Indie Beer Week begins today, promoting ‘independent beer, pubs, and people’ via a string of events taking place in pubs, bars and brewery taprooms across the UK.
Events are being run by many of the 700 breweries who now actively support the campaign — up from 400 last year — as well as venue supporters, such as bottleshops, pubs and bars.
Running until 19th April, taking in two weekends, Indie Beer Week includes meet the brewer session, tap takeovers, beer festivals, and more special events.
“Wherever you are, there is a brewery near you which is part of the Indie Beer campaign, many of which are running some brilliant events over the next ten days,” said Neil Walker of the Indie Beer campaign, and head of communications for SIBA, the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates, which is behind the initiative.
“And if you’re unsure if the ‘craft beer’ you’re buying is the real deal, then use the brewery checker tool on our website and know for sure.”
The campaign was launched at the end of 2024 in response to confusion among consumers over which beers were independent. YouGov polling 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, which are now owned by global beer giants Heineken, Budweiser, and Asahi respectively. The figure for beer drinkers surveyed was even higher, with 81% of beer drinkers believing consumers are being misled.
Since launch, the Indie Beer campaign has had real cut-through with consumers, with an impressive 31% of young (18-24) beer drinkers now aware of the campaign, and a growing fanbase of beer drinkers signed up in support.
The campaign recently announced a partnership with retailer Waitrose, who have backed the campaign with a new Indie Beer section on their online store and who plan in-store promotion in support of the campaign.
Find out more at Indie Beer UK.
