OnTap Magazine

24 | Autumn 2026 | ontapmag.co.za T heoretically, a decade is not a long time. I’m sure you’d agree that 2016 felt like ‘just the other day’. However, when you shine a light on one particular aspect — beer –- and take stock, it’s amazing just how much has happened, changed, gone full circle, or disappeared. Here are 10 things that have shaped the last decade of beer. It started with the reasonable acceptance of haze from dry hops in American Pale Ales and IPAs. Then New England IPAs took over and things got ever more hazy as more dry hops and more body-enhancing adjuncts made their way into those juicy bois. Now no one flinches when a pint of milky muck lands on the counter in front of them. I suppose it should be seen as progress when drinkers have moved past simple looks, but there is something old- fashioned in me that would like to know that I could see an engagement ring dropped into my glass. Lager was once a dirty word among many craft beer drinkers. You had to contextualize any mention of lager with “something something schwarzbier… something something on my trip to Munich…something something triple decoction”. Then brewers and drinkers got bored with blasting everything with more bold, more intense flavour and began to relish the technical challenge and simple pleasure of classic lager styles. Now Munich Helles can sit alongside any imperial porter and pastry sour and not feel like the lame little brother your mom made you take with you to the party. The foundations were laid before 2016. IPA had conquered, and had started to morph. Every brewer thought the same thing: “What if we brew other styles, but make them taste like IPA?” From the initial colour plays (black, red, brown IPA) to yeast expression with Belgian / white IPA, and then on to style cross-overs with cold IPA and brut IPA. IPA has become a broad spectrumfar removed from its origins. Add to that the incredible new hops available, and massive advances in fermentation science, and IPA is still leading the way for interesting developments and variations. 01 Hazy Days 02 IPA Everything 03 Lager Makes a Comeback Many breweries had been knocking on the non-alcoholic door for a long time, but the products just did not get close to approximating real beery goodness. Then the confluence of advances in de- alcoholizing technology, a general trend away from alcohol consumption, and a steep inflection point in the Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the introduction of alcohol free beer across global markets. The technological barrier to entry means adoption in the craft beer market is limited, but it has shaped a trend towards lower alcohol styles and variants. This trend looks set to continue as overall alcohol consumption trends down. 04 The One For The Road There’s been a little doom and gloom lately with homebrewing going through a bit of a decline in popularity (the global economy is not so lekker, hey), but there is no doubt that we live in the best timeline for homebrewers. Whether it’s access to ingredients, incredible equipment, or knowledge, it’s all dramatically better than it was 10 years ago. So, go give a little love to your favourite homebrew store and let's keep this great hobby thriving. 05 Homebrewing Gets Jacked IPA IPA