Beer is back. Last year, we saw the first lift in overall beer consumption in many years, with over 7 million Australians enjoying a brew in 2021 (according to Roy Morgan). That’s undoubtedly driven by an explosion of beer options, covering everything from sessionable lagers to wild beer and beer/wine mashups.
What’s fascinating though, is that we’re seeing the return of some gloriously old-school styles that we expect will be just as popular as the boundary-shifting modern takes.
That contrast is immediately apparent on Kaddy Marketplace. Here, 1 in 3 new beer listings is classed as ‘limited/seasonal releases’, driving the country’s most extensive range of craft beer. Yet it is reimagined takes on some very traditional styles that is capturing the current spotlight.
BrewDog’s upcoming retro release, ‘Shandy Shack Double Citrus Shandy’ is a perfect example. The BrewDog crew proudly call this ‘our time machine to your local RSL circa 1989’, taking a ‘Pony half-filled with lager, topped-up with our own fresh lemonade. Canned for backyard BBQs across the country’.
It’s hard to argue with the easy drinking result. Half lager, half natural lemonade, it’s a 3.5% abv smash hit waiting to happen. Shandy Shack is now available for pre-sale, with the official launch in September, and boy are we keen.
One other style on Kaddy Marketplace that is gaining strong traction once again is ginger beer.
According to a Reportlinker outlook presented in July, ginger beer is expected to grow globally by $4bn in the years to 2030, accelerating at a CAGR of 7.68%. But, of course, back in 2020, ginger beer was growing at 80% per annum (according to IBIS World), so this is a longer-term trend than you might think.
The Six String X East Coast Ginger Beer is an excellent representation of this trend, marrying up east coast lemons to fresh ginger in a bid for something that is comfortably all-natural, with just the right amount of sweetness to make for real refreshment.
As Kaddy Marketing Manager Simone Kealy notes, that last part is essential.
“I think crisp ginger beer and session lagers are proving popular because they appeal to a different audience who might not enjoy hazy or hoppy styles of pale ale and IPA. We’re expecting to see the same from BrewDog’s Shandy Shack”.
One of the great things about this modern era of beer diversity is that so many styles are being taken seriously, allowing breweries to stretch their legs with style and appeal to a broad range of consumers.
For a peek at that glorious diversity of the beer world and the other frontier of brewing, look no further than One Drop’s outstanding ‘Double Vanilla Custard Pancake Imperial Nitro Thickshake IPA’ (a mouthful in name and flavour alike!). Famously the #101 ranked beer in this year’s GABS Hottest 100, this 10.1% alcohol wild ride is one of the most hedonistic brews you can dream up.
As the tagline says, ‘sit down. Ideally, somewhere comfortable with a lot of pillows.’
Explore over 20,000 SKUs now available on Kaddy Marketplace, including an unrivalled selection of craft beer, wine, spirits and more. Create your free account, or log in today to take Kaddy for a test drive or to simply stay ahead of the latest beverage trends and new releases!