By Annette Shailer, editor Beer & Brewer
Bridge Road Brewers is rolling out 'Respect(ing) The Craft' symbols on all its packaging materials and communication, which reflect the values of the brewery, its staff and the beer it produces.
Bridge Road Brewers believe that authenticity is the key driver of choice for craft beer drinkers, who expect craft beer to be open and honest, and shouldn’t feel the need to conduct background research on who owns the brand they drink, or in fact where it is actually made.
One of the core values of Bridge Road Brewers is keeping production in house and making sure any beer that states it is made in Beechworth, is in fact made in Beechworth.
“At Bridge Road Brewers we are passionate about many things, including our home town and craft beer, we all hold similar values of what craft beer means to us,” said Bridge Road Brewers co-founder Ben Kraus.
The brewery remains family-owned, started by Kraus and his partner Maria Frischmann in 2005 in Kraus’ dad’s back shed, when they were both 25 years old.
The small Beechworth operation currently distributes its beer nationally and exports to the USA, Europe, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Now competing in the national liquor market with other craft brands, sometimes owned by global multinationals, Bridge Road Brewers has made the step of including its values and points of difference to craft beers on the shelves or taps around them.
The team at Bridge Road Brewers developed the symbols by asking themselves; what is it that makes us different? And what do I expect from the craft beer I drink?