A new campaign launching today by Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA) is seeking to make it easier for beer drinkers to identify beer from independent breweries in pubs, bars, and shops as demand for local beer rises across the UK

Production volumes for independent breweries have now returned to pre-covid levels, with cask beer sold in pubs also in double digit growth, according to statistics from SIBA who have launched the new ‘Indie Beer’ campaign. SIBA say the issue isn’t demand for independent beer, the issue is getting access to market and ensuring genuine independent beer is being sold to beer drinkers.

New YouGov data published today found that 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.

Andy Slee, SIBA Chief Executive said “There is more choice than ever when buying beer, but it can be really hard to know what’s the real deal – so we have launched the Indie Beer checker to make it really quick and simple for people to see whether the beer they’re buying is brewed by a genuine independent brewer or actually owned by a Global beer giant. You can also look for the Indie Beer logo when buying beer, which can only be used by genuine independents.”

CAMRA Chairman Ash Corbett-Collins commented: “CAMRA has campaigned for more than 50 years for quality cask beer and thriving pubs in every community. This excellent campaign will help pubgoers make more informed choices at the bar, while supporting our much-loved independent breweries.
“We strongly believe it is vital people know the background to their beer; where it has come from, who has produced it and this is an incredibly effective way for people to find out more, while giving much needed support to local businesses and breweries, while protecting our pubs.”

More than two hundred of SIBA’s member breweries have now actively enrolled in the campaign and will be adding the Indie Beer mark to their bottles, cans, and pub pumpclips, with hundreds more to join in coming months.