Access to market and fair trade practices may seem like far-away concepts for beer drinkers. We get it: you want to drink delicious, well-crafted beer. Maybe your love of beer stops there and we can’t fault you for that. However, for you beer drinkers reading this who love more than the flavors in your pint and who have built relationships in your local tap rooms and bars, we hope that this post helps remind you to help us fight the good fight. Our breweries will not survive these tumultuous times without the full support of our fans. In fact, we’d also go so far as to challenge every bar, restaurant, and venue to take a more mindful approach to beer. If you have ever loved a beer brewed by a local independent craft brewer, we hope we are reaching you.
The new wave of our independent craft beer identity is not an assault on Big Beer and “crafty” brands. There is too much to lose by taking the low road with a smear campaign. It’s counterproductive. The power of our movement is in our honesty, our continued commitment to quality, transparency, and fostering our communities. We want to be your game day brew, your trivia night destination, your Sunday family day-drinking spot. We don’t just want you waiting in lines for releases, we want you to feel part of the family. We want our supporters to feel like they have just as much stake in our businesses as we do. Don’t be fooled by the illusion of choice. Be part of our revolution with every local and independent purchase you make. Beer to us has always been more than the liquid and we want to make sure we keep it that way.
Frances Michelle Lopez, “State of the LA Brewers Guild 2017: Fighting for Transparency and Independence”, Beer Paper (June 2017), 5.