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 in 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 GABF provides a rare opportunity to taste beer from around the country in one place. More than 40,000 people descended on the Colorado Convention Centre in Denver to sample beers from 500+ breweries, cideries, distilleries and other beverage producers.

The GABF competition took place in the lead-up to the Festival, with results announced on the final day and providing a good barometer of American craft beer trends.

In total, 8,380 beers across 108 categories were judged by 250 beer experts. All entries are live, newly or recently canned, not evaluation beers brewed especially for the competition, and judged to the highest standard in the world.

The following styles were awarded top entries, based on the most entered beer styles. The top five most entered were:

• Juicy/Hazy IPA (329 entries)
• West Coast IPA (324 entries)
• American-style IPA (277 entries)
• Dortmunder or German-style Oktoberfest (240 entries)
• German Style Marzen (195 entries)

Trends – IPA Dominates

There are two trends with 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% of the $29 billion craft beer industry, up from 30% 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 ABV beers face more challenges.

There was a myriad of IPAs at the Festival but a good rule of thumb is to seek out non-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 Go…

Topping the bill for extreme offerings was Sam Adams Utopias, boasting an impressive 28% ABV. This rare, bi-annual, boundary-blending, barrel-aged masterpiece drew the longest lines at the Festival.

Other popular examples included Revolution Brewing’s DEVSOD (Double Barrel Very Special Old Deth) at 17.4%, a double barrel-aged imperial oatmeal stout; Firestone Walker Brewing Company’s Rusty Nail, a Bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout finished on liquorice, smoked cinnamon and clove, coming in at 14.5%; and Firestone Walker’s Big Mo Barrel Aged ESB, a double oak-aged extra special bitter, finished with additions of Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee, Hawaiian 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 Little Brewing Co.’s Wes Angeles, a 5% 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 consumer relevant and capture wider market appeal.

Another strategy for navigating GABF was to seek out an eye-catching non-alcoholic beer. Athletic Brewing Co., a high-profile brand available in many international markets, picked up a medal at this year’s GABF competition, making it an excellent choice. Fremont Brewing won gold in the amber to dark non-alcohol category.

The low and no-alcohol beer segment is still small but 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 6.3% 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.