2023 Predictions
It’s 2023 and craft beer is still here, but I am now farther from it. The last two months of 2022 saw me depart my job in the craft beer industry to pursue a different path. Is the new job the long-tenured career from which I will one day retire? Who knows. Will I one day find myself back and employed in the embrace of the craft beer world? Who knows. Neither question is important really. But what is important is letting you know this simple fact: I am now farther out of the loop. So with that, I’m going to speculate what 2023 will bring. You now know what the following asterisks are for.
· = from someone not within the craft beer industry.
Craft Beer in 2023 *
To talk about what to expect from 2023, let’s look back at 2022. We saw craft seltzers step forward a bit in odd ways with “Hydrating Sports Drink” seltzers and we saw smoothie sours maintain popularity. We saw the IPA remain king of the castle with Hazy, West Coast and Cold variants stocking most shelves. We saw lagers take a larger portion of the craft beer catalogue across the board with the younger generation of drinkers gravitating to the lower ABV and smooth crispness.
This didn’t mean you couldn’t still find your aged imperial adjunct to hell stouts around every corner peeking and winking at you next to aged sours - arms wide open beckoning you over with a hug. Maybe that last part was just me. Overall, however, 2022 didn’t reinvent the wheel - and why should it? Coming out of years of lockdown and restricted travel and shifting behaviors of consumers consuming less on premises, keeping to what works made sense. What about 2023?
Predictions *
I am going to make three predictions, two that are not too crazy - split between one being Sacramento Craft Beer Scene specific and one being for the overall Craft Beer Industry. And the third… oh, the third prediction is going to be ridiculous, but the Boy is just that sometimes. Ridiculous.
First, Sacramento Craft Beer Scene prediction. I hate this prediction; I really am not happy with putting fingers to keys typing what I am about to say to you Dear Reader. My prediction for Sacramento is not good, I predict we will see three breweries either close shop or be bought out by another larger brewery. I have no insider knowledge to back me up at all, but I see trends. We saw Tower Brewing get bought out by High Water Brewing and Hungry Pecker brewing close. We are hopefully going to see Geisthaus Brewing open in the Rosemont area focusing on Lagers, but with gaining a niche brewery I think we can expect to see breweries that haven’t yet figured out their foothold in the market lose business this year and make the tough decision to cut losses now rather than weather a storm that has no end in sight; that storm being a saturated market only heading towards being more and more saturated. Kind of like the rain we have been getting recently (hasn’t that just been the bee’s knees). For some, the rain is absolutely welcome. For others who have dealt with flooding and fallen trees, not so much.
Secondly, a prediction for the entire Craft Beer Industry outside the 916 area. I predict risks. I think the IPA’s will dominate and Lagers will continue to trend upwards, but I think we will see a bit more by way of random styles of beer rising a bit. Styles like the Grissette, Saison, and weird variation of the IPA. Already this year I have had a fantastic Coffee IPA from Flatland Brewing, and Firestone Walker had a dry hopped Grissette that closed out 2022 in a great way. I think with craft beer showing its resilience and a global economy that is barely keeping its head above water, craft beer is going to be a rare industry that will see continued growth. This will give breweries the incentive to keep taking risks and I cannot wait to try what they make - the good and the bad.
Lastly, I am going to get all ridiculous up in here. This prediction is outlandish. This is likely to not happen but not impossible and if it occurs, I will look like Nostradamus. When it doesn’t I’ll have virtual egg on my face, but whatever, it is a risk I am willing to take. My prediction is as follows: a new style of beer will emerge this year. Maybe it is an old style reinvented, or an entirely new style. This style will catch on in a big way and catapult the brewery behind it forward and climb over the smoothee sour as the go-to style for those who do not enjoy the “traditional” beer styles. I will stop there because the more I add the less likely.
Wrap it up guy
These three predictions will live forever in the bowels of the internet for better or worse. In a year I will revisit these and see how I did and make new predictions. What are your predictions? Comment on the Sac Beer Boy Instagram page or email me at SacBeerBoy@gmail.com for a chance to be shouted out in a future post. Also, what would you like me to write about next? Food Trucks? A specific style of beer? Best practices for maintaining and keeping your couch or chesterfield clean and safe? Let me know.
Have a great 2023 and try a beer you were thinking of passing up, but always do so responsibly. Cheers.
PS: I wrote this before learning of Hoppy Brewing Company closing up shop. Hoppy at one time was alongside the likes of Rubicon and American River Brewing as the go to brewery if you wanted decent beer, decent food, and a great atmosphere. It is a shame to see them close but selfishly, that’s 1 out of 3 for this year and my prediction is looking good.
