Hey, everybody! Sally here, your friendly neighborhood blogger. I’ve been attending lots of social events in the last few weeks all over Brooklyn, New York, in order to keep an eye on what’s trending. Back in March, I discussed my predictions for what would trend this year in the world of Ale. Today. I’m evaluating those forecasts against what I’ve been seeing so far this year and talking about how well we’ve done here at Mendocino Brewing Company to compete with those trends.
Session Beers Continue to Take the Cake
Brewers of session beers are killing it, as I predicted they would, and I’m grateful for that. Bold yet drinkable flavors available in a beer with less than 5% alcohol? Fantastic. While a few years back craft brewers experimented with crazy high alcohol by volumes (sometimes at even 11%) those high ABVs did much to scare away reluctant beer drinkers. Many worried that a craft beer meant the same thing as drinking hard liquor and instead stuck to flavorless, over-filtered beer, forgoing the craft beer movement altogether.
Today’s craft brewers continue to get smart, creating flavorful beers with low ABVS, meaning you can drink a few without falling into the drink on your walk home. To try one of these more creative beverages, check out our Rock Point Session IPA. With 60 International Bittering Units and 4.5% ABV, it’s a drinkable ale that packs a flavorful punch.
Abstract Fruit Beers of Premium Flavors
This one I did not predict. At the Tap and Cork festival in Brooklyn a few weeks back, I was struck by the obvious trend of incorporating fruit flavors into the drinks. While I tend to be skeptical of fruity beers, those 
I was able to taste were of notable quality and just fruity enough but never fake tasting. Creating light, flavorful fruity beers is one of those definite instances where craft brewers seem to truly win over the bigger beer companies. Like our specialty Lake Shore Hefeweizen, fruity beers seem more about the quality of the creative process than the simple
fruity taste.
What Am I Missing?
Okay, as you guys going to be attending any festivals or Oktoberfest events next month? Keep an eye out for emerging beer trends, and let me know what you think!