Europe dominates craft beer innovation

As the 185th Oktoberfest gets underway in Munich this weekend (22 September), new research from Mintel suggests that Europe is taking a global lead in craft beer innovation.

In a market previously dominated by the US, 54% of new craft beer launches in 2017 originated in Europe, compared to just 19% from the US according to Mintel Global New Products Database (GNPD). Since 2013, Europe’s craft beer scene has experienced huge growth with new craft beer product launches more than doubling, experiencing growth of 178%. While the US is still the single most innovative market globally, with 17% of all global craft beer launches originating there in 2017, six of the top ten most innovative markets are in Europe.

The research also found that while consumers would be willing to pay more for craft beer, with around half of beer consumers in Italy (52%), France (51%), Germany (46%) and the UK (45%) agreeing that craft beer ‘is worth the extra money’, some were unsure of what makes a beer ‘craft’. Two in five (44%) beer drinkers in the UK would like to see a system of certification of craft beer so they knew if they were sampling a ‘true craft’ (ie small, independent) or a ‘craft-like’ brand owned by big global brewers.

 

 

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