New research from Mintel (mintel.com) suggests that while craft beer drinkers may indeed love the big, bold flavors of their favorite artisanal brew, they also place a premium on what the beer says about them. Amongst the 25-34 age group, representing the segment's heaviest users, 70% say that the brand of beer says a lot about you and 66% say the style does the same. This strong sense of self has manifested itself in record sales for the craft beer industry, as Mintel estimates sales of craft beer (including craft-style offerings) will reach $20 billion in 2014, more than doubling sales of five years ago.
According to Mintel's new research, more than one in five (23%) respondents drink craft beer. While this is smaller than the 53% of consumers over the age of 22 that drink any beer, it's not far off from 30% of consumers who drink non-craft beer only. While craft consumption is not ubiquitous, neither is it struggling to find acceptance. Craft beer drinkers are most likely to say beer style (eg IPA, stout) is important in product selection, with 51% saying this is an important factor, as opposed to only 11% of non-craft only drinkers. Brand does not have as strong of appeal among craft drinkers (47%), as compared to non-craft drinkers (56%).