A Craft Beer Social Media Campaign

  • 1 Celebrate craft beer through photography
  • 2 Educate about crafty beer brands owned by Big Beer

Support Independent Craft Beer

Mass produced lager beers like Budweiser, Coors Light, and Pabst Blue Ribbon will always have a place in the American beer market, but when it comes to craft beer, the No To Big Beer campaign is about supporting independent craft beer.

Big Beer tries to control shelf space in stores and taps at restaurants with their crafty beer brands. Craft beer consumers can send a message to Big Beer by not buying these crafty brands, but rather, choosing craft beer from independent craft breweries.

Say "No To Big Beer" when you choose independent craft beer.

Craft Beer Defined

The definition of craft beer comes from the Brewers Association.

Small

Annual production of 6 million barrels of beer or less (approximately 3 percent of U.S. annual sales). Beer production is attributed to a brewer according to rules of alternating proprietorships.

Independent

Less than 25 percent of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by a beverage alcohol industry member that is not itself a craft brewer.

Brewer

Has a TTB Brewer’s Notice and makes beer.

Big Beer Crafty Beer Brands

Buying Craft Breweries Since 2011

Anheuser-Busch InBev - Brewers Collective

AB InBev is a Big Beer behemoth based in Belgium. In 2011, Goose Island Beer Company was their first American craft beer brewery purchase, although they already had part ownership (31.3%) of Craft Brew Alliance. Since then, the Goose Island brand has been promoted globally through brewpubs in Canada, Brazil, Mexico, England, South Korea, and China. In 2020, Anheuser-Busch InBev closed a complete acquisition of Craft Brew Alliance and it's seven crafty beer brands, including Kona Brewing.

Purchase years: Goose Island Beer Company (IL, 2011), Blue Point Brewing (NY, 2014), 10 Barrel Brewing (OR, 2014), Elysian Brewing (WA, 2015), Four Peaks Brewery (AZ, 2015), Golden Road Brewing (CA, 2015), Breckenridge Brewery (CO, 2016), Devils Backbone Brewing (VA, 2016), Karback Brewing (TX, 2016), Wicked Weed Brewing (NC, 2017), Platform Beer Company (OH, 2019), and Craft Brew Alliance (OR, 2020).

Craft Brew Alliance purchase history: In 2007, Redhook Ale Brewery (WA) and Widmer Brothers Brewery (OR) merged and CBA was born. Kona Brewing (HI, 2010), Appalachian Mountain Brewery (PA, 2018), Cisco Brewers (NH, 2018), and Wynwood Brewing (FL, 2018). Omission Brewing was created in 2012 by CBA and therefore has never been a craft beer.

Craft Beer Apps

Mobile apps for spotting crafty beers from Big Beer.

Not Everyone Sells Out

We're proud to share this video we found on YouTube.

Meet Dick Cantwell, Owner and Head Brewer at Elysian Brewing in Seattle before the brewery was sold to Anheuser-Busch InBev in 2015. Dick voted to not sell out, but his two partners overruled.

Celebrate Educate

Connect with @NoToBigBeer.