American Craft Beer The Best Craft Beer, Breweries, Bars, Brewpubs, Beer Stores, And Restaurants Serving Serious Beer.
In a bid to promote small, independent breweries over global giants like Heineken and AB InBev, nine craft beer advocacy organizations have joined forces under the Independent Brewers of Europe banner, a new organization that some are already referring to as the “EU of Craft Beer.”
Here’s the deal…
Craft beer advocacy organizations from France, Italy, Denmark, Ireland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Spain, Netherlands and the Czech Republic, all of whom represent smaller, independent craft brewers, agreed their plan at a meeting in Brussels last week according to the Drinks Business.
Representing two thousand member breweries across the continent, the Independent Brewers of Europe (IBE) was formed with the intention of becoming a “central point of contact for the European institutions.”
The unified network which now includes established players such as the UK’s Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) will allow its representatives and members to lobby on issues, such as regulation, taxation and access to a market which is still largely dominated by a handful of global brewing giants.
Created in an effort to raise the profile of small independent craft breweries, The IBE intends to position its message across the continent both “politically and commercially”…
The nine organizations joining the new craft beer union include…
- Independent Brewers of Ireland
- The Society of Independent Brewers, (SIBA) UK
- Syndicat National des Brasseurs Indépendants, (SNBI) France
- Unionbirrai, Italy
- Scanian Beverage Producers, Sweden
- Det Fri Øl, Denmark
- Craft Brewers Netherlands
- Czech and Moravian Microbreweries Association, Czech Republic
- La Asociacion Española de Cerveceras Artesanas Independientes (AECAI)
Following a meeting on October 4th, European Council President Donald Tusk said the EU wants a post-Brexit relationship with the UK that is “as close and special as possible,” according to Politico.
The Independent Brewers of Europe announcement comes less than six months before the deadline for negotiating trade policies with the EU after Brexit.
Banner Image credit: iStock-807277938
