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Last month, the IBA hosted a webinar with Breheny Brothers on their Australian-owned campaign. A brewery-led, grassroots campaign to educate consumers on exactly who owns the beer they’re buying from their local bottleshop. The campaign is picking up pace, with several breweries and bottleshops in Victoria on board promoting the message that consumers should know who actually owns their beer.

Now, Bridge Road Brewers have launched their own campaign too: “Worth It”. Launching alongside their Beechworth Pale Mid, the campaign encourages drinkers to reconsider their usual beer order. Prompting drinkers to learn more about who owns beer companies in Australia and draws attention to the foreign-owned duopoly that controls much of the beer that Australians drink.

“For years now, Australian beer has been snapped up by these offshore giants masquerading as ‘Aussie’ in an attempt to maintain loyalty from retailers and consumers. Bridge Road Brewers want to help Australians hold themselves accountable to their values and support real Australian-owned beer.” Bridge Road says.

Bridge Road also cites the IBA in a press release, noting that independent brewers hold less than 8 per cent share of beer sold in Australia but employ more than half of everyone working in Australian brewing.

The Independent Brewers Association supports any brewery-led effort to educate consumers on who owns their beer. A cause the IBA has highlighted for close to a decade (its entire existence). We are proud to see IBA members being proactive in the fight against foreign-owned duopolies who use their size and strength to dominate taps and mislead consumers about what is or isn’t an Australian-owned brand.

“The diversity and the interest in Australian beer over the last decade was built by independent brewers, and that identity is quietly being washed away. Drinkers aren’t told who owns what they’re drinking, and there’s no requirement to disclose it. No labelling law covers it. So we’re saying it ourselves, as loudly as we can afford to. If we don’t back ourselves in public, nobody else is going to.” Explains Bridge Road Founder Ben Kraus.

Bridge Road Brewers have been quality Australian beer champions since brewing the first batch of Beechworth Pale Ale in 2005. The IBA is thankful for their ongoing support and for championing the importance of independent Australian beer.

If you are an indie brewer looking to shout about the importance of independent Australian beer, reach out to us and learn how we can support you and the resources available to members.