Third of young people now recognise the Indie Beer campaign – as inaugural UK-wide Indie Beer Week begins
New research released today shows almost a third (31%) of young beer drinkers surveyed now recognise the Indie Beer campaign, which has set out to promote beer from genuinely independent breweries and help people make an informed choice when purchasing a beer in pubs, bars or retailers.
The YouGov research of over two thousand consumers, commissioned by the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA) who are spearheading the “Indie Beer” campaign, found that 18-24 year olds were much more likely (31%) to be aware of the campaign compared to just over 1 in 10 (11%) of beer drinkers nationally.
“What this research clearly shows is that the Indie Beer campaign is resonating with younger consumers, many of whom are drinking less but drinking better – choosing quality beers from local, independent breweries. The campaign is all about ensuring that every person who is trying to support independent beer is actually doing so and making it easier for people to make an informed choice.” Neil Walker, Indie Beer campaign.
A key part of the Indie Beer campaign has been to use social media and pub point of sale to promote a ‘brewery checker’ tool which allows people to quickly lookup any brewery and find out if they are genuinely independent or owned by a Global beer company – such as Heineken, Budweiser, Asahi or Molson Coors. The Indie Beer website has seen over 52,000 brewery checker searches since launch and now has over 28,000 active users.
The new YouGov research has been released to mark the start of Indie Beer Week – taking place from the 11th to the 20th April – and being officially launched at the “MaltingsFest” Beer Festival in Newton Abbot, Devon, ahead of events taking place all across the UK.
“The response to the first ever Indie Beer Week has been superb; with special events, beer festivals, tap takeovers and meet the brewer events happening all across the UK. We’re really proud to be launching at the MaltingsFest in Newton Abbot, one of the longest running independent beer festivals in the UK and a huge supporter of the campaign. Every glass at this year’s festival, which features over three hundred and twenty different independent beers, will carry the Indie Beer mark as a badge of honour.”
There are now over 500 independent breweries across the UK actively signed up in support of the campaign and that number is growing daily as the Indie Beer campaign attempts to shake things up in the beer market and make consumers think about whether what they’re buying is the real deal – or actually owned by a Global beer giant.
YouGov data published during the launch of the campaign at the end of 2024 found 75% of people surveyed believe consumers are being misled when purchasing beer from once independent craft breweries, such as Beavertown, Camden, and Fullers that are now owned by Global beer giants Heineken, Budweiser and Asahi respectively.
When informed that these breweries were actually owned by Global companies and not independent, 75% of people surveyed said they felt consumers were being misled, with the figure for the beer drinkers surveyed even higher at 81% who believe consumers are being misled.
The Indie Beer campaign and Indie Beer Week have been launched by the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA), a not-for-profit trade association which campaigns for the fair treatment and promotion of independent brewers and supplier businesses in the UK. The campaign is open to all independent UK breweries and is supported by consumer and industry organisations representing the beer and pub sector, including; Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), British Institute of Innkeepers (Bii), and the Independent Family Brewers of Britain (IFBB).
All breweries listed as independent on www.indiebeer.uk need to meet the campaign’s widely accepted criteria for an independent brewery – which can be summarised as a brewery with less than 1% market share, U.K. owned, and independent of larger brewing operations.
The UK-wide beer week is being run via the IndieBeer.uk website and social media channels. Any UK brewery, pub or beer venue can apply to have an Indie Beer Week event added free of charge.
www.indiebeer.uk – Events Page (UK)
The Indie Beer campaign in numbers
- 522 independent breweries enrolled in the campaign (full list here) with events happening across the UK
- 31% of 18-24 year old beer drinkers recognise campaign
- 11% of all beer drinkers recognise campaign
- Over Half a million (598,500) beer bottle caps sold carry the Indie Beer logo
- 52,000+ brewery checker searches
- 28,000+ active IndieBeer.UK users
Brewers across the UK show their support for Indie Beer Week
“We’re proud to be not just a truly independent brewery, but the UK’s only employee owned brewery! We’re excited to have the opportunity to celebrate this with our fellow indie businesses during Indie Beer Week.” Laura Rangeley, Abbeydale Brewery, Sheffield.
“Adnams is proud to support the Indie Beer campaign. We are fiercely independent and have been for over 150 years. This has enabled us to forge our own path and become a distinctive brewer that champions local ingredients.” Sophie Harris, Adnams, Southwold.
“We’ve had incredible feedback from our customers about the Indie Beer Campaign, and it’s something we’re really passionate about being a part of. We’ll continue to do what we can to help spread the word in support of this movement!” Jo Farn, Attic Brew Co., Birmingham
“Indie Beer Week is a fantastic opportunity for beer fans across Scotland to support local organisations. As Scotland’s original indie brewery, we’ve been brewing award-winning beer since 1979, and it’s great to see so many different beers from across the country. Whether you prefer a traditional 80 shilling, a hazy IPA or hand-crafted pilsner, there literally is a beer for every palate.” David McGowan, Broughton Brewery, Scottish Borders
“We are very proud to make Indie beer and the support from this campaign has been so motivating. It helps us and other small Independent breweries, associated businesses and pubs to shout about our fantastic locally produced amazing beer!” Gemma Bishop, Jolly Sailor Brewery, Selby North Yorkshire
“In such a crowded market it’s really important for us to be able to stand out. So many people wish to support small and independent but it’s not always clear on the bar what that means. The Indie Beer campaign has a clear and instantly recognisable logo that directs consumers towards independently brewed beer, it gives us a huge point of difference on the bar!” Emily Hutchinson, Bluestone Brewing Co., Newport, Wales
“At Rooster’s, we’re hugely supportive of the Indie Beer campaign including Indie Beer week. As research shows that a significant percentage of the population wants to consume local, independently produced food and drink products, Indie Beer week is an important initiative to promote the whole campaign.” Ian Fozard, Rooster’s Brewery, North Yorkshire
“As the oldest independently owned brewery in Burton upon Trent, we are delighted to be part of the Indie Beer campaign.” Emma J Cole, Burton Bridge Brewery, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire
“Bring on Indie Beer Week! As an independent brewery we are fully supportive of generating knowledge for drinkers so they can choose to support us.” Elderon Batholomew Titsey Brewing, Surrey
“It feels more important than ever to help customers make informed choices about supporting local, independent Breweries through the beers that they buy. The Indie Beer campaign does just that.” Richard Coppack, Billericay Brewery, Essex
“Loose Cannon Brewery are proud to be part of Indie Beer Week. Being able to identify truly independent brewers will aid consumers to make informed decisions when making purchases. Independent businesses all over the country contribute to their local community as well to their local economy. Providing a way for consumers to identify authentic independent brewers will help them to make informed purchases to ensure their money stays in their local area.” Anneli Baxter, Loose Cannon Brewery, Oxfordshire
“As the oldest independently owned brewery in Burton upon Trent, we are delighted to be part of the Indie Beer campaign.” Emma Cole, Burton Bridge Brewery, Burton-on-Trent
“We’re proud to be a part of SIBAs Indie Beer Week, it’s putting a spotlight on independent breweries and we hope it will encourage people to try some of the fantastic indepent craft beer that is available all across the UK.” Neil Thomas, Allendale Brewery, Northumberland
