On Sunday June 15th, at 12 Plato Brewing, which is a brewpub in Bang Na, Joe Stange held a talk about trends in the beer industry.
– “Joe Stange is executive editor of Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine, the Brewing Industry Guide, and Spirits & Distilling” so he generally has a good handle on what is going on in the craft beer world.
Joe gave a talk on beer trends; and there was a special beer release for the event: Untrendy Shifty Saison (hoppy)
Editor’s opinion:
Altogether, this was a fun event. Got to try a beer style that is not common in Bangkok; got to hear and talk about geeky beer stuff; got to enjoy good beer and food (that steak!) at 12 Plato.
Craft Beer Trends
Some of the highlights of what Joe spoke about. The talk was mostly geared towards brewers, but was also rather interesting for those interested in the craft beer industry.
- Everyone is part of the craft beer conversation. All brewers and beer consumers get to have their voice heard; your style and preferences might be different from other beer markets.
- Rice beers are starting to emerge as bigger space in craft beer.
- Lagers have been growing in popularity among craft breweries because that is what the brewers want to drink.
- It is important to brew what you like to drink. Yes, you will probably need to brew what your customers want, but brewing what you like to drink is an important part of brewing beer.
Untrendy Shifty Saison
The special brewed beer for the event was the “Untrendy Shifty Saison.” The ‘shifty’ in this case refers to the beer you get at the end of a “shift” at work at a brewery. The ABV was listed at 7.1% and had a 40 IBU.
Joe said that he was originally was going to add even more bitterness, and get the IBU up to 50, but pulled back and went with the lower level.
Editor’s Note:
I really liked the beer. Some saisons taste too much like perfume, but this one does not. Its a light body and finishes with the taste of hops. I really like the balance of the beer, but I am very curious if would be even better if the additional hops had been added.
However…
The deputy editor was not a big fan of the beer. She mentioned that she was getting a taste of banana like from a German wheat beer.
