Top Emerging Beer Styles for 2025

With 2025 upon us, craft beer, and the beverage industry at large, continue to grapple with changing consumer tastes as well as a hugely saturated market that’s flush with all manner of delectable boozy beverages.

From the omnipresent IPA to an expanding array of thirst-quenching lagers, the beer landscape is more diverse than ever. As such, let’s go on a sojourn to discover the top trending beer styles for 2025. There is sure to be something here that wets your whistle and whets your appetite for top-tier brews.

Schwarzbier

As has been the case for a few years now, lagers are quite the hot ticket among craft beer connoisseurs and craft beer brewers. It turns out that the most popular beer style around the world – made famous by massive megabrewers spread across multiple continents – is still a major player in the more niche craft beer market as well.

In 2025, expect lagers in the craft beer sphere to branch out and open up lager fans to more intriguing styles, such as this German dark lager with a rich, malty backbone coupled with the easy-drinking nature of a lager.

Malt flavors should be roasty yet smooth in this easy drinker. The lack of a heavy aftertaste – something that is commonplace in some dark beers – means that this dark lager style is supremely quaffable, which is surely an important factor when drinking a lager.

Commercial Examples: Dark by The Alchemist, Shell by Halfway Crooks Beer, Black Lager by Frequentum Brewing Co., Black Bavarian by Sprecher Brewing Co., Goodnight Munich by Liquid Gravity Brewing Co.

Czech Lager

From one lager to another, Czech Lager is sure to be an up-and-coming craft style in 2025. While you are more likely to see American Lagers, German Lagers (such as Pilsners) and Mexican-style Lagers on store shelves and in craft brewery taprooms, Czech Lagers are an up-and-coming style that are equally as refreshing and delicious as those more common styles.

Czech Lager is also an engaging style due to its variety, as it has four different substyles per the Beer Judge Certification Program: Czech Pale Lager, Czech Premium Pale Lager, Czech Amber Lager and Czech Dark Lager.

Each one of the styles has its own merits, but the wide range of flavors and aromas available means this style is wide open to intriguing interpretations – making it the perfect jumping-off point for craft breweries looking to experiment with lagers more generally.

Commercial Examples: Czech 10° by Human Robot, Czech Lager by Charles Towne Fermentory, Pilsner by Von Trapp Brewing, Lena 10° by Schilling Beer Co., Czech Dark Lager by Triple Crossing Beer, 10 Degrees of Night by North Park Beer Co.

Mexican Lager

This might not be the biggest news, but Mexican Lager is poised to continue its meteoric rise in 2025 after a terrific 2024. Propelled by Modelo Especial, which continues to be the number one beer in the U.S. by total sales volume – thanks to the huge consumer boycott of Bud Light – Mexican Lager is an enjoyable, easy-drinking and highly adaptable style that many craft brewers are likely to delve into in the new year.

While it may not officially be a BJCP style, drinkers know what to expect when they hear “Mexican Lager:” either an amber or golden smooth-drinking lager that pairs well with any manner of food, although tacos, burritos and quesadillas might go best with this uber-popular style.

Commercial Examples: One Of Us Will Have To Bury The Other by Burial Beer Co. and Other Half Brewing Co., Mexican Lager by Goldfinger Brewing Co., El Mago by Tree House Brewing Co., Island Time by Resident Culture Brewing, Mexican Lager by Lone Tree Brewing Co.

American Pale Ale

American Pale Ale, alongside Steam Beer vis-à-vis the legendary Anchor Steam, might be the beer that kicked off the craft beer revolution in the U.S. thanks to the truly masterful Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. That beer’s powerful (for the time) hop quotient was unheard of when it debuted in 1980, and that specific beer remains a popular and iconic craft pale ale well over 40 years after it was first brewed.

While American IPAs remain the bellwether for craft beer around the world, 2025 could be the year that American Pale Ales return to the limelight after being relegated to “second tier” for a while.

Commercial Examples: Featherweight by Cannonball Creek Brewing Co., Snow Crest by Outlaw Brewing Co., Fort Point Pale Ale by Trillium Brewing Co., Edward by Hill Farmstead Brewery, Double Nickels by Docent Brewing

Barleywine

While most of this list is dedicated to clean, smooth-drinking lagers and other styles that are quite pintable, there’s always room for a big, burly beer style that is worth sipping gingerly – rather than quaffing eagerly. Barleywine is one such style.

This ultra-strong and eminently rich style couples the supreme hoppiness of a Double IPA with the rich malt backbone of darker amber styles. The result is a truly sumptuous drinking experience that is surely meant to be savored rather than slammed.

Seek out a big bottle of barleywine and share it with beer-drinking friends and family for a truly memorable experience. Make it even better by nabbing multiple bottles of a specific barleywine from multiple consecutive years for a vertical tasting!

Commercial Examples: Amaro Barrel Aged Barleywine by pFriem Family Brewers, Works & Days by Cellarmaker Brewing Co., Meteora by Toppling Goliath Brewing Co., Skookies and Cream by Skookum Brewery, Songs from a Barn: Barleywine #1 by Tired Hands Brewing Co.

Doppelbock

After a series of smooth, low-ABV lagers, it’s good to get a little alcohol heat on this list! Doppelbock is another famed German style that was originally invented by monks in Munich in the 1700s. The style has continued to be a popular one in Germany since its inception, but U.S. breweries have begun crafting their own versions of this traditional abbey style – and 2025 will likely be a banner year for craft Doppelbocks.

With a tremendously luscious malt presence – so much so that it was imbibed by monks during Lent as a replacement for food while they fasted – and a hearty alcohol quotient, this style is one that would pair beautifully as a nighttime tipple shared among friends at a bottle share or as a late-night sign-off at a family getaway in the mountains.

Commercial Examples: Execrator by Resolute Brewing Co., Activator by Wallenpaupack Brewing Co., Double Vision by Grand Teton Brewing Co., Monongalator by Brew Gentlemen, Co-Munichator by Deschutes Brewery

Dark Mild

While lagers are clearly on the upswing and 2025 just might be the “year of the lager” among craft beer-heads, don’t sleep on the ultra-low-ABV session ales that hail from England, specifically something like a Dark Mild.

This dark, low-gravity ale usually sits around a 3.2% ABV, which is remarkably low for a darker beer, but as tastes change and hop fatigue grows and non-alcoholic beer continues to gain market share – and shelf space – something like a Dark Mild might be just the tonic that craft beer needs to help adapt to a changing consumer landscape.

With a roasty, light flavor and a generally mild sweetness that would pair well with a tremendous number of dishes, Dark Mild might be the dark horse hit that propels craft beer forward in 2025.

Commercial Examples: Toasty by The Brew Brothers, Nitro Mild by Surly Brewing Co., Ruby Mild by Rudgate Brewery, Brains Dark by Brains Brewery, Dark Mild by Bank Top Brewery

Table Beer

With non-alcoholic beers continuing to rocket up sales charts throughout 2024, expect 2025 to be a big year for that style – as well as for ultra-low-ABV beer styles such as the catch-all “table beer.”

Table beers can span a variety of colors, aromas and flavors, but the main goal of the style is to be lower in alcohol than most other styles of beer – even something as light on the palate as an English Dark Mild or Best Bitter. Notably, many modern table beers feature funky, lightly sour elements akin to farmhouse ales.

Typically, table beers sit below 3% ABV and are a descendant of “small beers,” which were drunk frequently during medieval times as water purification and sanitation was a far cry from what we see in modern times.

While this style is certainly not common on store shelves or on taproom lists, expect this unusual brew to make strides due to its versatility and the creativity with which brewers can explore something of a “blank slate” without set style parameters.

Commercial Examples: Pebble by Fox Farm Brewery, Table Beer by Hudson Valley Brewery, à la Table (Blend #1) by Side Project Brewing, The Art of Holding Space by Keeping Together, Errday by Fonta Flora Brewery

THC Beverages

While not technically beer, of course, with the legality of cannabis becoming more and more commonplace across the U.S., expect THC beverages to become a major market factor throughout the new year and into the future.

As drinkers get tired of the high prices linked to top-tier craft beers, a cheaper alternative that will still give you that “buzzed” feeling are THC drinks, which will surely begin to creep into more and more markets as cannabis usage becomes more normalized with the changing legal landscape.

Flavors will surely range from lush and tropical to sweet and berry-filled to zingy citrus and ginger, spanning a wide breadth that will appeal to all drinkers – all paired with a little dash of that unique ingredient that makes cannabis a wee bit psychoactive.

Commercial Examples: THC Iced Tea Lemonade by Cycling Frog Cannabis Co., Lemon Elderflower by BRĒZ, Blueberry Acai Cannabis Water by DELTA Cannabis Water, Lo Boy by Cann, Black Cherry Fizz by WYNK

Irish Stout

One of the craft beer’s movements hallmark styles over the course of the past decade has been boozy, high-ABV barrel-aged imperial stouts. That style is supremely popular still, among beer geeks, though it has metamorphosed into the “pastry stout” style that is often packed with lactose and additional zany ingredients that equate the beer to a donut or a German chocolate cake – or other such delectable desserts.

However, in 2025, while these hefty styles will surely still have their place, expect lighter dark beers, such as the delightfully refreshing and flavorful Irish Stout to gain ground on imperial-strength dark brews.

Similar to coffee due to a smooth roastiness, this style can range from quite bitter to eminently smooth, meaning that coffee and chocolate fans should surely take notice of this delightful style in the new year.

Commercial Examples: Nitro Stout by Lawson’s Finest Liquids, Our Riviera by Icarus Brewing, Diatomaceous Dry Stout by Hutton & Smith Brewing Co., Leprechauns Drink Coffee Too by New Trail Brewing Co., Guinness Draught by St. James’s Gate Brewery

German Helles Exportbier

Seeing as lagers are surely going to do gangbusters in 2025, let’s close out the list with this slightly higher-ABV golden German lager that is also known as a Dortmunder Export or simply a Dortmunder due to the style being created in Dortmund, Germany in the 1870s.

Expect a smooth, malty profile with robust hoppiness and an enticing bitterness if you’re sampling an Exportbier. Minerality and herbal hops are a notable trait in both the aroma and flavor of this style, so for those that enjoy such elements, seek out this intriguing and historically significant style.

With less emphasis on finishing hops and a fuller body than a German Pils, this brew strikes a distinctive balance. It’s more bitter and noticeably drier than a Munich Helles, yet it delivers a stronger, crisper profile with less hop intensity when compared to a Czech Premium Pale Lager.

Commercial Examples: Noble Stuff by Bierstadt Lagerhaus, Export Lager by Gold Dot Beer, Export 66 by Wayfinder Beer, The Minus Times: Dortmunder Export Style Lager by Foam Brewers, Dorty Work by Cloudburst Brewing

Looking Ahead

Expect 2025 to be “the year of the lager” across the board – be it among craft beer fanatics stateside or around the world – as tastes change and palates adapt to the popular trends and changing headwinds that shift year by year. While some styles might fall by the wayside as tastes change and new innovations occur, expect beer to once more be a vibrant and delightful paradise for adventurous drinkers in the new year. We hope you join us on the journey. Cheers!