The origin of craft beer goes back millennia when ancient Chinese brewed beer (kui) about 7,000 years ago. Craft beer, as it is known in Britain today, did not get going until the 1960s and 1970s.
After the Second World War, a wave of massive brewing corporations merged to cater to the demands of consumers. Beers were being imported to Britain on a large scale, and more people saw a dip in the quality of beer. Imported beer was much fizzier and lighter than traditional lagers.
Beer enthusiasts formed a movement known as Camra (Campaign for Real Ale). They ran campaigns that made people aware of how their historical and cultural heritage was under threat by major brewing companies.
British people slowly became aware of the finer taste of real ale and craft beers and tried to travel far and wide in search of better-quality beer. Journalists began writing about the taste of beer all around the world. Books like The World Guide to Beer were published in later years to give people a taste of the different kinds of beer out there.
The craft brewing movement slowly took off as the years went by. Local brewing started out small in kitchens and garages. People got ambitious about brewing their own unique blend of beer. Ardent beer lovers found a way to get the money together to buy the brewing equipment and supplies to get started.
Craft beer was fuelled by individual experimenting. However, bigger craft breweries established themselves well in later years. Sharps Brewery in Rock in Cornwall was founded in 1994, and the number of craft beer start-ups has slowly increased as the years went on.
Some craft businesses like Meantime Brewing Company of Greenwich have been so successful that they had to sell shares to SABMiller to keep up with the customer demand. Big craft beer businesses continue to crop up all over the world to give consumers a taste of unique and quality beer.