287: Revolution’s Doug Veliky Predicts the Future of Craft Beer

You may be more familiar with Doug Veliky through his BeerAficionado social presence, but through his Beercrunchers.com blog and his work as chief financial officer, chief strategy officer, and now chief marketing officer for Chicago’s Revolution Brewing , he’s gained a reputation for smart, strategic, and data-driven takes on what’s happening and what will happen in craft beer’s near term. In this episode, Doug walks us through the current craft beer landscape, offering thoughts on everything from New Belgium’s reformulation of Fat Tire, their success with imperial IPA, the rise of retro lagers, the slow-growth nature of fruited sour beer, the plateau of session IPA, the promise of cold IPA, building and extending brand families, the uptick in churn within this increasingly hospitality-driven industry, and the opportunities presented by the dynamic year ahead. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers ( https://gdchillers.com ) : Want to maximize efficiency in your chiller? G&D’s Micro-Channel Condensers are designed for less power draw. They have a lighter weight, and a more compact design using up to 70% less refrigerant means a lower GWP and lower operating costs. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing ( https://BSGCraftbrewing.com ) : TNS Hop Oils are a revolutionary hop product that gives your beer all the hop intensity with none of the astringency. Make better beer and get more from each turn with less work. Change your brewing game with TNS Hop oils. Visit BSGCraftbrewing.com to learn how. Accubrew ( https://accubrew.io ) AccuBrew is a game changing fermentation monitoring system that gives you unprecedented insight into your yeast’s health and activity. The AccuBrew sensor, mounted through your tank’s sample port, creates a record of sugar conversion, clarity, and temperature for every batch run. Something BIG is coming, find out more at accubrew.io . ProBrew ( https://www.probrew.com ) At ProBrew, we believe that your brewery deserves equipment as unique as the drinks that you craft. ProBrew’s customizable equipment empowers breweries to expand operations at their own pace. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email contactus@probrew.com . Old Orchard ( https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer ) : If you need a central source for fruit flavor, Old Orchard has you covered. Old Orchard supplies flavored craft juice concentrate blends to beverage brands for the production of beer, cider, seltzer, wine, spirits, kombucha, and more. Flavor your lineup and streamline your sourcing by heading to oldorchard.com/brewer Ss Brewtech ( https://www.ssbrewtech.com ) : Ss Brewtech has taken technology they invented working with world-renowned industry veterans and made them available to every craft brewer. To learn more about Ss Brewtech's innovation list, head over to SsBrewtech.com . Christian Hansen ( https://www.chr-hansen.com ) : Christian Hansen are now bringing their knowledge of microbes to brewers with their SmartBev range of frozen liquid yeast and freeze-dried bacteria. Reimagine what your beer can be. Go to Chr-Hansen.com to learn more on the SmartBev line of products. Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast