Trembling Madness // A Year in Beer 2022

Best Pale 
1.  Citra Vista - Pollys
2.  Rustling Substance - Verdant
3.  No Sleep. No Dream - Track

Best IPA
1.  Transcending the Relative - Verdant  
2.  Locals V6 - Beak
3.  Underground Oceans - Azvex

Best DIPA
1.  Nonic - Beak 
2.  Its All Nelson - Overtone
3.  Seagull King - Azvex

Best TIPA
1.​ Take My Place - Track
​2. Explosions in the City - Overtone
3. Chubbles3: Enhanced - Cloudwater

Best Sour 
1. ​ Hydra Melted Gelato - Mortalis
​2 . Bistro Pineapple Banana Cream Pie - Energy City
3 . Thousand Finger Mango - Overtone

Best Dark 
1. Trinity in Black Bourbon BA - Puhaste
​2. Quinquennium - Impy - Polly's
3. Barrel Works Bourbon BA - Basqueland

Best Alcohol Free​
1. Pina Colada Free Gelato - Funky Fluid 
2. Reign in Blood Stout - Mash Gang

Best New Brewery 2022
​1. Sureshot - Manchester 

Best Breweries 
1.  Beak
2.  Track
​3.  Azvex

Worst Drain Pours
1.  Veggie Turkey Soup - Tiny Rebel
​2.  Holy Heaven - Northern Monk
3.  Beer Ink Cornetto Trilogy

2022 was a tough year for UK craft beer.  A lot of breweries played it safe and stuck to low abv, core. and what they know. Obviously a steady income was needed after the Covid years. But there could have been a greater diversity and creativiy to create more interest. Not so many break out breweries and a we will now see a steady decline and a clean up in the industry. For this reason we think we'll see an increase in imports, we have already have more US beer arriving in the next month than the whole of last year. 

Energy wholesale prices are lower than before the Ukraine war but energy companies are still taking advantage of UK businesses, then there's the return of VAT to normal rates, wage increases and material price increases.  It will be a bit of a rollercoaster in 2023 with the businesses that can adapt to the market that will survive.  

In 2023 there will be the continued lower abv trend, like Mash Gang who have suceeded in the alcohol free market and are producing some great beers. Cask will be more popular and we will see more craft breweries venture into this market, including Kernel.  Good news is that UK craft lager quality and pricing is more in line with Europe so we will also see more UK brands in pubs and on the shelves.  

We are looking forward to the challenge of 2023 - we'll continue to source and supply great quality products and keep our margins as low as we can so that you can afford to buy them.  Enjoy life, love Trembling Madness x