Craft brewers return to lager, lighter beer
Shutdowns offer new case for some old-school drinks
Habits are hard to break, but don’t tell that to the coronavirus.
Around the world, people are working, exercising, eating and, yes, drinking differently in our new coronavirus-infected world of masks and isolation.
In the craft beer world, state shutdowns have cratered taproom sales, made some ingredients difficult to find and shaken even the most established brands.
But the ripple effect may spread even wider in the $29 billion craft beer industry, right down to the kind of beer that’s brewed.
With trends already pointing to growing popularity of lighter, easydrinking alcoholic drinks in recent years – session beers, hard seltzers and, yes, even the old-school lagers and Pilsners that probably gave your grandpa his first buzz – could the hop-heavy, bellybomb IPAS lose their cool?
In this topsy-turvy new environment we live in, no one really knows where tastes could land for good. But Sean Galie, founder and head brewer of Lower Forge Brewery in Medford, New Jersey, is thinking like many others: Drinkable is in.
“I think any crushable or session style is going to kill it during this pandemic summer. There is a huge difference between drinking big ABV beers in a night bar scene or with a huge dinner out and having a nice ... lager while taking a break from Zoom meetings working at home,” Galie says.
Our team of USA TODAY Network reporters checked in with beer makers about what this summer could offer craft beer fans.
For many brewers, this down time has given them an opportunity to brew beers that take longer to make, like lagers and Pilsners.
Over at Icarus Brewing in Lakewood, New Jersey, founder and head brewer Jason Goldstein says one bright note of the coronavirus slowdown was that it gave him the opportunity to focus on his lagers, an in-house favorite.
“As soon as our tanks started opening up from our limited production, we started filling them with lagers, which take longer to ferment out and condition, a luxury we haven’t always had,” he says, adding that the new wave of lagers have been selling well, especially the 7.1% ABV American imperial Pilsner dubbed Pound of Feathers.
Whether its a suburban brewery 70 miles south of New York, such as Icarus, or a small farm brewery such as 1812 Brewery in rural Cumberland, Maryland, brewers are using the slowdown to experiment ... differently.
After years of craft brewery experimentation focusing much of their time on thick IPAS and stouts, things are changing for some.
“At the beginning of the pandemic, we didn’t know how long it would be until we were able to have people back out to buy beer or distribute to restaurants and bars,” says 1812 Brewery’s Becky Mcclarran. “So we decided to brew some beers that could sit longer than usual, we brewed an imperial stout that is now aging in a whiskey barrel as well as our new Summer Pilsner.”
“Lagers and Pilsners are lighter drinking and easier for someone new to craft beers to get into,” she adds.
“There have been some crazy new beer styles created the last few years; I think people are enjoying going back to a crisp, easy drink that isn’t packed with hops.”
Or as Torie Fisher, owner of Backward
Flag Brewing Co. in Forked River, New Jersey, puts it: “People are getting a little burned out on all the complex hops bombs and pastry stouts.”
Flounder Brewing Co. in Hillsborough, New Jersey, is preparing for that day.
A brewery where the beer list is usually filled with ales and stouts, they are preparing a new location.
And with the new space will come new toys.
“We love a good clean lager so much that we are investing in lagering tanks when we move to our new location,” says Jeremy “Flounder” Lees, brewery president.
Even breweries built on hearty IPAS, like Milton, Delaware’s Dogfish Head Brewery, have stretched their offerings in recent years to include lighter brands.
Session sour Seaquench Ale and Slightly Mighty, a 95-calorie IPA built as a craft version of Michelob Ultra, are newer additions. Another low-calorie Dogfish beer, the yoga-themed Belgian-style white ale Namaste, dates back to 2009.
“In the last five years, we have seen more and more craft beer lovers – especially those Millennial drinkers – searching for lighter, more sessionable, ‘better for you’ offerings,” says Dogfish founder Sam Calagione.
With shelves filled with “watery industrial light lagers” to service those drinkers at the time, Dogfish turned to better ingredients, flavor and complexity to earn customers.
And more is on the way.
“At both our Tasting Room & Kitchen in Milton and Rehoboth brewpub, we are constantly brewing off-centered ales that run the full spectrum of beer styles, including some lagers and Pilsners,” Calagione added. “That said, there’s no telling what innovation we will discover and release next.”
Alicia Notarianni contributed to this report.