Classics and the US Craft Beer Industry

This paper examines the reception of classics in the US craft beer industry. A survey of all craft beers brewed between 2010 and 2021 shows that classics-related topics were frequently accessed for marketing craft beers. Although numerous motivations were identified, classics-related marketing was almost never employed to equate the modern craft beer with the ancient beverage. Instead, classics' appeal was its dual reception in elite and popular contexts, its presence in popular culture, and the public's general familiarity with the discipline. These allowed classics to be strategically deployed to enhance industry narratives of authenticity.