A phenomenological exploration of the craft beer movement

The craft beer movement in the United States has matured into the cultural mainstream and has become an integral part of broader movements like neolocalism and locavorism. Craft beer affords enthusiasts not only exciting new flavors and a sense of place but also the opportunity to break away from the market’s hegemonic domination by corporate beer. The typical craft beer drinker is male, young, and has a relatively high income. And, although women have recently gotten more involved, there have been callout warnings about the lack of diversity in the craft beer movement. The industry acknowledges the problem and is trying to cultivate a positive change. This study used a phenomenological approach to, firstly, explore the meaning of craft beer and, secondly, unearth the perceptions of diversity within the movement. Results indicate that meaning is constructed collectively around the beer, people, place, and community. Moreover, a significant part of the clientele is conscious of the lack of racial diversity and fairly uneasy about it. Therefore, reaching out to a more racially diverse clientele might be not only politically correct but also desirable to keep up with the expectations of a large part of the current customer base.