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CRAFTY BREWS

How big beer firms are FOOLING you into thinking you’re drinking craft beer

Roger Protz from The Good Beer Guide is warning pub-goers that some craft beers are actually made by the likes of Carlsberg

YOU may think you’re sipping on a bottle of independently brewed craft beer but actually it may have been made by big firms like Carlsberg.

Beer expert Roger Protz is warning drinkers that big beer companies are “fooling consumers into thinking they are still drinking ‘independent’ or ‘craft’ beer”.

 Craft beer Camden Town Brewery is actually made by the firm behind Corona and Budweiser
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Craft beer Camden Town Brewery is actually made by the firm behind Corona and BudweiserCredit: Facebook/Camden Town Brewery

Booze-lovers may be shocked to discover that the popular Camden Town craft beers with their pop art packaging, are actually owned by the same people behind Budweiser.

Beer giant AB InBev - who also own Corona and Stella Artois - bought the Camden Town Brewery in 2015 for £80 million.

Craft beer fans were in uproar earlier this summer when Carlsberg bought the small UK brewery, London Fields for £1million.

Although managing director Hugo Ramos assured fans at the time that the takeover was “invaluable to [their] growth as a craft brewery”, fans weren’t so sure.

A bigger company takeover means that craft beer can be sold at a cheaper price, but Roger warns that the taste will change too.

Reported in The Drinks Business, Roger said: “While many consumers will not be aware that their favourite local beer has changed from looking at the bottle, the taste will invariably differ.

 US based Lagunitas craft beer is actually brewed by Heineken
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US based Lagunitas craft beer is actually brewed by Heineken

“Brewing changes under new ownership – whether this is due to long-term contracts with suppliers leading to grain or hop substitutions or because production methods are changed to maximise profits at the expense of taste.”

Roger also fears that big firms buying up more global malt and hops supplies will push up the prices of ingredients for independent brewers who may not be able to afford to continue brewing.

The Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) have set up an accreditation scheme to help buyers know if they really are drinking a craft beer.

Mike Benner from SIBA told The Sun Online: “It is vitally important that beer drinkers are not misled, and are able to easily differentiate between beers produced by the global brewers and those that are crafted by truly independent British breweries.

'Independent' beers that are now owned by big brewers

THESE beers used to be independently brewed but have since been taken over by bigger beer companies.

  • London Fields was bought by Carlsberg for about £1m in 2017
  • Lagunitas completed a takeover by Heineken in 2017
  • Meantime was bought by SAB Miller for £50m, then sold to Asahi in 2016
  • Camden Town Brewery sold to AB InBev for £85m in 2015
  • Goose Island was bought by ABInBev in 2011 for $40m
  • Sharp’s Doom Bar is owned by MolsonCoors since 2011

“SIBA’s ‘Assured Independent British Craft Brewer’ campaign was launched to do exactly this, with a specially designed logo for bottles, cans or pump clips making it crystal clear the beer was brewed by a genuine British independent craft brewery.”

What is a craft beer?

The drinks industry agree that a craft beer is difficult to define, but most agree that the main aim of the brewer is to produce a quality beer and their aim isn’t to make the stuff on a global scale.


BOTTOMS UP Aldi has added 16 new bottles to its craft beer range – and they cost just £1.29 each


According to beer blog Beer 52, they are usually made by small, independent brewers who don’t look to use cheap, low quality ingredients to boost profit margins.

A craft beer doesn’t just have to be a hoppy IPA but can also be a larger too.

How can I spot a craft beer?

Look out for the Assured Independent British Craft Brewer logo on the bottles to make sure that the brewer is “truly independent” of any input from big beer companies.

You can also use an app called Craft Check to scan the barcode of your bottled beer to find out more about the brewer.

Do you like beer? Then you’ll probably be jealous of 25-year-old Hywel Evans who has been employed by Asda to become the nation’s youngest beer taster.



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