Craft Work

Craft beers are nothing if not diverse: from the huge range of flavours to the interesting, often quirky, venues where they’re being served on tap. But for all that variety, they do have number of female-founded breweries, including Melbourne’s Two Birds Brewing and Beer Baroness in Christchurch. It’s also, of course, down to the sheer variety of beers and tastes available, with many craft one thing in common – craft beers are getting brewers launching solid rosters of intriguing more popular by the year. and exotic flavours to stand alongside

Over the past two years, total craft beer more traditional options, such as IPAs, pale ales revenue in Australia has grown by 17.7% and is and lagers. This concentration of peculiar now worth more than $800 million. It’s a similar flavours, often offered as limited-edition brews, story across the Tasman, where the industry has has only boosted the popularity of craft beer, grown exponentially over a number of years, with small-batch brewers able to be versatile and leading to the founding of more New Zealand daring in a way that larger brewers can’t. craft breweries per capita than in the US, the How the beer is served is also part of the world’s biggest craft beer market. appeal: one study showed that the

To make this all the more remarkable, shape of the glass can influence the independent brewing sector has customer expectations regarding been growing despite interest in large- different craft beers. So craft brewers volume beer brands falling in both who use expected combinations Australia and New Zealand. of beer glasses will deliver a better

In Australia, beer consumption per customer experience. capita has dropped by about 20% over Scan here to see Another important aspect to consider the past decade, while in New Zealand Arcoroc’s range of when purchasing glassware is the width – where tastes have not changed so beer glasses. of the rim. The glass rim can change the dramatically – beer volume was still way a customer enjoys a drink. Wide down 1.7% in 2020 from the previous year. rims will create a heavier flow when drinking

This has been mainly credited to a younger, and, if holding a beer or wine, will allow the urban demographic, attracted by craft breweries’ beverage to aerate when sitting. Narrow rims independence from major brewers (in most slow this process down and can also help prevent cases, at least), the breweries’ localised settings. drinks from going flat.

Women are also driving the interest in craft With versatility and innovation, the future of beer, not only as avid craft-beer drinkers, but the craft beer industry looks rosy. Though it’s as brewers, too. A 2019 University of Victoria unlikely that such exotic flavours as mussel and study found that about 30% of craft-beer oyster beer is going to cross into the mainstream drinkers are women, while there’s an increasing any time soon. 