Why craft beer has the big breweries worried

Craft is consistently growing its share of the beer market – and major breweries want a piece of the action

The Microbrewed in Ireland and Independent Craft Brewers of Ireland (ICBI) logos that many Irish microbreweries carry on their bottles or websites
The Microbrewed in Ireland and Independent Craft Brewers of Ireland (ICBI) logos that many Irish microbreweries carry on their bottles or websites

Big breweries, it seems, are getting very nervous about the growth of craft beer. In the beginning, it all looked like a fad – was there really a market for fruity and bitter IPAs or a need for locally produced stouts or lagers?

But then things started to change. Craft beer in off-licences began to take up more and more space on the shelves; bars started offering a few alternatives from the usual row of taps. And people started to realise, perhaps, that drinking something high quality that was made locally has a feelgood factor too. Recent figures have confirmed this changing landscape: craft is consistently growing its share of the beer market while the macro-produced share is stagnant.

While some of the big breweries have responded by creating their own versions of "craft beer" – like HopHouse 13 by Guinness – what happened with Heineken recently seems to have taken things to another level. The brewery recently released a statement about its "low volume, high quality" products that were mislabelled and sold incorrectly as locally produced craft beer in Irish pubs.

So when a customer, perhaps while on holidays, sat sipping what they thought was a locally made beer with a locally inspired name, they were, in fact, drinking beer made by Heineken (or one of its products). The company says it is investigating how this came about. C&C has also admitted selling its Clonmel 1650 lager under a different name (Pana Lager) in Co Cork.

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It's all a bit confusing to say the least, and a good time to keep an eye out for the Microbrewed in Ireland or ICBI logos that many Irish microbreweries carry on their bottles or websites – or certainly should do, given recent developments.

Two beers on sale

Here’s two high quality Irish beers available as part of Aldi’s Irish beer sale which starts tomorrow: McGargles Francis’ Big Bangin’ IPA which is full of tropical fruit; and Dungarvan’s Mine Head American Pale Ale which has lots of citrus and marmalade loveliness.
@ITbeerista

beerista@irishtimes.com