2019 was a great craftbeer-year!

First of all, a lot of breweries (in America they already mostly did, but here in Europe) changed their packaging from bottles to can, so that was a win for the environment already. There were more beerfestivals, more people who are getting into the world of craftbeer, more common stores that sell craftbeer and stouts and IPA’s were once again a big hit.

Looking back at 2019, what particularly struck me were the types of IPA’s being brewed: Tripel IPA’s, New England IPA’s and Sour IPA’s were a big hype!
Now let’s take a in my crystal ball and predict the future of beer (in 2020!). Keep in mind that I’m not an expert, so these are just my own thoughts…

- Cooking with beer, mark my words: It’s going to be a (bigger) thing. You can put brown ales in stews and blonde ales in risotto. Chefs are sharing their tips and people are trying different stuff and putting them on the internet. What a time to be alive.

- A lot more people are going to start brewing for fun. There are so many people out there with a love for beer and creative, wonderful ideas. You see them on Instagram more and more, sharing their ideas and progress. I can’t wait to see more of their content this year.

- IPA’s are going to continue to pop up in different variaties and flavours. Candy, fruit, liquorice, you name it, there’s an IPA out there for everyone. I used to not like IPA’s that much, but in 2019 I’ve grown to like juicy, fruity NEIPA’s, but also sweet TIPA’s. I’ve grown to realize that the possibilities are endless, and they’re continuing to be.

- Two words: Pastry Stouts. I love those things and they’re getting more popular by the minute. Cheesecake, hazelnut, key lime pie, blueberry, they throw all the good stuff in these stouts. Yum!

- The alcohol-free beer market is going to continue to grow. Almost every big name out there has an alcoholfree beer in their range, and I think this is going to be the year where they are going to experiment with different flavours.
What are your thoughts on 2020 trends?