Independent beer gains ‘phenomenal’ boost
The post Independent beer gains ‘phenomenal’ boost appeared first on The Drinks Business.
While in the throes of the first Indie Beer Week, db looks at how the British independent beer sector has gathered pace.
The inaugural Indie Beer Week (11-20 April) began with a strong start with the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA) noting how a third of young people now recognised the new campaign.
According to YouGov research, commissioned by SIBA, 31% of Gen Z beer drinkers (18-24 years) could identify the Indie Beer initiative, which has set out to promote beer from genuinely independent breweries and help people make an informed choice when buying beers in pubs, bars or retailers.
Speaking to the drinks business, Indie Beer spokesperson and SIBA head of comms and marketing Neil Walker said: “The response to the Indie Beer campaign and our inaugural Indie Beer Week has been phenomenal.”
Walker explained: “What this research clearly shows is that the Indie Beer campaign is resonating with younger consumers [who are] choosing quality beers from local, independent breweries. The campaign is all about ensuring that every person who is trying to support independent beer is actually doing so and making it easier for people to make an informed choice.”
Walker told db: “It's also great to see the campaign particularly resonate with younger beer drinkers, with almost a quarter of 18-24 year olds now aware of the campaign – a huge achievement in such a short space of time and perhaps a glimmer of hope that younger pub-goers may be drinking less, but they’re drinking better.”
Walker explained how well the week was going with more than “520 independent breweries now actively enrolled in the campaign and events happening in every region of the UK – from beer festivals and tap takeovers, to brewery tours and beer launches”.
The week has used social media and pub point of sale to promote a “brewery checker” tool which allows people to quickly look-up any brewery and find out if they are genuinely independent or owned by a global beer company - such as Heineken, Budweiser, Asahi or Molson Coors. As such, the Indie Beer website has already seen more than 52,000 brewery checker searches since launching and now has in excess of 28,000 active users.
Telling db more, Walker insisted that “the demand for independent beer is growing, the issue is ensuring customers can get their hands on genuine independent beer and not just ‘craft’ beer from a global beer company”.
Back in November, db asked the question of whether independent breweries have enough presence in pubs and brought into focus a raft of voices from across the sector to comment on the issues.
Then, YouGov data published at the end of 2024 propelled the campaign into being after it was found that 75% of people surveyed believe consumers are being misled when purchasing beer from once independent craft breweries, such as Beavertown, Camden, and Fullers that are now owned by global beer giants Heineken, Budweiser and Asahi respectively.
When informed that these breweries were actually owned by global companies and not independent, 75% of people surveyed said they felt consumers were being duped, with the figure for the beer drinkers surveyed even higher at 81% who believe consumers are being misled.
To counter this, SIBA introduced the Indie Beer campaign and Indie Beer Week and it open to all independent UK breweries with extra supported from consumer and industry organisations representing the beer and pub sector such as the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), British Institute of Innkeepers (BII), and the Independent Family Brewers of Britain (IFBB).
All breweries listed as truly independent on the Indie Beer Week website need to meet the campaign’s widely accepted criteria which can be summarised as a brewery with less than 1% market share, UK owned, and independent of larger brewing operations.
Back in February, db highlighted how the UK had 100 fewer breweries than a year ago despite strong demand for independent beer after new figures were released on closures occuring across the sector amid cost challenges. Now, however, the industry is fighting back and with it comes a wave of support from drinkers and and hospitality venue operators. The timing is reflective of the journey the beer sector has riden over the past few years.
The UK-wide beer week is being run via the Indie Beer website and social media channels. Any UK brewery, pub or beer venue can apply to have an Indie Beer Week event added free of charge.
The inaugural Indie Beer Week (11-20 April) began with a strong start with the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA) noting how a third of young people now recognised the new campaign.
According to YouGov research, commissioned by SIBA, 31% of Gen Z beer drinkers (18-24 years) could identify the Indie Beer initiative, which has set out to promote beer from genuinely independent breweries and help people make an informed choice when buying beers in pubs, bars or retailers.
Speaking to the drinks business, Indie Beer spokesperson and SIBA head of comms and marketing Neil Walker said: “The response to the Indie Beer campaign and our inaugural Indie Beer Week has been phenomenal.”
Walker explained: “What this research clearly shows is that the Indie Beer campaign is resonating with younger consumers [who are] choosing quality beers from local, independent breweries. The campaign is all about ensuring that every person who is trying to support independent beer is actually doing so and making it easier for people to make an informed choice.”
Walker told db: “It's also great to see the campaign particularly resonate with younger beer drinkers, with almost a quarter of 18-24 year olds now aware of the campaign – a huge achievement in such a short space of time and perhaps a glimmer of hope that younger pub-goers may be drinking less, but they’re drinking better.”
Walker explained how well the week was going with more than “520 independent breweries now actively enrolled in the campaign and events happening in every region of the UK – from beer festivals and tap takeovers, to brewery tours and beer launches”.
The week has used social media and pub point of sale to promote a “brewery checker” tool which allows people to quickly look-up any brewery and find out if they are genuinely independent or owned by a global beer company - such as Heineken, Budweiser, Asahi or Molson Coors. As such, the Indie Beer website has already seen more than 52,000 brewery checker searches since launching and now has in excess of 28,000 active users.
Telling db more, Walker insisted that “the demand for independent beer is growing, the issue is ensuring customers can get their hands on genuine independent beer and not just ‘craft’ beer from a global beer company”.
Back in November, db asked the question of whether independent breweries have enough presence in pubs and brought into focus a raft of voices from across the sector to comment on the issues.
Then, YouGov data published at the end of 2024 propelled the campaign into being after it was found that 75% of people surveyed believe consumers are being misled when purchasing beer from once independent craft breweries, such as Beavertown, Camden, and Fullers that are now owned by global beer giants Heineken, Budweiser and Asahi respectively.
When informed that these breweries were actually owned by global companies and not independent, 75% of people surveyed said they felt consumers were being duped, with the figure for the beer drinkers surveyed even higher at 81% who believe consumers are being misled.
To counter this, SIBA introduced the Indie Beer campaign and Indie Beer Week and it open to all independent UK breweries with extra supported from consumer and industry organisations representing the beer and pub sector such as the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), British Institute of Innkeepers (BII), and the Independent Family Brewers of Britain (IFBB).
All breweries listed as truly independent on the Indie Beer Week website need to meet the campaign’s widely accepted criteria which can be summarised as a brewery with less than 1% market share, UK owned, and independent of larger brewing operations.
Back in February, db highlighted how the UK had 100 fewer breweries than a year ago despite strong demand for independent beer after new figures were released on closures occuring across the sector amid cost challenges. Now, however, the industry is fighting back and with it comes a wave of support from drinkers and and hospitality venue operators. The timing is reflective of the journey the beer sector has riden over the past few years.
The UK-wide beer week is being run via the Indie Beer website and social media channels. Any UK brewery, pub or beer venue can apply to have an Indie Beer Week event added free of charge. 
