Brewers Association Launches $213 Billion Crowdfunding Campaign to Buy AB

The Brewer's Association has launched a tongue-in-cheek crowdfunding campaign to raise $213 billion to buy Anheuser Busch and "Take Craft Back."

The goal of the campaign is to bring awareness to promote and protect small and independent craft brewers, rather than actually raising the exorbitant sum. Those who pledge will not be required to pay, but will still receive "swag", in the form of free t-shirts and hats. In its first day, the campaign reached over a million dollars pledged.

For the Brewer's Association's statement, see below:

In line with its purpose to promote and protect America’s small and independent craft brewers, the Brewers Association has launched Take Craft Back, an integrated campaign designed to drive broad consumer awareness of Big Beer’s attempted takeover of the craft brewing world.

How? By announcing craft’s intent to buy Anheuser-Busch InBev.

They Buy Us, Now We Buy Them

You read that right. Effective immediately, pledges are being collected at Take Craft Back with the audacious goal of raising $213 billion to purchase AB InBev. While the international conglomerate continues its global campaign to monopolize beer, we aim to use the power of public markets to educate consumers and return craft to the people.

Take Craft Back is intended as a humorous rallying cry to bring attention to a serious issue: AB InBev’s intention to permanently alter the craft landscape by presenting acquired brands as if they were truly, authentically independent—ultimately narrowing real choice in the marketplace for the beer lover.

The Take Craft Back campaign is designed to support the visibility of the independent craft brewer seal, launched this summer to increase beer drinker awareness of and preference for truly independent beer. In a short time span, the seal has received overwhelming support, with nearly 2,300 independent craft breweries (as of mid-October 2017) signed up to use the mark on their bottles, cans, packaging, tap handles, menus, coasters, festival banners, websites, social media and more.

Unlike Big Beer, craft brewers put community over corporation, people and principles ahead of profits, and beer before the bottom line.

The seal is a smart, cost-effective means of communicating our complex story, and Take Craft Back borrows a page from the same playbook. We don’t have the money Big Beer does to execute consumer campaigns; there are no $5 million Super Bowl ads in our future. So, just as we did with the creation of the seal, we asked ourselves: how can we turn beer advertising upside down, and on a strict budget?

While the topic—the corporate takeover of craft—could not be more serious for brewers, the campaign is a humorous way to maximize its consumer reach. Take Craft Back spotlights the vast difference in resources between Big Beer and America’s small and independent craft brewers, and the tongue-in-cheek campaign embodies the spirit and ethos of the craft brewing community—a group that has never shied away from a challenge.

Take Craft Back – How You Can Help

Please join us by supporting Take Craft Back in any of the following ways. Note: No money will be collected until we reach $213 billion in pledges…*wink,* you get the picture.

• Start by making your own pledge at TakeCraftBack.com, and encourage people in your networks to pledge.
• Help us grow the movement! Share videos and social media posts from Take Craft Back on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, using the hashtags #TakeCraftBack and #IndependentBeer.
• Visit the Take Craft Back toolkit for brewers for additional ideas on spreading the word. Over the next few weeks, keep an eye on TakeCraftBack.com for campaign updates to share and help elevate the cause’s visibility.

Ultimately, Take Craft Back is about the real reasons beer drinkers should seek out beers from small and independent craft brewers. Unlike Big Beer, craft brewers put community over corporation, people and principles ahead of profits, and beer before the bottom line. We couldn’t be more passionate about truly independent beer—and about keeping our industry authentic and transparent.