Description

Case Studies in the Beer Sector investigates managerial and

marketing dynamics in the beer sector. It explores the relevance of
consumer science and its use as a tool for marketing strategies,
putting special focus on small craft breweries. The book provides
a variety of case studies from several countries to outline the
global context within which the beer industry is developing. Real-
life examples on how innovation and differentiation strategies
affect consumer perceptions of beer are included, along with the
relationship among breweries throughout the supply chain.
Sections cover business strategy, sustainability, and how
breweries are meeting the increasing demand for sustainable
production processes.
While this book provides a thorough reference for scholars and
practitioners who work in the beer sector, it is also ideal for those
studying business, agriculture, food engineering, technology,
applied marketing and business strategy.

Key Features
 Investigates contemporary managerial and marketing
dynamics in the beer sector
 Explores the relevance of consumer science and its use as a
tool for marketing strategies for both multinational players
and small craft breweries
 Includes case studies that provide the reader with real-life
examples on how to apply concepts discussed
 Offers a global, cross-cultural perspective on the beer sector
in different countries and continents

Beer is a beverage with an ancient history in many countries all over the
world. It is likely that a beer of some sort was made already before the
Neolithic revolution. There is evidence that beer was produced in China
more than 7000 years ago, in Sumeria in the 5th millennium BCE, in
Egypt around 3000 BCE, and also in Europe in around the same time,
long before the spread of winegrowing in this continent with the
expansion of the Roman Empire (Poelmans and Swinnen, 2011). Today,
beer is the most widely consumed alcoholic beverage in the world.
According to Kirin Beer University Report (2019), 188.8 billion liters of
beer were consumed globally in 2018 (Fig. 1). This volume has remained
fairly stable since 2011, reaching a peak in 2014 with 189.1 billion liters,
and decreasing to 183.8 billion liters consumed in the subsequent year.
Asia is the largest beer-consuming region, with one-third of the total
consumption (Fig. 2). China represents the largest beer-consuming
country (accounting for 21% of share of the global beer demand), followed
by the United States, Brazil, Mexico, and Germany.
Abstract
This chapter defines the concepts of industrial and craft beers and
provides the reader with information on industrial versus craft beer’s
characteristics (e.g., raw materials, brewing processes, stabilization,
attributes, and flavor of industrial beer and craft beer). It also illustrates
the new potentialities of the beer market related to the growing popularity
of craft beer. The evolution of the market is shown in terms of product
differentiation driven by both demand and supply.
Abstract
In the beer market, changes in demand are playing a pivotal role for
future sectoral dynamics. Beer drinkers are increasingly seeking new
tastes, experiencing different consumption situations and food matching,
and demonstrating willingness to pay for superior quality products. The
purpose of this chapter is to analyze the recent scientific literature
investigating beer demand and beer consumer perceptions and
preferences. Using a systematic review, we found 65 journal articles—
indexed in the Web of Science and Scopus databases and published in the
period from 2010 to 2019—analyzing beer consumer perceptions and
preferences. We observed an increasing interest in recent years among
scholars in studying beer consumption from a marketing perspective,
especially in the case of craft and premium beer. Studies during the last
decade have identified a significant number of determinants
characterizing (craft) beer consumption. Sociodemographic
characteristics are considered one of the main market segmentation
factors, mainly in terms of age, gender, and lifestyle. Among other
individual factors, involvement in beer, familiarity with beers and brands,
and consumer knowledge of beers and frequency of consumption play a
focal role. Moreover, consumption situations and occasions are relevant
segmentation variables. Consumer perceptions of new styles of beer and
speciality beers (such as sustainable or organic beer) require additional
attention from scholars and market analysts. They potentially represent
factors generating further differentiation strategies in the beer market for
the future. Thus there is a need for further research in this field, along
with more cross-country analysis, to better understand beer market
particularities and allow beer businesses to meet the multiple
expectations of beer consumers.
Abstract
Craft brewers seeking to penetrate the crowded beer market adopted
tourism practices such as brewery tours, tasting bars, and participated in
festivals to build brand awareness and sales. The life-cycle concept aims
to explain the business strategies of competing firms at various points
during the life of the business. As craft beer emerged in the mid-1980s
and proliferated from the 1990s, an opportunity exists to examine
whether craft brewers modify their use of tourism activities as their
business matures. Semistructured interviews with 27 craft brewers in
Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States gathered data on
the tourism practices that were adopted at various stages of the
development of their business. The life-cycle concept proved to be a
valuable model to trace how tourism practices were used at different
stages of business maturity, and the findings could offer advice to current
and future craft brewers.
bstract
The numbers of craft breweries in the United Kingdom (UK) has
increased significantly since the 1980s, passing from approximately 140
to nearly 2000 in 2017. Many of these breweries are micro- and
nanobreweries with an average portfolio of six different beers and more,
most of them are real ales, and the bulk of their operations remain within
spatial proximity. While opportunities for growth in the British beer
sector remain large, it is likely that the domestic market will reach
saturation soon, forcing many businesses to reconfigure their trajectories
to develop or even survive. This chapter explores and examines the impact
of the craft beer movement on the beer scene in the UK, investigating
possible future trajectories for the sector. The author presents and uses
primary and secondary informations related to British breweries and pubs
to analyze how patterns and growth and decline of these businesses may
affect local economies and communities. Two aspects in particular,
branding and export, are investigated with regard to opportunities and
challenges for British breweries. Findings from this analysis provides
fresh knowledge about the British craft beer sector, and represent a
valuable instrument for practitioners and policymakers operating in the
sector.
Abstract
The fate of successful brewing businesses is intertwined with the
effectiveness of its distribution channels. In the United Kingdom, trade
markets are concentrated on forcing breweries to be price takers.
Moreover, market inefficiencies such as the presence of the “tie” in the
pub industry lock-in retailers with specific wholesalers, limiting the choice
of beer they can carry. In recent years, significant environmental changes
have affected the decline in the pub industry, while the beer industry is
experiencing a revival because of the emergence of new craft brewers. In
these conditions, breweries increasingly consider downward vertical
integration for preserving distribution outlets. This chapter explores the
case of Castle Rock Brewery, a company that has successfully integrated
excellent brewing with effective management of a pub estate. The case
exhibits how a brewing company can combine resources and competences
from the two industries to generate dynamic capabilities for competing
successfully in an ever-changing environment. Anticipation of
trends, continuous reinvention, customers education, and community
engagement emerge as core dynamic capabilities that can inspire the
integration strategies of emerging breweries.

Abstract
Microbreweries are growing; they represent an opportunity for the beer
industry to reach global consumers that appreciate diversity, authenticity,
and creativity. In Italy, craft breweries have contributed to the booming of
beer consumption. Competition in the microbrewing segment is growing,
due to the business rapid expansion and emphasis on smaller scale
production and distribution to meet the demand for “niche products,”
lifestyle experiences, and locally sourced ingredients. The microbrewery
sector is entering the maturity stage. This work explores two examples of
new product developments (NPDs): Italian Grape Ale (IGA) Beer and
Spreadable Beer (Birra Spalmabile). The work highlights the dynamics of
industry convergences and NPD in a sector that is experiencing a
proliferation of new labels and brands. From the analysis, it emerges that
it is more frequent to see that companies from related or unrelated
businesses get into the microbrewing industry, rather than observing that
microbreweries enter into other businesses. The evolving scenario
confirms the importance of differentiating production from the mass of
direct competitors.
Abstract
Beer farm, or agricultural microbrewery, is a specific type of
microbrewery. The production of agricultural beer represents an
opportunity for both the farm and the territory, being at the same time a
method for farm activity diversification and an engine for the
development of local production model. Beer processing directly on the
farm represents a deepening strategy that can act as a stimulus for a
broadening strategy, such as the development of farm visits and beer
tastings. Beer farms, unlike other microbreweries, can indicate on the
label of their products the term “Agricultural Beer,” thus implementing a
further differentiation strategy. At a territorial level, the development of
beer farms can create relationships along the production chain, adding
value to products and creating a real development opportunity for the
entire economic system. The chapter aims to outline a cognitive
framework of an agricultural brewery operating in Tuscany, exploring the
weaknesses and strengths related to the production of agricultural beer,
as well as the strategies adopted by the farmer to achieve a competitive
advantage on the market. We adopt a qualitative methodology based on
narrative approach, a text analysis method to explore the phenomenon
under study. Our findings demonstrate that the beer farm perceives the
following elements as the main business success factors: the use of local
raw materials and typical special ingredients mainly coming from a short
supply chain and a wide range of beers. The company essentially adopts a
product leadership strategy, which enables it reaching a niche of
consumers who are capable to recognize quality craft beer and sensitive to
the territorial identity of the product.

Abstract
Although craft breweries are still a niche sector within a market dominated by
industrial mass producers, the innovative aspects of the craft beer revolution
could trigger interesting transformations in several contexts in Italy. This
phenomenon has benefited from Italian creativity, combined with the ability of
reinventing a tradition, which relies on imagination and contamination between
local and global customs. On this respect, several craft breweries have adopted a
global sourcing strategy, while other typologies (e.g., the agribrewers) usually
use self-produced raw materials. In this context, this chapter investigates the
drivers that may influence the adoption of different procurement strategies in
agribreweries and craft breweries, also evaluating the impact of the procurement
strategy not only on the firm’s competitiveness, but also on the product
promotion and territory development. After analyzing the evolution of the craft
beer industry in Italy, this study adopted mixed-method research in the Marche
Region, discussing the results with several experts and local stakeholders.
Abstract
This chapter examines the emergence of craft beer as a noteworthy
component of gastro-tourism. A grounded theory approach over a 2-year
period (2017–2019) established the research and analysis framework, and
provided the findings reported in this chapter. Our research has
confirmed that: (1) large, global conglomerates; (2) national craft beer
brands with bicoastal or multilocations; and (3) local boutique craft beer
establishments are appealing to sought-after tourist attractions within
their geographic locales. This chapter identified six aspects that optimize
craft brewery–tourism relationships and six brewery-specific hospitality
features, regardless of brewery type. Ultimately, a brewery-driven gastro-
tourism development (12-point) model was developed to illustrate how
craft breweries of all sizes contribute to the overall gastronomic
reputation and highlight how the open, friendly, inclusive, brewery ethos,
or gastro-communitas can help to positively shape an area’s overall
unique local tourism culture—the area’s unique story!
Abstract
The current chapter addresses the development of craft beer industry in
Norway, with special focus on sustainable brewing practices. From being
a niche industry with few players at the beginning of the 2000s, the craft
beer industry in Norway has seen huge growth in recent years due to the
major shifts in the preferences of the Norwegian beer consumers. Beer
consumers are getting increasingly interested in exploring new flavors
and new beer styles, and want their beers to be more sustainable and
locally produced. However, the majority of breweries, including craft
breweries, still use foreign ingredients and international beer recipes in
their production. In the current chapter, we focus on one Norwegian craft
brewery to illustrate how using local ingredients and traditional
Norwegian brewing techniques leads to more sustainable brewing
practices.

Abstract
This study aims to identify some of the critically important factors in the
sustainability of microbreweries in peripheral northern areas, focusing on the
entrepreneurs’ understanding of sustainability. Theoretically, this study adopts
the perspective of service-dominant logic on value. Methodologically, it uses an
action-research approach and conducts in-depth interviews with four
entrepreneurs. The findings suggest that the entrepreneurs reflect on several
relevant issues in line with sustainability thinking. The perception of
sustainability, especially environmental sustainability, is one subject that the
entrepreneurs perceive and sometimes in conflict with the economic
sustainability of their businesses. Constraints recognized include the lack of
strategic planning and explicit discussions about sustainability with potential
stakeholders. A critically important factor for the sustainability of
microbreweries is the need for entrepreneurs to engage in wider discussions
about the conceptual and practical aspects of sustainability, especially with
government and community bodies.
Abstract
The perception of beer is changing enormously, and a new trend in the
beer market has emerged globally and in Germany: craft beer. In contrast
to the conventional beer market, the craft beer market has strong
potential for further development, as consumers welcome the increase in
beer diversity that accompanies this trend. For consumers, marketers,
and producers alike, burning questions arise due to the lack of a uniform
definition for craft beer in Germany, which is complex also through the
major role that the purity requirement plays in the country. In order to
understand better the developments in the beer market, 15 experts were
interviewed, in addition to the conduction of a thorough literature review.
This chapter describes the German craft beer market, its historical
development to date, as well as the importance of the Purity Law for
Germany. It then summarizes the results of the expert interviews to
narrow down a definition of craft beer and outlines the current role of the
Purity Law in Germany.
Abstract
An abstract will be how can a drink containing alcohol, a substance rarely
associated with ethical consumption, come to carry ethical meanings in
spite of strong health trends in global consumer culture and declining
alcohol consumption in the younger generations? With a departure in
consumer culture theory on ethics and the notion of craft consumer, in
this microinquiry, we explore consumer meanings of craft beer. We find
that craft beer as category is integrated with a consumer imaginary of
social labor and community ethics, which trumps the potential stigma of
alcohol. Our findings contribute to previous research by showing how the
craft dimension moves consumer focus from product materiality toward
symbolically ideological aspects, and by positioning social ethics as
superordinate to environmental ethics in the larger sustainable
consumption discourse. However, for the future, craft beer producers
need to actively drive regulative, normative, and cultural–cognitive
sustainability projects to retain ethical legitimacy, provided as soon as
possible.

Abstract
This chapter aims to present an overview of the beer sector in Romania while
looking at a case study on the implementation of sustainability in the URSUS
Breweries business by using the corpus-based analysis. The paper starts with a
brief history of the Romanian beer sector and literature review. Then, it continues
with emphasizing and analyzing the main indicators of the beer sector in
Romania overtime. Finally, it discusses the way URSUS Breweries understood
the challenge of sustainability during the period 2013–17. In 2017 URSUS
Breweries was the most important producer in Romania in terms of turnover,
income, and profit among the four biggest companies in the beer manufacturing
industry. Since 2012, the company has taken several specific actions to reduce its
negative impact on the environment and on communities.
Abstract
This chapter aims to explore how the concept of sustainability is perceived
and practiced in the craft beer industry in Italy. For this purpose, we
present the case of a craft brewery located in the north of Italy. Based on
an interview with the brewer about the meaning of sustainability and the
brewery’s sustainability practices, this chapter discusses how
sustainability may be conceptualized and operationalized by craft
breweries in Italy and how a sustainability path may be further developed
and supported in this type of business.
Abstract
This chapter provides strategical implications and recommendations for
the beer sector based on the main findings developed in this book. It
discusses possible future developments for the sector in the global
perspective.
What is this whole microdistilling thing, anyway? Microdistilling (AKA craft
distilling, artisan distilling,etc.) is what people insist on calling smaller distillers
like Santa Fe Spirits. The term creates a distance between large, multinational
brands and the “little guy” in much the same way that “microbrewers” were
separated from larger breweries twenty years ago. While it is true that the
growth of the microdistilling industry matches the growth of the microbrewing
industry twenty years ago, there are some key differences between
microbreweries and microdistilleries.

For example, since most large breweries make more or less the same style of
beer, a microbrewer has a large portion of the market that is looking for
something different. In the world of distilled spirits, on the other hand, one can
find a large selection of many different high-quality spirits at any liquor store.
Santa Fe Spirits realizes this fact and focuses on utilizing the unique
ingredients and flavors of the Southwest in spirits of exceptional quality: a
resource that few other distilleries around the world, large or small, have
access to.

There are also some key similarities between the microbrewing and
microdistilling movements. Santa Fe Spirits’ tasting room, located between the
still room and the barrel room at the distillery, is open for tours, tastings, and
drinks (click here for directions and hours). Customers who enjoy the
experience of learning about the craft of distilling and seeing an operating
distillery in action are welcome to visit and get their spirits and information
direct from the source.

Case Studies in the Beer Sector investigates managerial and marketing dynamics in the beer
sector. It explores the relevance of consumer science and its use as a tool for marketing strategies,
putting special focus on small craft breweries. The book provides a variety of case studies from
several countries to outline the global context within which the beer industry is developing. Real-life
examples on how innovation and differentiation strategies affect consumer perceptions of beer are
included, along with the relationship among breweries throughout the supply chain. Sections cover
business strategy, sustainability, and how breweries are meeting the increasing demand for
sustainable production processes. While this book provides a thorough reference for scholars and
practitioners who work in the beer sector, it is also ideal for those studying business, agriculture,
food engineering, technology, applied marketing and business strategy. Investigates contemporary
managerial and marketing dynamics in the beer sector Explores the relevance of consumer science
and its use as a tool for marketing strategies for both multinational players and small craft breweries
Includes case studies that provide the reader with real-life examples on how to apply concepts
discussed Offers a global, cross-cultural perspective on the beer sector in different countries and
continents