The latest edition of Choices Magazine provided a closer look at the “Global Craft Beer Renaissance.”
Joshua Berning & Michael P. McCullough provided an overview of the issue, and explained that, “While the exact definition of craft beer is arguable, most sources emphasize traditional styles and innovation as well as the scale of production (i.e., ‘small’). Yet this definition may be limited, particularly if we seek to define ‘craft’ on a global scale. Large producers (referred to as macro breweries) in particular tend to view craft beer as a market segment irrespective of brewery size.
“Regardless of definition, the growth in this hard-to-define industry segment is difficult to ignore. From country to country, a general decline in overall beer consumption has been coupled with significant growth in craft beer consumption. According to the Brewers Association, 5,234 of 5,301 U.S. breweries identify as craft breweries. Craft market share was 12.3% in 2016, up from 5.7% in 2011 (https://www.brewersassociation.org/press-releases/2016-growth-small-independent-brewers/). Similar trends have been seen in the UK (https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/oct/03/uk-breweries-on-rise-craft-beer-sales-surge), Australia (http://www.beerandbrewer.com/craft-beer-will-continue-soar-2017/), and even China (https://www.ft.com/content/c872e93a-f4cd-11e6-8758-6876151821a6?mhq5j=e2).
“This has led many to pronounce a craft beer revolution. In some regards, revolution is a misnomer, as it implies the emergence of something new. All over the world, commercial brewing began as a craft industry, focusing on small, traditional, and innovative production. The more appropriate description may be a craft beer renaissance, as we are observing a reawakening, rather than the birth of the craft beer industry.”
A link to all of the articles on this topic in the latest edition of Choices is available here.
