Craft Brewing Business

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Lingo update: ‘Craft’ beer is now ‘indie’ beer (great, now we have to change the site name)

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Indie beer! If I wore a monocle, it would be shattering right now!

Because Big Beer has decided to confuse consumers using the term “craft beer” to describe certain breweries and products in its portfolio, the people have decided to change the term “craft beer” to “indie beer” when describing brands not owned by macro beverage giants like Anheuser-Busch InBev (brands that, we assume, fit the Brewers Association definition of craft, which will now be called indie). Got it? We quote this story from the San Diego Reader:

The Indie Beer designation (and social media hashtag) arose during a November 17 podcast on ThreeBZine.com, a blog devoted to local beer, music and food. During a discussion about Ballast Point’s billion-dollar sale to Constellation Brands, podcasters Cody Thompson, Dustin Lothspeich and Tom Pritchard decried the efforts of “Big Beer” to enter the craft beer marketplace, including other recent purchases of longstanding craft brands Lagunitas, Elysian and Golden Road.

“Is craft beer even a thing any more, or is it just marketing?” asked Pritchard. “It’s been appropriated by corporations.” Taking a cue from the concept of Indie Rock in the music industry, the trio settled on Indie Beer as a way to distinguish small, privately owned businesses.

Well, there you have it. The people have spoken. Indie Beer Business, here we come!

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