Any of you who read us regularly understand that we’re not geniuses. But since we do cover the craft beer industry daily, we’ve opinions about where things are going this year …and we might even be right about some of them!

So welcome to the next in our series of craft beer predictions …And be sure to check out Craft Beer Predictions- Part I if you haven’t already….

Lagers will Stage a Comeback – Firestone Walker’sDavid Walker made an interesting observation when we caught up with him at SAVOR in NYC last summer. Basically, he said that after many years of refining their skills, American craft brewers have just gotten better at what they do – and as a result are returning to more time-consuming (and some think more difficult) styles, such as pilsners and different lager traditions. We agree with him and think that’s one reason why you’ll see more craft lagers making a comeback this year.

The Growth of Beer-centric Restaurants and Cuisine – Here are the new rules for pairing beer and food – take all the preconceived pairings you know and forget them. Innovative chefs, such as Daniel Pittman at LUCK in Dallas, are infusing local crafts into gourmet dishes, and cookbook authors such as Jackie Dodd (The Craft Beer Cookbook, 2013) are rolling out entire tomes on the ways to “have your beer and eat it too.” All across the country, these visionaries are redefining craft beer’s rightful place on our tables. We believe that the integration of our favorite beverages into our favorite dishes will only increase in 2014.

The Mainstreaming of Craft Beer Tourism – When states like Montana start funding and designing their own official beer trails, you realize the economic power that is the craft beer tourism industry and just how mainstream it has become. East-coasters are now choosing to spend a week vacationing in Bend, Oregon in much the same way New Yorkers used to flood the wineries of Sonoma Valley. Craft beer tourism has become its own independent economic engine and it’s only going to get bigger.

India Pale Ales Will Continue to Dominate and More Variations Will Arise – IPAs are pretty much America’s most popular craft beer style nowadays and we don’t see that changing anytime soon. What we will see in 2014 are more variations on American IPAs coming down the pike and more brewers working with new and experimental hops.

Craft Beer Exports Will Increase – American craft beer exports surged an amazing 72% in 2012 and generated $49 million in sales (according to data compiled by our friends at the Brewers Association), and 2013 promises numbers at least as strong. Sweden is currently the second biggest export destination for American craft beer, after Canada, and Brooklyn Brewery’s second biggest market after NYC. It’s not surprising that Brooklyn Brewery in now building a facility in Stockholm, and we feel that 2014 will see more American craft breweries getting into the export game for the first time.

Price Point Will Increasingly Matter to the Craft Beer Consumer – If history has proven anything, it’s that even in the roughest of economic times, people will continue to drink. And although some economists see us crawling back from a devastating recession, it’s still tough out there for many – and some of those feeling the pinch are craft beer fans. Craft beer prices have risen steadily, as have so many other products’ prices over the last couple of years. 2014 will see craft beer consumers becoming even more discriminating about how much they are willing to shell out and for what. Brewers selling good craft beers at decent prices will continue to build market share this year.