A brewery is any manufacturing facility that produces beer. As the name suggests, a microbrewery, or craft brewery, is a small brewery. In Australia, micro-breweries are limited to producing no more than 40 million litres of beer per year. Monkey Pig Brewing is classified as a ‘Nano’ or ‘Artisanal’ brewery, producing less than 3 million litres of beer per year.

Due to falling sales of ‘regular’ beers, CUB/Fosters (owned by Asahi) & Lion Nathan (owned by Kirrin) have bought out many of the larger micro-breweries across Australia. Independent breweries like Monkey Pig Brewing, are micro-breweries which are not owned by a larger brewery (Ie a brewery producing more than 40 million litres of beer per year). Independent brewers generally live locally, employ locals and invest locally and are represented by a collective body called the IBA or Independent Brewers Association.

Like all micro-breweries, independent brewers, produce smaller batch sizes & have a larger range of beers on tap than bigger brewers. However, unlike the micro-breweries owned by the big multinationals, independent brewers still have a choice of what they brew, how much they brew & where they can source their ingredients from. This means that they produce a wide variety of styles and specialty beers, often employing unique ingredients and producing distinctive flavours. A nano brewery like Monkey Pig can take this one step further, producing not only seasonal beers but one off event beers & custom beers quickly & easily, without having to churn out the same beers over & over again. At Monkey Pig Brewing you will still get your favourite flavours & styles but there will always be something different & unique to try.

In layman's terms, craft beer is a beer that is not brewed by one of the big corporate breweries- CUB/Fosters (owned by Asahi) & Lion Nathan (owned by Kirrin). It doesn’t matter if the beer comes from an independent brewery or a micro-brewery owned by one of the big multinationals, if its brewed in a micro-brewery, in Australia it is called a craft beer. This is a little bit of sneaky marketing by the big corporations with many ‘craft’ beers on the market no longer being produced locally, by locals, for locals or with the same small batch playfulness of an independently brewed beer.

However don’t despair, independent breweries are still the real deal. We still make craft beer in a brewery you can visit. You can still talk to the brewer & find out why they make the style of beer they do. And most importantly you can still taste the difference.

People often ask: Which is better- Craft beer or regular (mass produced) beer?

We take that further & ask: Which is better- Independently brewed or regular craft beer?

Without a doubt craft beer has more flavour than regular mass produced beer, which is produced for price, consistency & quantity rather than for flavour. The smaller batch sizes & wider variety produced by micro-brewers can’t be matched in mass produced beer. In a blind taste test, 9 out of 10 people choose the craft beer over the mass produced beer simply because it tastes the way people expect great beer should taste. However, is there a difference between an independently brewed beer & regular craft beer from the bottle shop?

Yes.

Just as craft beer tastes better than mass produced beer, independently brewed beer tastes better than regular craft beer. It all comes back to styles & flavour. Smaller batches & a wider choice of ingredients & suppliers means that independent brewers can be more experimental & brew beers that wouldn’t be successful in international or even national markets. We brew for local tastes & local conditions not corporate bottom lines.

Mass produced beer is brewed to produce a consistent product at a consistently low price. Craft, or smaller batch beers, can never match the economy of scale achieved by the big brewers. When you buy an independently brewed beer you are purchasing a bespoke product from an artisan producer who brews for local tastes & local conditions not corporate bottom lines using mass production & efficiency schedules.

So yes great craft beer costs more, BUT when you spend a little more on an independently brewed beer the money you spend stays in your local economy and supports individuals and local families. When you purchase mass produced beers, even if they sport an iconic Aussie brand name, the profits go to the overseas, effectively reducing the wealth in our community and our ability to employ locals.