Lotte Peplow, Brewers Association’s American Craft Beer Ambassador for Europe, dives into the latest American craft beer trends from the new-look Great American Beer Festival.
As the American craft beer landscape continues to evolve and change, so too must the festivals and events associated with it. Nowhere is this more evident than at the latest iteration of the Great American Beer Festival (GABF), the largest public tasting event in America.
Organised by the Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade association for small and independent American craft brewers, the 42nd GABF took place last week in Denver, Colorado and drew approximately 40,000 people who eagerly descended on the state capital to sample the 2500 beverages from 600+ breweries, cideries, distillers and other beverage producers.
But this year’s festival brought a fresh and exciting new vibe. In previous years, breweries were organised by geographic region and the presence of ‘beyond beer’ beverages was rarely seen. This year, the festival underwent a complete makeover with themed experiential sections designed to offer immersive experiences, specialised beverages, and engaging entertainment.
Highlights included Prost, a traditional German-style Biergarten featuring a popular stein-holding contest and traditional Bavarian music; Score, a sports-lovers haven which combined the thrill of sports with the joy of craft brewing; Fright, an immersive Halloween-themed experience; Blast Off, an ‘out-of-this-world flavour blast’ showcasing the Beer & Beyond experience; Meet the Brewer, an interactive space where festivalgoers could connect directly with their favourite brewers; and Chill, a backyard gathering space with music, lawn games and exclusive brews.
The result? A refreshing burst of creativity and energy aimed at attracting a diverse crowd seeking more than just beer tasting. From wild costumes and pretzel necklaces to karaoke, a silent disco, and new activities like Lucha Libre wrestling, there were endless Instagram-worthy moments and beverages to suit every taste.
Yet, beer remained the star of the show. The GABF competition took place in the lead-up to the festival, with results announced on Saturday and providing a good barometer of American craft beer trends.
In total, 8836 beers and 233 cider entries were judged across 102 beer categories and five new cider categories, all evaluated by 285 beer experts. The competition was made possible thanks to more than 250 volunteers who facilitated the multi-step judging process over seven days in three phases. In total, 326 medals were awarded to 273 breweries. The top five most-entered style category winners included:
- Juicy/Hazy IPA (349 entries)
- West Coast IPA (292 entries)
- American-style IPA (217 entries)
- Dortmunder or German-style Oktoberfest (210 entries)
- German Style Marzen (195 entries)
IPA Dominates
There are two trends within craft beer styles that are growing the fastest right now:
- IPA in its many iterations continues to lead the American craft brewing landscape, now accounting for 46 per cent of the $29b craft beer industry, up from 30 per cent in 2017. Hop forward beers like American IPA, juicy/hazy IPA, and imperial IPA saw the strongest market share gains in 2023.
- Lighter styles, like American lager, wheat ale, and pilsner are also gaining traction, showing growth at both ends of the ABV spectrum.
Overall, growth is coming from both high- and low-ABV styles while mid-range beers face more challenges.
There was a myriad of IPAs at the Festival but a good rule of thumb was to focus on award-winning breweries that produce world-class examples of the style such as Breakside Brewery, Reuben’s Brews or Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. While most certainly not an IPA, Allagash White, the classic Belgian Witbier, won gold again and is available in many export markets.
How high can you do?
Topping the bill for extreme offerings was Sam Adams Utopias, boasting an impressive 28 per cent ABV. This rare, bi-annual, boundary blending, barrel aged masterpiece drew the longest lines at the festival.
Other popular examples included Revolution Brewing’s DBVSOD (Double Barrel Very Special Old Deth) at 17 per cent, a double barrel-aged imperial oatmeal stout; Fremont Brewing Company’s Rusty Nail, a Bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout infused with liquorice and cinnamon bark, coming in at 14.5 per cent; and Firestone Walker’s Bendy Foldies, a 14 per cent double-oaked ale with red foxy vanilla beans and toasted pistachios.
Lager and lighter styles are having their moment in the spotlight and there were plenty of excellent examples at the festival. Deschutes Brewery’s Fresh Hop King Crispy is a German-style pilsner which medalled in the latest competition, while Uinta Brewing Co’s Was Angeles, a 5 per cent cream ale proudly took home a gold medal.
Beyond beer
After indulging in a plethora of hop-forward IPAs and/or high-strength barrel-aged beers, it was refreshing to cleanse the palate and explore something new with an easy-drinking non-beer beverage such as a hard tea from Upslope Brewing Co or a hard lemonade from Denver Beer Co. Both beverages made their debut at the festival this year, demonstrating the innovation and creativity that American craft breweries are embracing to remain competitive in an ever-evolving market.
No- and low-alcohol
Another strategy for navigating GABF was to seek out unique alcohol-free options. Athletic Brewing Co., a high-profile brand available in many international markets, picked up two medals at the GABF competition, making it an excellent choice, and Fremont Brewing won gold in the amber to dark non-alcohol category. The low and no-alcohol beer segment is still small but is rapidly expanding within the American craft brewing market.
The weird, wacky and wonderful
For the adventurist, the festival presented a cornucopia of experimental concoctions, notably, 903 Brewers’ Zesty Ranch Taco, a 6 per cent cream ale, that delivered the savoury umami experience of eating a taco in liquid form. A festival favourite overseas, Destihl Brewery’s Dill Pickle Sour offered a distinctive flavour experience, while Denver Beer Co.’s intriguing Fennel Rye ale took home a gold medal at the competition.
Save the date: World Beer Cup
Australian breweries are invited to compete on the global stage and register for the World Beer Cup 2025, the largest and most prestigious beer competition in the world. Registration is open from 12 November to 13 December 2024, with winners announced at the annual Craft Brewers Conference in Indianapolis, 28 April – 1 May 2025. Check out the details on www.worldbeercup.org.
See you next year
Great American Beer Festival is a beer lover’s paradise and has been dubbed by Thrillist as ‘the one beer festival to try before you die’. I would 100 per cent echo these sentiments and recommend booking time off now for 9 – 11 October 2025. See you there!
The Brewers Association publishes a wealth of resources to understand and enjoy craft beer, downloadable free of charge from www.brewersassociation.org.
