What even IS Craft Beer?

Truthfully? There’s no strict legal definition. “Craft beer” is part brewing philosophy, part industry term, part marketing buzzword.

For us, it comes down to a few simple things:

• Small, independent breweries
• Better ingredients, better flavour
• Creativity over mass production
• Beer made by people who genuinely give a damn

So, what’s the difference?

Craft Beer

• Independent breweries
• Small-batch brewing
• Big flavour, bold styles, fresh ingredients
• Innovation, seasonals, experimentation
• Beer with personality

Macro Beer

• Corporate-owned global brands
• Brewed for consistency and scale
• Often lighter, simpler, mass-market lagers
• Heavy marketing, huge production volumes

Neither is “wrong”. But they’re very different products.

The “Fake Craft” debate

One of the biggest talking points in modern beer is “faux craft”.
Many breweries that started independent have since been bought by global corporations — while still being marketed as small, rebellious, or artisan.

Examples include:

• Beavertown – Neck Oil, Gamma Ray, etc. (Heineken – T/O €36bn)
• Camden Town – Camden Pale / IPA, etc. (AB InBev – T/O $16bn)
• Brixton – Atlantic IPA, Reliance Pale, etc. (also Heineken)
• BrewDog – Punk IPA, Elvis Juice, etc. (US-based cannabis & consumer goods giant Tilray Brands – T/O $858m)
• Meantime – Anytime IPA, Prime Pale Ale, etc. (Asahi – T/O $3tn – yes, trillion!)

Some “Mediterranean” lagers are also brewed right here in the UK – despite branding that suggests otherwise. Eg. Madri – created specifically for the UK market in 2020 by Molson Coors (T/O $11bn), it is often marketed as a “Mediterranean” lager but is brewed in England, and did not even exist in Spain previously. Proper fakery!

So, due to the blurring of the term “craft,” many genuinely independent breweries and also industry groups like the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA) in the UK are focusing on “independent” as the defining factor, promoting “Indie Beer” to help consumers identify brewers that are not part of large multinational groups.

Why we back independent beer

Because independent breweries take risks.

They experiment | They obsess over flavour | They support local communities, local jobs, and local hospitality.

And frankly… the beer is just far more interesting.

From hazy IPAs and crisp pilsners to rich stouts, wild sours and fruity ciders — craft beer gives drinkers choice, freshness, and personality.

Independent | Authentic | Made by people who care, with care.

Which fits our ethos perfectly.