Bob Pease, CEO/president of the Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade association representing small and independent American craft brewers, on the latest developments highlighting independence.
Independence remains one of the hallmarks of the American craft beer industry. A couple of years ago we introduced the Independent Craft Brewer Seal to minimise confusion in the marketplace and clearly identify beers from small and independent American craft breweries. It has subsequently been adopted by more than 4,100 small and independent breweries, representing more than 85 percent of domestic volume.
Earlier this year we introduced a new seal exclusively for supporters of the independent American craft brewing movement. The supporter seal – which emulates the Independent Craft Brewer Seal – is available to any champions of independent American craft breweries including retailers, distributors, importers, festivals, websites and many more. Establishments and outlets in the UK are welcome to use the new supporter seal too as long as they represent bona fide American craft beers.
The supporter seal can be accessed via a newly launched website www.supportindependentbeer.com. Here you can find assets for activation, information and history about the independent craft brewer seal, and ‘Is It a Craft Brewery?’, a comprehensive, searchable database of all U.S. breweries that identifies which breweries meet the Brewers Association craft brewer definition.
In a recent Nielsen survey, 40 percent of people said the seal would make them “more” or “much more” likely to buy that beer, a 5 percent increase from the previous year. That number jumps to 57 per cent for craft beer lovers aged 21-34 (up from 45 per cent a year ago) with 23 percent stating that it would make them “much more” likely to purchase.
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