Abstract

Historically, each town and village in Ireland had its own brewery. With the advent of industrialization, beer became mass produced and the big industry brewers made available their cheap, sometimes tasteless brews. The craft beer phenomenon came about in the early to mid-1970s, depending on where the consumer was situated in Great Britain or the US, and has grown ever since. Ireland was a latecomer to the craft beer phenomenon and even though Ireland has experienced a devastating recession, craft beer sales have grown exponentially. This study undertakes to examine the craft beer drinker in a representative subsection of Ireland, Limerick City. The study proceeds through two avenues of investigation. First, the retail trends detailing styles of beer purchased, when and by whom. Secondly, through the consumer themselves, who they are, why do they purchase craft beer, and what drives their decision.