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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nThe latest trends that readers might like to hear about are as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The haze craze lives on<\/strong>: even after a decade in the spotlight, juicy\/hazy IPAs continue to dominate the US craft beer landscape. \u00a0First recognised as an official style by the Brewers Association in 2018, it remains the most competitive category at both GABF and the World Beer Cup. \u00a0The wide range of \u2018hazies\u2019 at the festival proved the style\u2019s staying power, with brewers refining mouthfeel, developing aroma and flavour and layering complexity while maintaining that subdued bitterness that appeals to both newcomers and IPA loyalists. \u00a0A flagship example is Sierra Nevada\u2019s Hazy Little Thing, which was launched in 2018 and is now the best-selling hazy IPA in America and widely available around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lager than life<\/strong>: long hailed as \u2018the next big thing\u2019, lager had its moment at GABF. Brewers showcased an eclectic array of lager brewing excellence from Firestone Walker\u2019s Pivo Pils to Deschutes\u2019 Fresh Hop King Crispy, plus dry-hopped, smoked, fruit-infused, and salt-lime variations. Classic European styles, from Japanese rice and Italian pilsners to Oktoberfest M\u00e4rzens, Dunkels, and Schwarzbiers, reinforced lager\u2019s growing popularity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Packaging Innovation<\/strong>: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co has recently taken the bold move of launching their German style pilsner, PILS in 8.4oz (250ml) cans, designed to reflect European drinking culture and keep the beer \u2018fresh and cold from first to last sip\u2019.\u00a0\u00a0 Look out for it in export markets shortly.\u00a0 At the other end of the spectrum, the 19.2oz (568ml) \u2018stovepipe\u2019 can continues to gain popularity with US drinkers looking for value and convenience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beyond beer<\/strong>: for the first time in its 43-year history, GABF introduced a Distilling Experience, with 20 craft distilleries pouring whiskey, gin, vodka and botanical spirits. \u00a0The move mirrors a growing trend; one in four US craft breweries now produces beverages other than beer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Low and no alcohol<\/strong>: \u00a0reflecting the rise of mindful drinking, low and no-alcohol beers were a strong presence on the festival floor. \u00a0Standout producers included Athletic Brewing Co, Deschutes, Sierra Nevada, and Samuel Adams, all demonstrating that moderation and flavour can happily coexist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The competition<\/strong>: this year\u2019s GABF competition evaluated 8,315 entries from 1,555 breweries and cideries, awarding 347 medals to 273 producers. \u00a0Notable winners included Allagash Brewing Co, taking gold for Allagash Tripel and Allagash Lager, plus the prestigious Brewery Group of the Year award. \u00a0Oskar Blues also struck gold with Dale\u2019s Pale Ale.\u00a0 The categories with the most entries were Juicy\/Hazy IPA, West Coast IPA, Oktoberfest, German Pilsner and Hoppy Lager<\/p>\n\n\n\n Evolving with the times<\/strong>:\u00a0 from its humble beginnings in 1982, when just 700 people gathered in Boulder, Colorado, the Great American Beer Festival remains a benchmark of brewing excellence. \u00a0It\u2019s a celebration of creativity, innovation and community that continues to adapt to changing tastes while staying true to its craft beer roots. \u00a0With new categories, diverse beverages, and a spirit of inclusivity, GABF proves that beer and beverages bring people together like nothing else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lotte Peplow<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Lotte is the Brewers Association\u2019s American Craft Beer Ambassador for Europe. he BA represents over 5,600 independent craft brewers in the USA and its seal is a widely adopted symbol that differentiates beers by small and independent craft brewers. For more information, go to<\/em> www.brewersassociation.org<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Beer lovers in the USA have much reason to be grateful for the Great British Beer Festival (GBBF) because it gave rise to the Great American Beer Festival (GABF), America\u2019s… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5864,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5863","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5863"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5863\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5865,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5863\/revisions\/5865"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5864"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}