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Sense of Place Expressions in Welsh Craft Beer Branding: Identity, Neolocalism and Social Terroir

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The Geography of Beer

Abstract

This research explores how place associations create a sense of place as an effective way in branding craft beers. While previous research has explored connections between a sense of place and craft beer brands, the focus here is on the label as the most significant representation of the brand, and the most persuasive cue in the branding of the craft beer. Data are gathered from the labels of 717 craft beers from 118 craft breweries in Wales, UK, as a place with a strong tradition for brewing. Findings point to the persuasiveness of craft beer labels in communicating the brand. This includes local, regional, national or even no expressions of place. Such expressions afford new understandings around the ways in which practitioners can use their branding and how it could be optimized for their intended market, depending on the focus of the brewery on local, domestic or international markets.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Swansea University, Swansea, Wales

    Maggie Miller

  2. Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales

    Robert Bowen

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  1. Maggie Miller
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  2. Robert Bowen
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Correspondence to Robert Bowen .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography and Anthropology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA, USA

    Mark W. Patterson

  2. Department of Geography and Anthropology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA, USA

    Nancy Hoalst-Pullen

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Miller, M., Bowen, R. (2023). Sense of Place Expressions in Welsh Craft Beer Branding: Identity, Neolocalism and Social Terroir. In: Patterson, M.W., Hoalst-Pullen, N. (eds) The Geography of Beer. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-39008-1_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-39008-1_16

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-39007-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-39008-1

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