Six Beer Industry Trends to Watch in 2026 | SevenFifty Daily
A cloud of negativity covers a brewing industry roiled by erratic tariffs, spiking costs, declining consumer confidence, and constant thunderclaps of consolidations and closures. Last year, legacy brands Rogue Ales & Spirits and 21st Amendment Brewery tossed in the bar towel.
Many customers “assume that everyone else is doing the supporting,” says Brandon Proff, the managing partner at Our Mutual Friend Brewing in Denver. “When businesses close, they see epic amounts of support by people wanting to visit one last time.”
It’s too little, too late, for too long. As of November 1, 2025, dollar sales and volumes respectively slid 2.8 percent and 4.4 percent from a year earlier, according to NIQ data provided by 3 Tier Beverages. Craft beer’s red ink spilled deeper as dollar sales and volumes dipped 4.9 percent and 6.3 percent during that same stretch.
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1“The bloom is off the rose, and it’s now infinitely harder—compared to 10 years ago—to simply open a brewery, hang a shingle, and expect a stampede at your door,” says Rob Lightner, the cofounder of East Brother Beer Co. in Richmond, California.
Surviving and even thriving means being smart, scrappy, and adaptable, including producing beverages for other brands. “We don’t have the luxury of sitting on unused fermenters,” Lightner says.
The increase in contract packaging arrangements “shows that more of us are seeing ourselves as manufacturing companies,” says Ryan Bandy, the chief business officer of Indeed Brewing Company in Minneapolis.
In the high-volume, low-margin brewing industry, “scale creates stability, efficiency, and the ability to reinvest in quality and innovation,” says Sam Hendler, the cofounder and CEO of Hendler Family Brewing Company in Framingham, Massachusetts.
Breweries can nurture green shoots by warmly courting Gen Z, delivering value, curating taproom experiences, and doubling down on core competencies: making great-tasting beverages, especially beer. For SevenFifty Daily, I ran down six trends spotlighted by industry experts that will help steer the coming year in beer.
They include:
1. Value Will Be Essential for Cash-Conscious Consumers
2. Shelf Space Will Shrink, Spurring More Targeted Beer Releases
3. Hemp-Derived THC Beverages Are an Economic Lifeline That Might Be Cut Loose
4. Breweries Will Place a Renewed Focus on Beer and Packaging Options
5. Gen Z Will Become a Focal Point for Craft Breweries
6. To Draw Customers to Taprooms, Experiences and Urgency Become Central
Check out the story link for the full rundown.
