Research from the Brewers Association in Europe identified that, in 2019, there were 11,048 brewers across all of Europe and that, together, they produced a total of 401,948,000 hectolitres (HL) of craft beer. It’s certainly true that each time we launch a new beer we see a spike in demand from the bottleshops who I guess by their very nature are generally on the lookout for new beers.” Will there be enough opportunity in that channel to support our growth aspirations? We will see. Utopian Brewery co-founder and managing director Richard Archer said: “The challenge looking forward though will be volume. The tenets we all believed in – integrity, passion, blood, sweat, tears and independent ownership – seem less important to our drinkers now than they are to us and those consumers who were at the forefront of the craft beer revolution.”
Yeastie Boys co-founder Stu McKinlay said: “As craft beer moves more into the mainstream, I see more and more people wanting something simple: a great product, with a strong brand story, at an affordable price. Speaking to db, New Zealand craft brewer Yeastie Boys, which has since planted roots on UK soil, described the ever-changing consumer attraction to craft beer as something that has been reflected in many a brand story – provenance and authenticity, but highlights that these values will always adapt as people seek the simplicity of beer that is good in any terms.