Five on-trade craft beer trends to look out for in 2018

A new report has assessed the sales of craft beer in the UK and beyond, shedding light on how the craft beer scene could change in 2018.

(Photo: Left Hand Brewing)

Online craft marketplace EeBria Trade analysed the sales of almost 4,000 unique on-trade products from 400 different breweries, predominantly from the UIK but also overseas.

While fashionable pale ales and IPAs still reign supreme, with sales of the varieties rising a further 5% this year, EeBria said that some sales patterns from the past year could reveal much about the craft beer landscape in 2018.

From the rise of “challenging” styles to the further fortification of high-strength beers, here are five trends to watch this year.

Staying Strong

High-strength beer has balooned in popularity in the craft sector over the past decade, and the Treasury targeting high-strength brews with a tax hike in the 2011 Spring Budget, and UK grocers reacting bolstering their own low-ABV ranges, our taste for strong beer shows no signs of slowing.

Around 11% of all craft beer sold in 2017 were 7% or higher, according to EeBria.

“This stat was a mere 5.3% of total sales this time last year and as more and more venues begin to offer one third and two-third pint measures, publicans can now afford to buy in higher ABV beers and still retain a profitable margin.”

Double the Fun

(Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

High-strength beers are growing across the board, and with IPA sales rising 5% in 2017, it’s perhaps no wonder that double IPAs are particularly popular.

Sales of double IPAs nearly doubled this year, witnessing a rise of 7.3% compared to 4.3% in 2016.

Owing to their popularity, distinct flavour and high-strength, double IPAs often lend themselves to high mark-ups in UK pubs. Back in August, Borough Market craft beer pub The Rake had to defend itself after it drew accusations of “ripping off” customers by charging £13.40 for a pint of Cloudwater 8.2% ABV North West Double IPA.

The heftier price-tag hasn’t put punters off yet this year, and while retailers are also looking to expand their lower-alcohol offerings, the digital marketplace believes double IPAs will still take pride of place at microbreweries in the UK and beyond.

Bitters Being Benched

(Photo: iStock)

While industry leaders such as Sharp’s beer sommelier Ed Hughes believe that many brewers will turn towards more traditional beer styles in 2018, Eebria’s analysts claim that innovation and experimentation will still be popular themes in 2018.

In fact, sales of “traditional” beers actually dropped in comparison to other styles in 2017.

“Notably, there has been a substantial decrease in popularity of styles that would be considered ‘traditional’ in the realms of UK beer,” said a spokesperson.

Golden, brown, red and amber ales as well as milds and bitters rose by 7.2%, but compared to the 14% rise in traditional beer sales the previous year, their sales share has drop by almost half.

Sour Power

(Photo: Berns Rostad/Flickr)

While our taste for traditional English bitters seems to be waning, more and more beer fans are opting to drink “challenging” styles such as sour beers and those brewed with fruit.

The analysts said that sales of sour beer are on the up across the UK, with a rise of 6.4%

Dark Days Ahead

(Photo: Left Hand Brewing)

Stouts and porters have a firm fan base amongst craft beer drinkers, and EeBria saw sales of Imperial stouts rise by 3.3% in 2017, suggesting that this category will go from strength to strength this year.

This isn’t the first time anhalysts have pointed towards a rise in dark beer sales.

Last November, Big Four grocer Waitrose reported a rise in stout and porter sales in its 2017 food and drinks trend report.

As well as this, the quality of dark beer has soared in recent years, which hasn’t gone unnoticed by the judges in the drinks business’ Beer Masters 2017.

Shane McNamara, a Beer Sommelier one of the judges, said the dark beers this year “were a very strong category across the board.”

“Bold balanced flavours were matched with finesse and intrigue for the drinker … the biscuit, rich cocoa and chocolate flavours were integrated well with coffee undertones and hints of vanilla in some.”