Sustainability Attitudes and Actions: An Examination of Craft Brewers in the United States

Making beer is a multifaceted endeavor. Arguably, there are over 14 production stages in beer making, which can be simplified down to three stages – the brewing stage, the fermentation and maturation stage and finally, the packaging and distribution stage. Each production stage provides an opportunity for the brewery to engage in [more] sustainable views and practices. Given the focus of this edited volume, we were particularly interested in the economic, environmental and social sustainability attitudes and actions of craft breweries located in urban areas. Specifically, we wanted to explore the similarities and differences in sustainability attitudes and actions among urban craft breweries, as well as different brewery types, categorized here as brewpubs, microbreweries, and regional craft breweries. Using the three pillars of sustainability, we developed a survey designed to ascertain the attitudes and practices embraced by these brewery types. Findings show minor differences among the brewery types under the economic pillar, while brewpubs significantly differed from microbreweries and regional/regional craft breweries under the environmental and social pillars.