United States

Large brewers begin acquiring craft breweries

A sustained wave of acquisitions moved well-known craft breweries into multinational ownership, sharpening the argument about what "craft" means.

2011 – 2020Documented

What was going on around it

An event on its own is a date. These are the periods it belongs to, where the argument about what changed is actually made.

Modern beer
The technical frontier moved from process to ingredient and perception — hop chemistry, yeast selection, haze and the removal of alcohol — while the industry that produced it consolidated again.

Why it matters

Exposed that every definition of craft rests on ownership and scale rather than on the beer, which is why BeerHQ organises by style and process instead.

How well this is established

Certainty	Documented. Supported by contemporary records that survive and are agreed on.
When	2011–2020. Recorded as a period rather than a date because it happened over time.
Where	United States

Traditions

American craft brewing — The post-1980 American movement built on intense hop character, reinterpretation of European styles, and rapid categorical change.

Either side of this

← 2011: The wild parent of lager yeast is identified

See the whole sequence on the beer history timeline.

Last reviewed 2026-08-16.