Australian culture has been infused with alcohol since colonisation. Beer and rum were the drinks of choice, but as our culture has evolved through different traditions and immigration, our choice of drink has changed, along with the amount and way we drink.

Beer Cartel undertook one of the largest studies of beer drinking trends and in their 2017 Australian Craft Beer Survey found that craft beer is the only segment of the Australian beer market which is actually experiencing growth, with overall beer consumption in decline.

Deloitte’s confirmed these figures, reporting that Australians are drinking beer at 65 year lows while wine had experienced a resurgence as the most popular alcoholic beverage.

The reason craft beer is becoming more popular is due to our changing tastes as people look for new blends, flavours and strengths in beer. The market is benefiting from consumers who are more willing to experiment with different tastes and no longer have the traditionally strong brand loyalty.

Craft beer is now becoming more mainstream with breweries both small and large trying to ‘tap into’ the market. While there is no distinct definition, the most common themes surrounding craft beer include small or private brewers, individual or unique flavours, low production volumes and stronger alcohol content. Above all is the focus on a high quality product.

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At the end of 2017 farmer and beer enthusiast Peter Gerber launched Pioneer Brewing Co between Cargo and Cudal. The brewery is one of four in Australia planting and harvesting their own malting grain to use within their brewing processes.

“It was about value adding to our farm produce and today’s consumer wants to know where their food (and beer) comes from, hence the idea to build a brewery,” he said.

The recent industry analysis and growth forecasts for the Independent brewers in Australia looks very promising and Peter from Pioneer believes we will see more and more brewers pop up in regional locations.

With the industry calling for further government support and wider community education about the processes and products available, it looks as though craft beer will be on the menu for a long time to come.