So, you might be wondering what all the hype around craft beer is, why people are drinking craft beer, and simply what even is craft beer? Well, here I am to give you all the facts you never knew you wanted until now. For starters, lets answer the question of what is craft beer? Craft beer is simply any froffie that is created by a small brewery in a traditional way, some South Australian craft beer companies you may have heard of are, Swell Brewing, Uraidla Brewing and Shapeshifter Brewing.
With beer being the most universally consumed alcoholic drink and Australia being the current world leader in beer production, it’s no wonder that Australians love their beer. In fact, it is loved so much that 60% of Australians spend more than $26 on beer a week (40% over $50) with just over 85% of sales being domestically produced!
Craft beer has become so popular that a new independent brewery opens somewhere in Australia every 6 days. In Australia there are around 530 independent craft brewers with Victoria being the most popular with 158 at the start of this year.
From chicken salt, to pickles, to hot cross buns, the flavours of Australian craft beer are getting crazier by the second. With so many categories including sour, stout, and IPA, flavours are only bound by the imagination. It may have crossed your mind that craft beer might just be a fad that hippies and ‘young ones’ who were bored during covid-19 have brought into the light. Although this may be partly true, with online beer sales increasing by 18% during the harsh covid-19 period from January 2020, 4 out of 5 craft beer drinkers actually don’t believe it is a fad as more and more people are choosing to pay the price for high quality, independently produced beer due to the fact that they get a more fulfilling and catered drinking experience.
The craft brewers are not only putting the maximum amount of effort into the way their beer tastes, but also how they look. As everyone knows we definitely judge books by their covers which is why the incredible designs and artwork are one of the key first point of contact techniques in order to really draw you in (pun not intended).
So next time you are at the bottle-o deciding what to get for your Friday night drink give craft beer a try. I’m sure you will be pleasantly surprised.
