream & Slushies

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10/8/21, 3:57 PM 5 Best Beer Trends in 2021, From Smoothie Beers to Hard Seltzer

In 2019, breweries were doing something gimmicky with beer: turning it into ice cream.
With taprooms opening to pre-pandemic status (and with summer in full swing), beer ice
cream and even slushies are arriving to tap handles again. Breweries will take their heavily
fruited smoothie beers, fuse it with soft serve, and make you think you’ve just ordered ice
cream from an A&W walk-up stand. Others have been running their fruity and sweet
concoctions into ICEE machines for what should remain a constant summer treat after
largely disappearing in 2020 due to unopen taprooms.

Some to try (so far, only at taprooms):

Selections from Forager Brewing Co.

Mikerphone Brewing Co.'s Brew Cones & Mikeees
608 Brewing Co.'s Jolly Shocker Pops

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5. Barrel-Aged Stouts
Early in craft beer’s rise to popularity, there was a notion that Russian imperial stouts and
barrel-aged stouts had to be relegated to colder months as though it were a seasonal item,
similar to Oktoberfest beers. Today, this is no longer the case. Plenty of breweries are
releasing barrel-aged stouts year-round. They’re chock-full of flavor thanks to a thicker,
syrupy, stout base that evolves as it pulls flavor from bourbon or rum barrels, or even

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10/8/21, 3:57 PM 5 Best Beer Trends in 2021, From Smoothie Beers to Hard Seltzer

bourbon barrels that once housed honey or maple syrup. Adjuncts like coconut, vanilla
beans, and coffee are also added to create a truly intense bouquet of flavor.

Some to try:

Anchorage Brewing Co.'s whole line (often available on Tavour)

Side Project Brewing's Langst Blend #3 or Shared Ambiente (watch for release
announcements and online purchase periods)
Revolution Brewing Co.'s Deep Wood Series (available for order and local pickup here)
903 Brewers's whole line (sometimes available on Tavour)

What beer trends have you noticed recently? Let us know in the comments.

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WRITTEN BY:

Louis LG
Louis Livingston-Garcia is a Wisconsin-based writer, occasional guest
brewer, and amateur craft beer and wildlife photographer. He travels near
(all across the nation) and far (all the way to New Zealand and Australia)
with his wife to report on and photograph the beer community. His work
has been featured in Craftbeer.com, The Growler Magazine, Heavy Table,
October, Hop Culture Magazine, Playboy, GamesRadar, Official Xbox
Magazine, Game Informer, and more. You can follow his beer writing via
Twitter at @LouisGarcia12, or on Instagram at @biracialbeerscribe. Plus,
you're likely to see photos of his cat, Miyamoto (yes, named after the
creator of Super Mario Bros.).

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