WHAT IS INDEPENDENT (INDIE) BEER?

Indie Beer is beer made by breweries with less than 20% foreign ownership and that produce under than 40 million litres of beer each year. 

Now with more than 600 around the country, the industry supports close to 33,000 jobs across Australia most of which are in regional and rural areas. These breweries are part of our community, our footy clubs, our school committees, and staffed by locals. They are also creative thinkers who push the boundaries with ingredients, quality and packaging. 

Many indies are husband and wife teams often pouring pints for their local punters, they have brewpubs with amazing food and beer experiences, and a are increasingly easy to access in bottle shops across the nation. The thing they all have in common though? A love of great beer. 

The trend towards locally brewed, hand-crafted beer made by small independent breweries has been a fundamental shift on a global scale. For much of the past decade in Australia the term 'craft beer' served its purpose well. It helped identify local and independent breweries that were passionately committed to brewing a wider variety of beer styles than the corporate breweries. In the past few years, however, corporate breweries have increasingly developed their own craft brands, or acquired successful independent brewers, in order to compete with those owned and run by Aussies. 

This is why the Independent Brewers Association created the Certified Independent Seal as a way for you beer drinkers to identify true indie beer.