Flavored malt beverages (FMBs) are not considered beers.Ģ. Traditional – A brewer that has a majority of its total beverage alcohol volume in beers whose flavor derives from traditional or innovative brewing ingredients and their fermentation.Independent – Less than 25 percent of the craft brewery is owned or controlled by a beverage alcohol industry member that is not itself a craft brewer.Small – Annual production of 6 million barrels of beer or less (approximately 3 percent of U.S.The brewer must fit the BA craft brewer definition: (Credit: Brewers Association)Ĭraft brewers who want the seal do not have to be a BA member, but they need to meet criteria. ( VISIT: 2017’s Great American Beer Bars) How Breweries Get the SealĪn artist’s depiction of where you could see the new seal on beer packaging. “We’re hearing from a lot of our member breweries that they are looking for something like this now.” “A lot of brewers have realized they want to be able to differentiate,” Gatza tells. If past committees had vetoed a seal not once, but twice, what makes 2017 the right time? Instead, they created the craft brewer definition. Eventually, the BA Board of Directors, which is made up of brewery members, decided not to move forward with the seal. In 1994, a group of brewers exploring craft beer authenticity evaluated the idea of a seal but later shelved it.Ī little more than a decade later (2006-2007), Gatza says the BA’s Public Relations and Marketing Committee explored the idea. Gatza says the independent craft brewer seal has been decades in the making. ( READ: 7 Breweries Worth a Detour) An Idea Years in the Making This seal will allow them to make their choice with a visual mark.” “The beer lover has a right to know when they’re purchasing a beer from an independent craft brewer or big beer. “Big beer has gotten into the full-flavored beer space and are now more regionally located with their acquired formerly independent breweries,” explains Julia Herz, director of the BA’s Craft Beer Program and publisher. “The beer lover has a right to know when they’re purchasing a beer from an independent craft brewer or big beer.” ~Julia Herz, Publisher
The BA says global brewers’ buying spree of once-independent craft brewers in the last half decade has created muddy waters for drinkers who want to support independent brewers. The seal is your signal that the beer you’re buying is from an independent craft brewer. That means in the coming weeks and months, you’ll start seeing the seal on craft brewers’ beer bottles, cans, labels, tap handles and websites. “What this provides is a clear message to the beer drinker.” “A lot of beer lovers really care about who makes their beer and they want to make sure it comes from a small and independent craft brewer,” explains Paul Gatza, the director of the Brewers Association. The BA says the new seal is a visual signal to help you make decisions when you shop. How do you know if the beer you’re buying is truly from a craft brewer? The Brewers Association (BA), publishers of, is launching the independent craft brewer seal, which could be a game changer in terms of transparency on the shelf.
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