How To Tell If The Beer You’re Buying Is An Independent Craft Beer

New Brewers Association Label Tries To Eliminate Brew Confusion

When it comes to buying craft beers, there’s a lot of brew confusion.

Unless you keep up with it on a regular basis – which makes you a true #beerlover – it’s difficult to know which beers are actually from independent breweries and which ones are disguised because they are part of a large company.

A new label from the Brewers Association, an organization of independent breweries, seeks to solve this problem. A logo with an upside-down beer bottle with the words “Certified Independent Craft” can be seen on cans and bottles or even as a sticker on store shelves.

The sticker or logo is available for free to apply for it at brewersassociation.org.

For consumers, this could help in your beer-buying decision. If you are truly dedicated to having beers from independent brewers, or just want to try out a few and see how they compare to those that have been purchased by the “big boys” of the industry, the logo provides you with the certification to identify the beer makers.

“It is important to the craft community that you show them and their customers that you  value the independent craft movement, support the independent craft seal, and are supporting them in the marketplace,” the Brewers Association posted on its website.

“Independence is a hallmark of the craft brewing industry, and it matters to the brewers who make the beer and the beer lovers who drink it. We hope it will increasingly matter to their partners in the middle: distributors and retailers.”

So drink up beer lovers, whatever your choice of beers or brands.