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We’re planning a longform ‘state of play 2014-15′ supplement to*Brew Britannia for the summer but, in the meantime, here are some brief thoughts on what the next year might hold.

1. Larger, better-established family/regional*breweries, anxious over their status in relation to ‘craft beer’, will dabble in once-obscure areas of the Jacksonian style framework:
@StAustellBrew And still found time to brew and experimental Gose with Cornish sea salt and samphire last Sunday on the micro-brewery.
— Roger Ryman (@roger_ryman) December 19, 2014
2. This comes up every year, but we really think that, in 2015, IPA and ‘craft’ fatigue will lead some smaller, hipper breweries to*start exploring styles so down-to-earth and old skool*that not even supposedly conservative breweries make them any more, e.g. brown ale:
2015 The year of Lager & Brown Ale. #youhearditherefirst
— Summer Wine Brew Co. (@SWBrewery) December 30, 2014
3. At the other end of the spectrum, we expect a lot*more of these kinds of Heston Blumenthal experiments, where beer is made to taste like cider, or gin, or…

…as well as more attempts to replicate*children’s sweets*or desserts:
The final best new British beer of 2014 – a spellbinding 'peanut butter and biscuit imperial stout'. What else? > http://t.co/2597ACcnR8
— Richard Taylor (@TheBeerCast) December 13, 2014
(Just to confuse things,*Bateman’s, a ‘square’ brewery, have been dabbling in this territory for a while.)
3b. And brace yourselves for bacon butty beers — if they’re not already out there fermenting (no doubt someone will tell us) they can’t be far away.
4. This is a bit vague but…*Cans, cutting edge for craft beer in 2014, will become commonplace, forcing the cool kids to find another CAMRA-baiting taboo to break. We jokingly suggested 3 litre PET bottles might be embraced ironically someday — it won’t be that, but perhaps something similar. Smoothflow double IPA, maybe?
5. Big beer — the multinationals — will start to get serious about muscling in on and/or attempting to neuter ‘craft beer’. The basic premise of the recent LIDL Surprises campaign (video below) is that hipsters are mugs; most people who fancy themselves discerning are bullshitters; and everyone*should stop struggling against the loving embrace of the supermarkets and their lovely, lovely bargains. We’re waiting for one of the multi-national breweries to*pull a stunt along the same lines. This article is satire but pretty plausible; and here’s one from history*— people love this kind of ‘Gotcha!’ story.

Phew. The first post after a break is always difficult but that’s us nicely warmed up…
British Beer in the Next Year from Boak & Bailey's Beer Blog - Over-thinking beer, pubs and the meaning of craft since 2007


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