Craft beer has become one of the most popular drinks in the UK and its popularity is continuing to grow. It can be purchased in supermarkets, at festivals or in one of the 46,800 pubs in the UK. Companies like BrewDog have seized the opportunity of this rising popularity with clever marketing projects which are slowly turning lager and ale drinkers into craft beer fans. 

This growing popularity has led to more brands developing craft ales which means more breweries. Between 2016 and 2019 the number of breweries grew by 216 to meet the new demands. 

This article will cover why there has been a rise in craft beer popularity in the UK. 

Just how popular is it? 

Craft beer has many different tastes, smells and flavours depending on the combination of carbonation, hops, malt, water and yeast. Many brands have developed iconic tastes that people go crazy for. Some of the most popular include:

1. Camden Hells Lager

2. BrewDog Punk IPA

3. Camden Pale Ale

4. Marston’s Shipyard

5. Beavertown Neck Oil

6. Blue Moon

7. Brooklyn Lager

8. Goose Island Midway IPA

9. Maltsmiths American Style IPA

10. Greene King East Coast IPA

(As per Morning Advertiser)

The overall market size of this kind of drink in the UK is £1.3 billion and this number is only expected to grow further as the years go by. 

Why is it popular?

Sustainability, locality and brand identity are all strong selling points for millennials and generation Z people and that is what craft beer offers. These brands are aware of how they needed to stand out to have any chance of competing, thus creating eco-conscientious brands with a strong ethos. 

Whilst these drinks do provide a refreshing taste, it has become “cool” to drink them, so even if people aren’t that fond of the taste, they want to be seen drinking it. 

How does it differ from “normal” beer?

There are many problems with normal beer and its production. It is mass-produced, less sustainable and is watered down to make the brewing process cheaper. This results in poor quality taste. 

Craft beer on the other hand has a strong focus on flavour and quality. Whilst they will try to make the process as cheap as possible, they’ll never sacrifice the quality, it’s what makes them unique after all. They use the best technical processes to do this which involves using pH meters to control the acidity levels. This is what ensures the beer tastes as good as possible. 

As you can see, there are many reasons for the rising popularity of craft beer. If you’ve not tried it yet, maybe the time is now – as long as you’re over the age of 18.