Craft Industry Report Insights
CRAFT DRIVEN BY IPA + FLAVOR ROTATION
- IPAs are still the main driver, accounting for 46% of volume. Growth is driven by new flavors and flavor rotation.
- Drive growth with: sweeter, fruitier, and bolder profiles
THE TAKEAWAY: Nothing mind-blowing here. A solid IPA does a lot of heavy lifting and helps build dedicated customers. But it has to have some unique flavor rotations that provide the right mix of variety.
INNOVATE IPAs WITH: elderflower, hibiscus, kukicha, and hyson green tea
FMB
- Hard teas are up 25.2% in $ and 19.2% in volume vs previous year
- Local and regional brands find niches and gain consumer loyalty through new flavors rotation and diversification
- Hard seltzer and hard kombucha were down
- Future growth opportunity will be focused on bold flavors and health focused attributes
THE TAKEAWAY: Twisted Tea blazed the path and dominates the market, creating opportunity to steal market share with unique, flavorful tea products. Tea is also considered a healthy product. The problem isn’t lack of opportunity or cost of tea. The barriers of entry are quite low. The problem is the know-how to successfully incorporate tea into a successful, flavorful product.
INNOVATE WITH TEA: Instant black tea, Assam tea, Ceylon tea, Shuixian oolong, Lapsang souchong, Jasmine green, and many other healthy, flavorful teas.
DOs & DON’Ts OF INCORPORATING TEA
DON’T: use the tea in the boil. This will overcook the leaves and create an overly bitter and astringent mess. Use tea leaves as you would dry hop or as you do with other adjuncts. Tea is high in antioxidants as are hops used for dry hopping.
DON’T: steep the tea leaves in water and then try to use the tea liquor in your process. It will (likely) be over-steeped and bitter, or too weak to notice in the final product.
DO: let the tea steep longer in the tank than you think it should. The effects of serving a chilled, carbonated final pour will dull the tea taste and aroma.