Beverage Chronicles with Gary Monterosso

Craft Beer’s Midyear Reality: IPA Still Carries the Market

• Contraction may be easing: Craft volume fell about 4%, yet a majority of responding breweries said they are growing—an improvement from last year’s survey.
• IPA is doing the heavy lifting: Every top-30 craft brand gaining in grocery, mass retail, and convenience was an IPA, led by brands such as Voodoo Ranger, Hazy Little Thing, and Elysian Spacedust.
• Diversification remains urgent: Draft can give lagers, wheat beers, and other non-IPA styles more room to perform, but the category’s dependence on IPA is increasingly risky amid stiff competition from RTD beverages.