In 2007, Steve Jobs made history when he stated, “Today, Apple is going to reinvent the phone.” That statement at the MacWorld event marked the introduction of the iPhone. Since then, the cellphone market entered a new age as smartphone technology continues to advance. However, phone technology is not the only market that has experienced such major shifts in recent years. Today, we are seeing how the U.S. beer market is adapting as it enters its new age of product development.

“The market is at an inflexion point,” says Brian Sudano, managing partner at New York-based Beverage Marketing Corporation (BMC). “Major brewers are investing heavily in ‘non-traditional’ beer innovation such as hard seltzer and other flavored offerings. This is accelerating the alternative beer (malt) market at the expense of traditional beer that will likely result in greater declines for traditional beer.”