Craft beer becomes an everyday item… but what is it?

The latest Retail Price Index (RPI) now includes ‘craft beer’. Hence, we contacted the Office for National Statistics for their definition: ‘The aim is to pick up prices for a single 500ml bottle of beer. They are not mainstream beers, are usually well packaged and are sometimes considered to be of higher quality. They must be UK brewed. Fruit/wheat beers, ginger beer and lagers are excluded from the collection. It could be produced by a micro brewery or a major brewer but should not be one of the standard brands. We leave the selection to the collectors and the expectation is that they will select a reasonably wide range of beers that fit the broad description. That way, we increase the number of prices collected and have as wide a sample as possible with the aim of best measuring price change. ‘ So there we have it, at last a clear definition, the UK Government, Office for National Statistics say ‘craft beer’ is UK-brewed and only available in 500 ml bottles. However, it is not a ‘standard brand.’