Beverage Dynamics is the largest national business magazine devoted exclusively to the needs of off-premise beverage alcohol retailers, from single liquor stores to big box chains, through coverage of the latest trends in wine, beer and spirits.
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2017 Category Trends 3 Beverage Dynamics • Digital Edition Exclusive www.beveragedynamics.com ing an upswing in sessionable beers. Anything English, and pilsners. Every brewery has a pilsner now. Five years ago, no- body had a pilsner." Which points to another emerging beer trend: the return of lagers. Ales like IPAs dominate the American craft market. Con- sumers prefer the more-flavorful ales to their smoother, cleaner counterpart: the lager. But this advantage in flavor is fading fast. "Now you have breweries like Jack's Abby [of Framing- ham, Mass] that are making ale-quality lagers," Browning says. "Buyers and drinkers are taking note." The cleanness of lagers is an alternative to the yeast bombs of New England IPAs. "Every day I hear another person tell me they're sick of hazy, yeast-filled beers," Browning says. 5) CLASSIC BEER STYLES REEMERGE The resurgence of lagers goes hand in hand with another beer trend in 2017. Brewers are bringing back classic styles that had fallen out of the public eye over time. "Something I've noticed is definitely the call for more unique styles, including older styles that haven't been brewed for a while," says Zach Gaddis of Staples Corner Liquors in Crofton, MD. "Altbiers, dortmunders, kvass and lots more. People are always looking for some- thing new and different. And some of these crazy styles are filling that void." "Hardly anyone brewed a gose style beer a few years back, and now everyone has one," he adds. 6) YOUNG WHISKEYS WITH FLAVOR One of the issues with the brown spirits boom has been new distilleries releasing products too soon. These companies will bottle whiskeys between one-and-three years old in an attempt to recoup startup costs more quickly. It's difficult, of course, to sit on aging stock for five-to-ten years for a new distillery with bills to pay. But whiskey without enough time in barrels normally lacks fully matured flavors. Hence the rise of young whis- keys that taste negatively of cereal: thin, grainy spirits that leave consumers wishing they hadn't splurged $50 on that craft bottle. Some distilleries, however, have found balance between youth and flavor. The secret is in forward-thinking produc- tion techniques. Rabbit Hole produces a two-year-old bourbon with plenty of flavor. Beyond its unusual mash bill, which owner/ whiskey maker Zamanian says adds to the character, the spirit goes into barrels at 110 proof rather than the traditional 125. "We believed that this would allow more flavor to come forward sooner," Zamanian says. Rabbit Hole also ages in special barrels obtained from Kelvin Cooperage of Louisville, KY. This boutique cooper- age chars with wood fire instead of gas. "We think the combo of all that allows the bourbon to have more sweetness and flavor at such a young age," Zama- nian explains. "If the flavor wasn't there, we wouldn't release it. We didn't want to take something to market too early and get a bad reputation." Prohibition Distillery produces the 14-month- old Bootlegger Bourbon, which tastes older than its age. Distiller Robert C. Mack believes the 100% corn mash bill allows the whiskey to age better. Also, Prohibition Distillery ages the bourbon in five-gallon barrels, well below the traditional 53-gallon barrel, meaning more oak contact for the juice. Elsewhere, Berkshire Mountain Distillers recently re- leased a four-year-old bourbon (72% corn, 18% rye, 10% bar- ley) finished in Islay Scotch casks for three-to-eight months. The peaty notes from the barrels provide an excellent back- bone for this young bourbon to taste beyond its youth. 7) VODKA AND GIN GET LOCAL As vodka and gin look to benefit from the craft movement, the two white spirits are promoting their regional origins to attract consumer attention. For instance, the new brand Calamity Gin calls itself a "Texas Dry" gin. It's made with wildflowers from the Lone Star State, such as Texas Bluebonnets. Up north, Bully Boy Distillers of Boston released its Estate Gin, which contains regionally indigenous ingredients that reflect New England "character and terroir." 33% 23% 17% 8% 8% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% Bourbon/ American Whiskey Sparkling Wine Craft Beer Vodka Mainstream American Beer IF YOU COULD EXPAND SHELF SPACE FOR ONE CATEGORY, WHICH WOULD IT BE?