No other drinks category has the same level of deception as supermarket beer.
If you go to Dan Murphys or Liquorland now, the choices are overwhelming. So when you see loads of different beers, your natural instinct is to gravitate towards the style you know and the price you can afford. You see something that looks like craft beer – names like Zytho, Tinnies, Lorry Boys, Hey Days and Colossal Brewing. The labels are retro and the prices are cheap.
Let’s be real, though – this is beer by spreadsheet. It’s like being told you’re buying a handmade candle from Kmart.
What many don’t realise is that supermarket brands now control 5 per cent of the Australian beer market, and many of the “craft beers” lining the fridges are actually owned by multinational companies. So when shoppers think they’re getting variety and supporting local, they’re often just buying another product from the same handful of companies.
A few years ago, the major supermarkets made a big push to promote independent beer. And while that campaign technically happened, what’s left behind is the illusion of craft. Consumers think they’re supporting independents – because that’s what they’ve been told.
Supermarkets blur the lines on purpose. They’re masters at layout and product placement, and they know that confusion works for their margins. There’s no clear labelling to distinguish true independent beers from mass-produced lookalikes. This needs to change if our industry is to survive.
Here’s the big problem for us: we know drinkers still want the provenance story only true independent brewers can tell. And when they realise the beer they brought to the barbeque was mass produced in an unknown warehouse somewhere, it takes the shine off. They’re in it for the quality and the conversation starter. They’re not in it for the price.
At the same time, independent breweries aren’t necessarily doing it for the bottom line. We’re a scene of passionate creators who want to propel the industry forward. We’ve got a cutting edge brewing and growing scene, with all the right ingredients to make some of the best beer in the world.
If independent breweries get squeezed out, where’s the innovation going to come from? The XPA beer style is now associated with Australia thanks to Balter. But if the supermarket deception continues, we might not get the next Balter or the next Stone & Wood. (Both, by the way, are now owned by multinational companies.)
The best thing consumers can do? Go direct. Visit your local brewery. There are more than 600 around Australia. That’s where you’ll find real stories and people who are passionate about what they do.
More importantly, it’s where you’ll find beer that’s fresh and kept in optimum conditions. You simply can’t say the same about fake craft beers that travel hundreds – sometimes thousands – of kilometres on the back of trucks through some of Australia’s hottest towns.
The best thing breweries can do? Stay transparent. The more people learn – through brewery tours, events, and conversations at the bar – the more empowered they’ll be to make informed choices.
People deserve to know who’s really behind their beer. Because if this was about food packaging, it would be a national scandal.
Freshwater Brewing is inviting its most loyal customers to become part owners. The brewery's upcoming capital raise, managed by Birchal, will help fund a new bar and canning line, keeping margins sustainable and the "fresh is best" mantra alive.
