Washington Brewers 2021 Predictions

As we all know by now, you can plan a pretty picnic but you can’t predict the weather. BUT, we still asked a dozen Washington brewers to give it a shot anyway. From brewmasters to founders to sales reps, each of these craft beer industry veterans put on their best Nostradamus caps and polished their crystal ball to share prognostications on a variety of beer topics.

“Flexibility is the #1 challenge moving forward into 2021. This turned into 2020’s biggest challenge for breweries (as well as many other businesses) and we believe that this might be key for next year as well. The ability to follow an ever changing landscape, knowing where the consumers are buying their beer and continually pushing our own boundaries to keep our products and brand interesting is proving to be what helps keep businesses afloat.

In the PNW we are lucky to find top notch beer on every corner, in response we now believe that making quality beer is only one of a few major cornerstones of a brewery’s success. Finding where you fit into the beer landscape is important, but the quality of your brewery's branding and how you market your products is turning into a more important piece of the puzzle. Then as always; creating, fostering and interacting with your immediate community. The community of patrons and relationships you form with them will be as important as ever going into 2021.” - Jason Bos, co-founder/brewer of Brothers Cascadia Brewing (Vancouver, WA)

“I hope we see a rise in classic ale styles of more manageable abv's (like Oatmeal Stouts, Pales, Bitters, Wheats, Milds, maybe even Browns?!) as brewers continue to find joy in revisiting the classics that got them into beer, and pass that passion on to drinkers that have begun to open their minds about balance & simplicity - which the lager "resurgence" over the last couple years has helped to facilitate. Balance, moderation, restraint, intention & tactful execution. Right now, this race to to the lowest abv (2-3%) is just as silly at the race to 100 IBUs a decade ago - can't we just chill the fuck out and meet in the middle? Why does it always have to swing to extremes? What's so wrong with 5-6% abv beer? Why am I yelling? Do I have early-onset brewer crumudgery? Somebody get me Van Havig....” - Steve Luke, co-founder/brewmaster of Cloudburst Brewing (Seattle, WA)

“The COVID business restrictions enforced by the State have justifiably changed four times now so we are getting pretty good at adapting. We built our brewery to be draft focused but cans are currently our priority. We are only kegging about 15% of our volume and the rest is canned and delivered up and down the I5 corridor. I think the first couple months of 2021 will look similar to the end of 2020. I am optimistic that COVID numbers improve and that breweries and the businesses we service will see some eased restrictions in late February or March and a bit of normalcy by summer.” - Chad Kuehl, co-founder of Wander Brewing (Bellingham, WA)

“I predict we will see more collaborations between breweries and non-profit organizations within their shared neighborhoods as a way to help educate folks and make investments towards communal goals. I also predict the firehose pour porter technique will be carefully studied and perfected to the point where bars will be ditching their slow pour faucets for 6" gate valves.” - Matt Edwards, head R & D brewer for Georgetown Brewing (Seattle, WA)

“Call us overly optimistic, but we think 2021 will be the year the roaring twenties redux kicks off. Hopefully by summer there is not only a progressive return to normalcy, but the pent up isolation spills over to people coming out to taprooms & bars in droves, with a renewed spirit of togetherness and desire for connection. Subsequently, we see that while craft beer in 2021 will continue to be lead with innovative new styles, breweries will fair well with beers that are approachable, easy to enjoy, and generally focused on occasions of celebration. We know we’re a ways from breaking through the storm, but our vision and hope is that the spirit of craft breweries will be ready to be stewards of celebration when the time is right.” - Kurt Larson, director of sales and marketing at Silver City Brewery (Silverton, WA)

“2021 should swing back to and be a bit of rebound from 2020. It's going to be a tough first quarter and the smaller operations are going to have a hard time making it through Q1 without some improved community support, I'd be surprised if we didn't see brewery and bar closures before we get to the light at the end of the tunnel. There will be a return of draft volumes, but I believe that to-go purchasing trends will have reset the balance of draft to package and we will see continued success with packaged beer. The brewpub model is being challenged hard and I think you will see more places with some form of package stick around where they didn't exist before. With this, I also think you'll see more scaled-back food options as owners start to see the extra liability in large kitchens.” - Nick Crandall, brewmaster at Matchless Brewing (Tumwater, WA)

“Let me look into my crystal spray ball...It's looking like 2021 will be your typical "21 Run". We'll all go way too hard, way too fast. Lots of people getting 86'd. Lots of broken glass. Lots of vomit. Kinda like a group of guys in their early forties going to their first bachelor party in over a decade, finally away from the kids, totally oblivious to bar etiquette, asking what's the highest ABV beer on tap. But hey, at least we're stocked up on cleaning supplies!” - Jack Lamb, CEO of Aslan Brewing (Bellingham, WA)

“We think that e-commerce will continue to big trend, we think canning/packaging by traditional own premise breweries will continue and we think that the industry will see a return in taproom business the 2nd half of 2021.” - Kevin Quinn, co-owner of Bale Breaker Brewing (Yakima, WA)

“We barely got our feet wet when things shut down. What I foresee happening in 2021 is an increasing demand for breweries willing to innovate and push to new realms. While quality should be first and foremost in the consumers mind, it saddens me to some extent that hype and buzz are what today’s craft beer fans seek out. I try and straddle those lines by creating quality beer with fun twists. It has helped build us some buzz but at the end of the year I hope I can brew some dark milds and table farmhouse beers too, and not just throw fruit at every beer in the hopes it will sell. Quality and fun/hype can be harmonious in this industry and that’s what we are banking on going into what I’m sure will be a very challenging year in our industry.” - Jeff Stokes, head brewer at Sig Brewing Co. (Tacoma, WA.)

“I predict that 2021 will be a tale of two halves. The second half should be business as usual particularly on the retail side. In the meantime however, I think you'll see more interest in ways at introducing new products that aren't necessarily even beer related. Breweries that are already well equipped for packaging will look into opportunities like sparkling N/A beverages, N/A beer, cold brew coffee, hop infused N/A drinks, etc. Clearly, this is already happening, but there's much more of it to come in 2021. Oh, and Black Limes are gonna be HUGE in 2021!” - Travis Guterson, head brewer and co-owner of 7 Seas Brewing (Gig Harbor, WA)

“There's a few trends that I see that are in my opinion going to be continuing…

First of all is packaged beer. Until they truly open restaurants even at half capacity, package beer is still going to be the main distribution vehicle for most breweries. Being that restaurants and bars have minimal capacity for patrons to sit and enjoy a few pints, four and six packs will be the main lifeline for breweries to stay open.

Second would be marketing. Whether it be breweries stepping further away from constant core beers and producing more one-offs mixed in to keep the customer's attention, or renaming existing styles to sound new and exciting (ie Italian Pilsner, etc).

Third, outdoor spaces. Those of us who are lucky enough to either have existing outdoor patios or have made the best of parking lots or parking spaces, I think there will be a huge movement to both existing breweries or those in design to include them in the future. Customers have been very supportive and happy to visit those who have a place to sit and enjoys themselves in the current social climate.” - Mike Hunsaker, head brewer/co-owner of Grains of Wrath Brewing (Camas, WA)

“2021 can not come soon enough! Q1 will most likely be very similar to the production and sales pattern we are in right now with the hopes that by Q2 restrictions will begin to ease and we can start looking toward the life we once enjoyed. E9 Brewing turned 25 years old in 2020 and the plan was to do an ambitious 25 collaborations. Well, I think we all know what 2020 did to any plans that involved getting together and having fun! We are not going to let that stand in our way in 2021 and have already begun planning with the first few, keeping them hyper local and safely conducted, with the hopes that as the year moves along we can restart the discussions we had with our friends from outside of Washington state. We are also in the planning stages with several of our friends to do some collaborations on their turf. Be safe, stay positive in 2021!” - Donovan Stewart, of Engine House No. 9 aka E9 in Tacoma, WA