People seem to love the idea of small-scale operations, particularly local ones, that involve a crew of dedicated enthusiasts who put their very souls into what they are making. They like handing their dollars over to the underdog, so to speak, where funds go right back into the business, as opposed to corporate tycoons. This certainly applies to beer enthusiasts and their feelings towards the .
The word "craft" itself strikes the same chord as terms like small batch, artisanal, boutique, and homegrown; they make a product feel not-so-commercialized. I hate to be the "beer-er" of bad news, but your favorite just might be owned by one of the big dogs after all. There are nearly 10,000 craft breweries in the United States, so acquisition by larger beer conglomerates is nearly inevitable.
The reason this might be a concern for some is that, often, when huge corporations (with investors to satisfy) take ownership of smaller businesses, priorities become skewed. For example, will the quality and integrity of the beers still take precedence, or will more money and attention be given to marketing for sales growth? Overall, the concern is that big business could change the very product that customers initially became fans of. But every craft beer drinker has to be the judge of that.
What is craft beer anyway? The defines a craft brewery as one that is small and independent. By "small" it means a brewery cannot produce more than 6 million barrels of beer per year. That may not sound v.