The Independent Craft Brewer Seal can be found on bottles, cans and cases of beer. (Photo courtesy of Brewers Association)
Beer drinkers, take a closer look the next time you reach for a cold one: Chances are there may be a new feature on your bottle or can. In one year of existence, the Independent Craft Brewer Seal has been adopted by more than 3,500 breweries across the country.
The symbol was created by the Brewers Association, a national nonprofit trade association for small, independent American brewers, to aid consumers in distinguishing between craft breweries and the large-scale corporate brewers that have begun attempting to acquire them.
Stone Brewing, with headquarters in California and an East Coast location in Richmond, adopted the seal shortly after it was created. Senior Innovation Brewing Manager Jeremy Moynier believes the symbol is a subtle way to educate consumers on what they're buying.
“People are more and more interested in where things come from; like that farm-to-table connection, it’s the same thing with craft beer,” says Moynier.
The seal features an upside-down bottle, an ode to how the U.S. craft beer movement has turned the beer world upside down, and includes the words “Brewers Association Certified Independent Craft.”
According to the Brewers Association, in 2011 only 1,989 craft breweries existed nationwide; today there are more than 6,400. The association also reported that, as of 2017, 83 percent of U.S. adults 21 years or older live within 10 miles of a brewery. The overall beer market in the U.S. brought in $111.4 billion last year, and craft beer made up $26 billion of that total.
Big Beer has taken notice.
In 2008 Budweiser made an attempt to break into the market and appeal to craft beer enthusiasts by introducing Budweiser American Ale, but the product was discontinued by 2011.
For the world's largest brewing company, Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev), which owns Budweiser, the focus has shifted to staying afloat in the beer game as craft beer consumption continues to grow, rather than expanding beer production.
In 2016 Devil’s Backbone, one of the first craft breweries on the scene in Virginia's Nelson County, was purchased by AB InBev. The deal drew attention from beer drinkers nationwide and raised questions from the U.S. Department of Justice as to whether it would hinder competition. Today, AB InBev has purchased all or a portion of more than a dozen breweries that were formerly independent craft and has a unit of production called The High End, dedicated specifically to craft and imported beer.
AB InBev is not alone in its quest to acquire independent breweries. In September 2015 Heineken, the second-largest beer company in the world, purchased 50 percent of California's Lagunitas Brewing. Last year, Lagunitas sold the remaining 50 percent, giving Heineken full control.
Julie Herz, craft beer program director for the Brewers Association, predicts the trend of acquisitions will continue, but says part of the appeal of small craft breweries is their connection to their product and the people drinking it.
“There’s a huge cultural community tied to craft beer, and it’s not just the people brewing, but those who go the breweries,” says Herz. “Who is and isn’t a craft brewer is a big topic of conversation.”
Herz has been home brewing for 30 years and believes the ethos of craft beer is embodied by its brewers being involved in the entire brewing process. The Brewers Association formed the Take Craft Back campaign as large beer companies were purchasing more and more small craft breweries, and on June 27, 2017, launched the Independent Craft Brewer Seal because they felt consumers were being misled.
“Big brewers have not been placing their brew company name on brands they’ve acquired, so you can’t tell when you’re holding the beer [that it isn't produced by an independent craft brewer],” says Herz. “Research will show a lot of confusion in the marketplace on who is no longer independently owned. … The seal provides transparency and a reliable certified mark, and the beer lover no longer has to have confusion.”
The Brewers Association defines craft beer as small, independent and traditional. To apply to display the seal, a craft brewery must produce under 6 million barrels annually, and only 25 percent of the brewery may be owned or controlled by an entity other than the brewer.
To offer a sense of scale, one barrel of beer is equivalent to 55 six-packs. Producing under 6 million barrels of beer a year means producing fewer than 330 million six-packs.
According to the Brewers Association, Virginia is home to five large breweries: Anheuser-Busch Inc. – Williamsburg, Ballast Point Brewing Company, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. – Basecamp, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. – Outpost Production Facility, and MillerCoors Brewing Co. – Shenandoah Facility. There are 202 craft breweries in the state that have adopted the seal, and the number is growing.
“The most positive aspect is, when you put the seal as a craft brewer on your packaging, you are showcasing front and center you’re a part of something larger than just your own brewery. You’re showcasing that you're part of a movement in beer that allows small and independent producers to have traction to grow and thrive," says Herz.
Moynier believes some small breweries find acquisition by large beer companies appealing because they’ve hit a financial wall or are seeking bigger and broader distribution. However, for others, including Stone, it’s about being in control.
“We started this [brewery] and wanted to be something different and not be a mass-marketed machine,” says Moynier. “I think if you’re looking for something unique, that seal helps you find it.”
