Every year we like to have a bit of a punt on the changes we expect to see across the Australian craft beer scene. Last year our bet was on an increased interest in Sour beers. These are beers which are intentionally brewed with an acidic, tart or sour taste. We saw a few sour beer introductions in 2014, including great brews from HopDogBeerWorks, Moon Dog, Red Duck and Doctors Orders Brewing. Looking to 2015 we’re expecting to see even more of this very unique beer style.

And while we expect sour beers to continue to develop, our big prediction for 2015 is the rise and rise of craft beer in cans. While the can from days gone by had a bad rap for it’s ‘metallic taste’ things have changed. The inside coating of the can now prevents any leeching in flavour from the can itself. The big benefits of the can is that it stops light from hitting the beer and reduces oxygen from coming into contact with the beer. These are the two main factors which age beer.

Four other reasons craft breweries are making the move to canned product include:

1. Cans are significantly lighter, reducing transportation costs (great for exporting)

2. Canning lines can often be much cheaper than their bottling line equivalent

3. Cans are more robust and have a reduced chance of breakage compared to glass

4. Graphics can be placed around the entire can, compared to just a front and back label

Three years ago there was just one canned Australian craft beer (Sydney’s Australian Brewery), now we have beers from Mountain Goat, Mornington Peninsula, Quiet Deeds, and Colonial Brewing Company to name a few, with more to hit the canned vessel very soon. Watch this space!