2023 beer resolutions, part 3
2023 beer resolutions, part 3
What are brewery owners, brewers, and other luminaries expecting to see in 2023. Here is a compilation of their predictions and resolutions.
Again, you know why you’re here. Here’s the next part of my look at beer resolutions and predictions.
For the sixth consecutive year, the last five of which came at the Democrat and Chronicle, I texted nearly every beer contact in my phone and asked three simple questions:
What is your beer prediction for 2023?
What is your beer resolution?
Where do you see the market headed?
Parts 1 and 2 can be read from the Cleveland Prost homepage.
Matt James, Genesee Brewery brewmaster
Beer prediction for 2023? I think for the most part beer production consumption will remain flat unless the economic situation improves. Beer resolution for the year: With our brewers series we will maintain the highest quality standards and use the highest quality ingredients available to make the best versions of classic styles. The next one comes this spring.
Matt Hartman, Remarkable Liquids partner/sales director
Prediction: I think we will see continued growth of local and hyper-local brands, along with price accessible regional brands.
Beer resolution: From a distributors perspective, we want to be better at telling the story of our brewers. There's so much great beer out there, knowing who your supporting with your purchase is more and more important.
Local market: Maybe a hope more than a prediction, I'd like to see consumers get more excited about a wider variety of styles (anything besides IPA). Well-made lagers in particular need more attention.
Andy Cook, Swiftwater Brewing owner/brewer
Brew more lagers! I always joke that we brewers have been saying that lagers will be the new big thing for the last ten years. While I don't think we'll ever see them approach the popularity of IPA, we've seen a steady increase in demand for lagers over the last few years. I personally love brewing and drinking any German and Czech style of beer, so I'm super happy that we have the chance to lean into it.
I think there might also be space for lower ABV (2-4 percent) classic styles. This is something we tried to do when we opened. I'd like to try it again to see if there's more interest these days.
Become more efficient with energy and grain usage. We’ve been working on this since we started, but there is always more to do. We've added a new insulated hot liquor tank (basically a giant water heater) that will allow us to reclaim water. For every gallon of beer we brew, we use a gallon of cold water to cool the boiling wort. The cooling water comes out of our heat exchanger as hot water. The new HLT will allow us to reuse that water for the cleaning or in the next batch.
Mike Martini, Mohawk Taproom owner
I think we’ll see an increased demand for lower ABV beers. Little IPAs and pale ales will pack the same amount of flavor at lower ABVs. We’ll also see the demand for lagers continue to skyrocket. There’s such a large spectrum of lagers that people haven’t necessarily tried yet that I think people will be exploring in 2023. Lastly, I think people are starting to drink more of their tried and true local stuff rather than always looking to drink what’s brand new with hype behind it.
My beer resolution is simple: Drink more lager and pour more lager!
Deric Slocum, Lunkenheimer Craft Brewing co-founder/brewer
The way the market has shifted the last couple years I would be hard pressed to make a prediction, but I will tell you what I hope for: The return of clear beer. Pilsner is making a hell of a comeback. I would love to see the rest of the lager family do the same. I would also love to find some more West Coast pales and IPAs readily available. I think we may be headed in that direction but only time will tell.
Naples Brewing Co. team
Our beer resolution is to expand the reach of our product, getting it into the hands of a broader audience with further reach. We also aim to build more collaboration into our schedule to develop a deeper sense of community and connection within the local world of beer. We predict that the growing market for NY hops will continue to expand and contribute to the success of area breweries, and that having a range of beer types on tap will become increasingly important.
Chad Zimar, Steuben Brewing owner/brewer
I think 2023 will bring a higher focus on lower ABV and maltier beers. We are seeing a growing interest in not only our lagers, but also our lower alcohol malty beers. Brewers have been squeezed by ingredients and packaging price increases and will need to adjust pricing to reflect the increases at both retail and wholesale levels. On a positive note, I think we will see a greater focus on local ingredients. As a farm brewery, we haven’t seen as big of an increase in pricing because our supply chain is shorter when we purchase local ingredients. I also think the industry as a whole will see more visitors in taprooms this year as we start to trend toward higher (pre-pandemic) traffic.
Gino Fanelli, Rochester City Newspaper beer writer
For several years, I’ve harped about “weird beers,” monstrous creations dubiously called “beer” while presenting more as jams, jellies, or barrel-aged brownie batter. Those drinks are fun! Terrible for my physique and long-term outlook for developing diabetes, but undoubtedly saccharine fun.
It’s also a trend I’ve long hoped would die, or at least wane, because as brewers across the country, and particularly in Rochester, push the bounds of brewing experimentation, it paradoxically has stifled creativity. There are countless beers from countless breweries each eagerly looking to capture the magic of Burley Oak, 450 North, and of course, Mortalis. Some are good—a solid “hell yeah” to Canandaigua’s Frequentem for their Just Fruit series. Most are forgettable, derivative schlock.
Rochester’s beer scene has long been excellent and diverse. It also finds itself consistently falling into the trendy trap. And look, I get it, no brewer is allowed to just brew whatever their heart desires, sales be damned. If that were the case, the entire market would be made up of Pilsners, bier de gardes, and barleywines. But when I think about some of the local beers in recent memory that have been truly memorable, they’re clearly passion projects.
I’m talking about the divine mixed fermentation concoctions pumped out of Pittsford’s Copper Leaf. The campfire ash-tinged Rauchbier from Faircraft BrauHaus. Whatever the hell Jon Mervine is putting in his French oak foeder at Fifth Frame. The mischievous wraith that drives a man like Eric Salazar at Strangebird to age a tripel in Tequila barrels.
Point being, I’m hoping this year that the palates of Rochester start to match the brewing acumen we have here, that there will be a growing place for truly unique brews. We have the skill here, and I do feel like the market is growing. I think we’re starting to turn that corner from a “hype beer” region to a more mature scene where there’s room, and appreciation, for all styles.
As for myself, more lagers! More Pilsners! More helles, Hefeweizen, Dubbels, table beers, and simple pale ales. I want to drink more beer that tastes like beer.
Chris O’Leary, Brew York newsletter
More closures: 2022 was the biggest year for brewery closures in the modern era in the U.S., and it's not surprising that the bubble is deflating a bit. With increasing costs of doing business and consumers being more wallet-conscious, it's not surprising, but the breweries that are closing can be surprising. No one is really immune to the slowdown in beer, so expect to see some well-known and successful breweries close, along with some smaller start-ups. This trend does leave room for opportunity: closing breweries leave behind brewhouses and spaces that other brewers may use for expansion, and closing breweries with popular brands may have those brands picked up by other brewers, too.
The weed conundrum: What impact will legal recreational marijuana have on New York's beer industry? I don't think it's going to do much damage based on beer's continued success in states that have a mature weed industry (Colorado, Oregon, and Washington, for example), but I'm absolutely certain that it will be on the minds of beer industry members across the state this year as dispensaries begin to open.
Breweries seeking a niche audience: We all know what the typical clientele of a brewery taproom looks like, and as the beer bubble bursts, I think more breweries are going to open this year with a unique angle that attracts an audience that doesn't typically drink beer. I've seen more Black, women, and queer-owned breweries open in the past year and create spaces that are more welcoming, more diverse, and more community-focused. I hope we see more of that in 2023.
Ian Conboy, Lucky Hare Brewing co-founder/owner
The first is beer prices will probably continue to go up considering all of the costs have increased at all levels over the last year. Locally I am seeing more satellite taprooms popping up, which is great. I think this trend will continue. I also predict we will see a better NYS craft beer market share in our own state. We are somewhere around 6 percent right now and I know at the NYSBA (New York State Brewers Association), we are working hard to grow that number.
Every year we say it is the year of the lager, I am going to say that it won't be happening this year since the last few I thought it would. Maybe doing the opposite like George Costanza will result in the year of the lager. My personal resolution for our brewery is to continue to refine or recipes, improve our safety, and maintain that love for what we do!
Glenn Clark, Crafting a Brand
I predict that breweries will become deliberate about making the information on their beer labels more useful to the consumer. Brewery logos will come out from hiding (come on, the Other Half logo was at times literally invisible before their recent redesign, where the logo is now front and center). And other information like flavor profiles will be written with descriptions that actually help the consumer decide whether or not what's inside that can will appeal to them. For example, I think we’ll see “A bright, tropical IPA with notes of mango and blueberries” instead of “brewed with Mosaic hops.” Breweries will use the walking billboard that is their can of beer to maximize brand recognition and earn favor from beer drinkers with informative written content.
Casey Dunlavey, Seven Story Brewing/Lock 32 Brewing co-owner
We predict brewers will do more innovation in the low alcohol space — pale ales, sessions, and lagers with interesting flavor profiles and adjuncts.
We also predict local breweries will continue to innovate outside of beer — funkier seltzers, hop water, beer cocktails, and more.
Zeb Zimmerman, Nine Maidens Brewing founder/head brewer
I think craft beer is now just considered “beer.” We shouldn't be chasing trends anymore. Instead, we should be making a range of styles. This year will be filled with a larger range of craft beer drinkers, and a wider range of beers being made.
Rob Shafer, Stumblin’ Monkey Brewing founder/brewer
I expect breweries to gravitate to brewing more low ABV beers and cleaner beers. Hazy New England IPAs obviously aren’t going away by any means, but I do think you will see more West Coast IPAs popping up. My 2023 resolution is to make and keep a lager on tap all times or similar style light beer.
Jeff Riedl, Rising Storm Brewing co-founder/head brewer
This may sound like the same thing every year, but...a growing variety of more local lagers available. For commercial beer drinkers, they are a perfect introduction into the craft beer world! And lower ABV session beers. We recently made a 4.5 percent IPA that had a ton of flavor and nice body that was really well received by our patrons. Sometimes you just need a lower ABV beer to balance out the rest!
With the projects we have going on, I don't really have a resolution this year. But we're really excited about opening our second location at The Mill, and the opportunity to bring Rising Storm into Rochester!
Anthony Walker, Black Summer Design
I think the beer scene is at a standstill, New England IPAs and heavily fruited sours will continue to dominate the craft market. But I hope lagers will gain more traction because everyone knows Lager is Life.
Drink more lagers from all over and visit breweries I haven’t been to yet or visited in the while.
Every year I think we have hit the cap for the amount of breweries opening up, but it doesn’t seem to stop. I’m sure there will be more opening up this year.
Tony Moringello, Noble Shepherd Brewery founder/brewer
This is super not helpful, but honestly I have no idea where the market is headed locally, lol.
I will say that more and more breweries keep opening and for the most part everyone seems to be doing well so it appears there is still more room for growth. There’s a lot of really great local breweries out there and you really don’t have to travel very far to get a great beer. As a consumer you have lots of options.
As for us here at Noble, we plan to keep brewing some new and experimental beers as well as the usual suspects. There’s been a push from consumers lately to have more Pilsner/lager options, so I know we definitely plan on doing more of those.
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