What styles do you think will be the “next big thing” next year and/or which styles do you think will continue to prove popular with drinkers? 

Hop Hideout: I think they’ll be a continued Belgian influence/head nod – I can’t wait to see what’s going to develop from Burning Sky for example on this tip. I’d like to see where UK breweries are going to go with barrel aging and sours.

Not just using the barrels to age but as part of the drinker’s experience – I love the idea of Portland brewery Cascade who invite customers round to tap barrels in their tap room every week. I’m not sure there’s a next big thing, I’m just happy the UK beer landscape is much more diverse, innovative, accessible and fun.

Hopology: It’s a great time for UK beer. The global giants and the big British breweries  will want a slice of this pie:  I expect more takeovers and more “craft branding”. In the meantime enjoy the

choice of beer styles.

Caps and Taps: Maybe not a BIG thing, but I think we’ll certainly see cider-beer hybrids coming on to the market next year. We saw several of these “cybrids” whilst in New York recently and it’s a style that many people feel passionately about, it’s always worth experimenting. As we said earlier, you can’t beat pale ale as the style that will remain popular for drinkers.

Cave Direct/Beer Merchants: I think we’ll hit peak sour somewhere early in the year and we’ll find people gasping for a well made craft lager. I know lots of breweries are working on recipes for one, and quite a few have already had a stab.

Siren did a range of them, Howling Hops do a great Bohemian Pilsner and Thornbridge Bayern is brilliant. I’m hoping for more because it’s a style initially ignored by brewers as they strived to create something unique. Drinkers love lager though, and it’s time this country produced some good ones!
The Brew Testament: We’ve been seeing a lot of demand for Belgian-styled beers, although the demand for pale ales doesn’t show any sign of slowing down.

BeerHawk: I think Pale Ales will continue their dominance for a good while yet, but we do get the sense that Milds are something that brewers are starting to play with more and more.  We’d expect the rise in interest for sour beers to continue too.