Yeastradomus: 2025 Trend Predictions
As we step into 2025 (how has it been 5 years since 2020??), it’s the perfect time to reflect on where the craft beer world is heading—and how last year’s trends shaped our landscape. In 2024, we predicted the continued rise of sessionable beers, non-alcoholic options becoming mainstream, and the revival of classic IPA styles. We also saw brewers pushing boundaries with hybrids, exploring bold yeast innovations, and experimenting with sustainable practices.
While some predictions hit the mark—like the surge in non-alcoholic beer and the evolution of classic IPAs—others, like a widespread shift to sustainability, still have room to grow.
Now, we’re looking forward to what’s next. Craft beer continues to evolve rapidly, and 2025 promises new challenges, innovations, and surprises for brewers and beer lovers alike. Let’s dive into what the year ahead might hold!
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Craft Remembers Its Craft
In 2025, craft beer marketing is all about connection. Gone are the days when flashy can art and clever labels were enough to grab attention. Today’s drinkers want to know the story behind the beer. They crave transparency and a sense of shared passion, and breweries are responding by pulling back the curtain on their process, experiments, and even challenges.
Breweries like Tree House Brewing have embraced this approach wholeheartedly, launching a YouTube channel that dives into everything from experimental batches to homebrewing tips. Cycle Brewing offers an equally engaging but more candid look at their operation, sharing unfiltered, behind-the-scenes moments—including the occasional blooper—to bring fans into the fold.
This shift isn’t just happening at established breweries. Newer names like Miluna Brewing and Keeping Together are rewriting the rules on transparency, sharing the ups and downs of their journey. Founders aren’t shying away from the messy reality of starting and running a brewery. Instead, they’re embracing it—and inviting their audience along for the ride.
Even legacy breweries like Sierra Nevada are leaning into this personal, small-batch energy. Their experimental release, Celly Drippins, is a taproom-only crowler offering that highlights the artistry of brewing on a smaller scale. It’s a bold move for one of the industry’s giants, proving that even the big players are listening to what the market wants: passion, craft, and a peek behind the scenes.
By embracing authenticity and storytelling, breweries are finding new ways to connect with their audience. Bringing customers into the world where the beer is made helps breweries strengthen their bond with drinkers.
Unique Taproom Experiences
In 2025, breweries are going beyond great beer to create unforgettable on-site experiences. It’s no longer enough to just pour a pint—breweries are combining creativity, culinary inspiration, and local culture to turn their taprooms into destinations.
Take Dovetail Brewery in Chicago, for example. They’ve introduced Rhine and Brine, an elevated take on the Kölsch drinking experience. Guests can enjoy a “wheel of Kölsch”—served in traditional 200mL glasses—paired with fresh oysters, offering a perfect mix of German brewing tradition and modern dining flair.
Then there’s Moody Tongue, also in Chicago, where beer meets fine dining at their two-Michelin-star restaurant. Their menu pairs expertly crafted dishes with house-made beers, elevating the role of beer at the table and setting a new standard for beer-focused cuisine.
So why is Chicago leading this movement? The city’s rich history of beer innovation and its thriving food culture give it an edge in creating new taproom experiences. In Canada, however, this trend is slower to take hold. If it starts anywhere, expect Montreal to lead the charge.
It’s not just high-end dining experiences driving this trend. In Texas, breweries are leaning into regional traditions like beer salt and Cheladas, blending beer with citrus, spices, and other ingredients to create refreshing, flavourful drinks. These offerings celebrate local flavours while providing a fresh twist for on-site guests.
Breweries are proving that the taproom can be more than just a place to drink—it can be a destination, an experience, and a memory. By investing in unique offerings and creative ideas, they’re ensuring that customers keep coming back, pint after pint.
Mindful Consumption
As drinkers become more health-conscious, the craft beer world is responding with options that embrace moderation without sacrificing flavour. Mindful consumption is shaping what—and how—people drink, leading to a rise in low-carb beers, sessionable offerings, and creative approaches to non-alcoholic and low-alcohol brews.
Low-carb beers like Michelob Ultra have already seen explosive growth, with their market expanding at a significant rate. But there’s still plenty of room for breweries to innovate with low-carb and low-calorie options that highlight hops and flavour. Craft breweries have a chance to take this trend further by introducing lighter, hoppier brews that cater to health-conscious consumers.
Another emerging trend is NA-ish beers, which sit at around 2.5% ABV. Options like Fairweather Brewing’s Chuggy and Lake of Bays’ Low Tide let drinkers enjoy the experience of a beer while enabling moderation. They’re perfect for those seeking a social drink that doesn’t demand full-strength alcohol.
The concept of Zebra Striping—alternating between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks—is also gaining traction. This practice offers consumers a way to pace themselves while enjoying both alcoholic and NA options throughout a drinking session.
Mindful consumption isn’t about sacrificing fun—it’s about enhancing it. By embracing moderation and innovation, breweries can tap into a growing audience that values balance, flavour, and the ability to enjoy a beer without overindulging.
The Return of the Hard Seltzer
Hard seltzers are making a comeback, but this time, breweries are doing it right. After an often-disastrous first wave during the pandemic—marked by overly yeasty and sulfury flavours—breweries have refined their approach. The result? Cleaner, crisper seltzers that are not only more enjoyable but also better positioned to attract younger and newer drinkers.
Unlike mass-produced brands, in-house hard seltzers allow breweries to control quality and innovate with unique flavours, all while enjoying good profit margins. Hard seltzers can give breweries a chance to tap into a younger market.
What’s changed? Advances in fermentation nutrients and brewing techniques have helped eliminate the unpleasant flavours that plagued early efforts. By leaning into this new wave of hard seltzer innovation—and consulting with experts like us—breweries can confidently create products that resonate with today’s consumers.
For breweries that missed out on the first seltzer boom (or stumbled), now is the time to jump back in. The market is primed for high-quality, house-made seltzers that deliver on flavour, consistency, and profitability.
The West Coast Gets Colder
The evolution of IPAs continues, and in 2025, one trend is literally staying cool. Cold IPAs, which use lager yeast in hoppy beer styles, are proving they have staying power. This approach brings a crisp, clean finish to IPAs while letting the hops shine, creating a unique hybrid style that’s catching on with both brewers and drinkers.
The use of lager yeast in hoppy beers is still a relatively untapped frontier, but it holds enormous potential. Lager yeasts have several advantages for IPAs:
- They produce higher levels of SO₂, which acts as a natural antioxidant, helping preserve the beer’s freshness and flavour.
- Certain lager strains also offer thiol biotransformation capabilities, unlocking tropical and citrus flavours that complement hoppy profiles.
Brewers are starting to explore these benefits, and we expect to see more experimentation with lager and Kölsch yeasts in 2025. Whether it’s through refined Cold IPAs or entirely new styles, this crossover has the potential to add another exciting layer to the IPA family.
By blending the hop-forward intensity of West Coast IPAs with the crisp drinkability of lagers, Cold IPAs represent the best of both worlds—and they’re only just getting started.
Move Over Side Pulls: Japanese Pours Are Cooler
For years, side-pull faucets like the Lukr have reigned supreme in the craft beer world. Brewers everywhere embraced these Czech taps for their ability to deliver a perfectly balanced pour with just the right amount of foam. They’ve been the go-to for everything from lagers to experimental styles, offering precision and control that elevate the drinking experience.
But in 2025, it looks like the Lukr’s days as the ultimate “cool kid” tap might be numbered. As side pulls become ubiquitous in breweries, the next wave of innovation is already here: Japanese-style beer service.
Japanese beer service, known for a variety of different pouring styles including the “Sharp Pour” technique, are all about customizing the experience. It’s not just functional—it’s incredibly Instagram-worthy, with accounts like Abukudou showcasing the art of this style to a captivated audience.
**Dovetail Brewery,** seemingly always ahead of the game, is already experimenting with Japanese pouring techniques stateside. The process not only enhances the beer’s presentation but also delivers a crisp and refreshing drinking experience, making it the perfect match for today’s drinkers who crave aesthetics.
As Japanese pours gain popularity, they could be the next big thing for breweries looking to offer something fresh, memorable, and photo-ready. The era of the Sharp Pour may just be beginning.
GLP-1 Will Matter More to Beer Than ChatGPT
In 2025, the rapid rise of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic could disrupt the beer industry in ways no one saw coming. These drugs, originally designed for diabetes management, have quickly become popular for weight loss—and they may be changing the way people drink.
There’s growing evidence that GLP-1 drugs reduce alcohol consumption, particularly among heavy drinkers. For macro beer producers, this could spell trouble. With reduced demand for volume-driven products, the "drink less, but better" mindset is likely to accelerate, benefiting craft breweries that focus on quality and flavour over quantity.
The growth of GLP-1 usage has been astronomical, and its impact on alcohol consumption could fundamentally shift how the industry operates. Brewers that focus on moderation-friendly options, such as low-calorie beers, session styles, and non-alcoholic offerings, may be better positioned to thrive in this new landscape.
While technologies like ChatGPT and other AI tools might help breweries streamline operations, it’s the cultural shift driven by GLP-1 that could truly reshape the beer world in 2025 and beyond. Quality will matter more than ever as drinkers prioritize experience and flavour over volume.
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As we venture into 2025, there’s no better time to embrace the energy and excitement that define craft beer. The beauty of this industry lies in its constant evolution, shaped by the creativity of brewers and the curiosity of drinkers. Here’s to another year of innovation, connection, and great beer!
Got a beer prediction for 2025? Feel free to add a comment below!
