Craft Beer in Food Science: A Review and Conceptual Framework

Abstract

Craft beer represents a dynamic and creative segment within the food and beverage industry, emphasizing quality, aroma, health, sustainability, locality, and tailored brewing techniques. This paper explores the multifaceted roles of craft beer’s production and consumption growth dynamics. Both a bibliometric analysis and a systematic literature review were conducted on a sample of 239 scientific papers to provide an in-depth evaluation of the main characteristics and influences that craft beer has in the field of food science. Based on the identified roles of craft beer/breweries in the selected sample of literature, a conceptual framework was constructed to serve as a guideline for policymakers and different stakeholders. In this way, our findings enrich the existing literature and contribute to a better understanding of craft beer production and surroundings, which can be beneficial for promoting sustainable policies and innovative strategies for the growth of small/micro-producers and entrepreneurs in this niche market. Furthermore, this evidence can stimulate clear and ethical information to enhance consumers’ knowledge and agendas to strengthen the identity of local communities.

1. Introduction

Historically, beer is one of the oldest alcoholic beverages in the world. After water and tea, beer is the most consumed beverage globally, and the most consumed one among the alcoholic category. According to data from Kirin Holdings, which has been monitoring annual global beer consumption since 1975, an average of 192 million kiloliters of beer was consumed in 2022, which is almost 3% more than the previous year [1]. This is the first recorded growth after the era of COVID-19 since 2019. The same institution also conducted research by country distribution, pointing out that China was the leader in beer production from 2002 to 2022, while the Czech Republic was the leader in consumption per population from 1993 to 2022. Although most beer is consumed in the mentioned countries, China does not hold the first place in terms of revenue, whereas the USA is the market leader with USD 124.1 billion [2,3]. In the last decade, the trend of beer production in smaller local breweries has grown, and the product is becoming increasingly popular, especially among millennials [4,5,6]. It is all about craft beer, a segment of the traditional method of small and local (often family) beer production with a pronounced emphasis on quality and weighty ingredients [7]. This type of production and marketing of beer contains a specific way of identifying with the locality and social lifestyle, for which there is a significant interest in food science [8]. Compared to conventional/industrial beer intended for the general public, craft beer is produced in independent breweries with specific craft techniques that are specific to a particular location with a tendency to apply certain innovative principles that also have an effect on the marketing and sales activities in the product’s value chain [9,10]. This is the reason why this beer segment implies the growth of consumer preferences and actual consumption due to the focus on the variety of aromatics and unique experiences that craft beers can offer. New fermentation processes, the quality of ingredients, and the effects of specific production on nutritional and sensory properties have also determined the significant growth of research in food science. The revolution of brewing fueled by the craft beer movement revived historical production styles [11,12] and the tradition of selecting the highest quality possible ingredients [13] that would create a symbiosis of beer with the local culture and infuse the recognition of that place [14,15].

The employment of unconventional ingredients, such as exotic hops [16,17], local grains [18], fruits [19], and spices [20], presents new issues and opportunities for food scientists. These elements add to the complexity of craft beer flavor profiles, necessitating a greater understanding of their chemical compositions and interactions during the brewing process [21,22]. Scientists have increasingly examined the qualitative context of craft beer’s brewing process in recent years because consumers increasingly appreciate the advantages of a strong aroma that intrigues them and generates a perception of pleasure and novelty [23]. According to Castro et al. 2022, the foundation of craft brewers’ flavor character is in the application of different layers of yeast. From a chemical point of view, the by-products of several layers of yeast have a stronger influence on the organoleptic properties [24], which leads to a more refined taste [25]. Additionally, recognizing metabolic pathways is critical for optimizing brewing techniques and ensuring product consistency [26].

Alongside sensory properties, functional aspects like nutritional ones gained momentum in this field of research [27]. Following scientific trends about health-promoting foods and beverages, compounds such as antioxidants and probiotics are incorporated into the fermentation process [28,29]. This indicates the opportunities for craft beer production in terms of promoting this type of alcoholic beverage production toward health acceptability and responsibility [30]. For this reason, the assessment of the stability and bio-consistency of these altered compounds is crucial [31,32] to confirm health assumptions and provide guidance to consumer choices [33]. Overall, the study of craft beer within the domain of food science encompasses a multidisciplinary approach, integrating principles of business, microbiology, chemistry, nutrition, and sensory science. This holistic perspective can enhance the scientific understanding of craft beer production and support the sector’s innovation and sustainability efforts [34], ultimately contributing to the advancement of food science and technology.

This paper aims to present the current state of the art related to academic research dealing with different aspects of craft beer in the area of food science. Through an initial literature analysis on this topic, a research gap was encountered that needs to be filled with findings related to the specific roles and effects that craft beer production plays in the selected research field. Specifically, we found a lack of sound and comprehensive studies systematically analyzing the literature in this field, both with a bibliometric and in-depth literature analysis, to identify the main themes characterizing the extant academic production. Tirado-Kulieva et al. 2023, in their systematic literature review, exclusively analyze the effects of craft beer on human health through its consumption. The authors highlight certain challenges in terms of health effects, emphasizing also the need for an in-depth analysis of other important roles of craft beer production. In addition, further studies were conducted by two groups of authors in which certain chemical compositions in the brewing process are analyzed specifically for the role of oxidative stability [24] and biogenic amines [35,36] as new methods of adopting chemical compounds in more innovative process techniques [37,38,39]. Both papers highlight the valuable role of the quality of the final product that needs to be further investigated. Based on this evidence, this paper tries to fill the gap concerning the exigency to identify key features and roles of craft beer production and consumption. More in detail, insight is given into the number of publications over the years, according to geographical distribution, research quality, and document type. The role of craft beer in food science is investigated with emphasis on its impact on different stakeholders such as the local communities, producers and suppliers in the supply chain, consumers, and the connected sustainability aspects. As the first stage of the analysis for systematic literature review (SLR), the research questions were defined consistently with the research purpose. To fulfill the main goal and complete the analysis of the literature, two primary research questions were formed along with other auxiliary sub-questions:

RQ1: What are the key elements that define craft beer production based on the literature in this field?

RQ2: What are the identified roles of craft beer production based on its effects in the field of food science?

Sub RQ1: What are the regional contexts where the research was undertaken?

Sub RQ2: What is the research trend during the observed years?

Sub RQ3: What is the research structure according to document type?

Sub RQ4: What is the quality of publications according to indexing?

Sub RQ4: What is the concentration of research by journals?

Based on the evidence obtained, this paper also offers a theoretical framework to represent in a schematic way the most significant different research stream connections that emerged from the literature.

The structure of this paper is organized as follows. After the introduction, Section 2 describes the methodology used to gather and analyze the selected academic papers with explained SLR protocol. Section 3 presents the results based on the qualitative in-depth analysis of the research. Finally, Section 4 provides the discussion, which includes the proposed theoretical framework. Lastly, Section 5 offers the conclusions, describing the current limitations and offering future recommendations.

2. Materials and Methods

Research Protocol

To conduct a systematic literature review, the search protocol was set up to find relevant scientific papers on the topic of craft beer in the research area of food science. The primary parameters used in conducting research are topic, research sources, period, research relevance, and language.

The topic parameter refers to all related research that contains the following search terms in its keywords, abstract, or title: “craft” OR “local” AND “beer” OR “brew”. In this way, all papers that used the searched terms in their topic were performed. The terms “craft” and “local” in the searching protocol are applied to determine a set of studies that refer to a certain production process and output, which means that we aimed to search only those papers focused on a not industrialized production process based on local–cultural characteristics, inputs, or recipes as well as on small firms and innovative business models. Therefore, the term “local” was added to the search strategy in addition to the word craft because of its features relation. As for the terms “beer” and “brew”, they denote the products and the facilities where such products can be produced. Otherwise, the term “craft” is associated with production in smaller quantities at a specific location. Thus, craft beers can be said to be produced in smaller breweries where the human component is specific to a particular location, flavors, and production technique. Breweries that produce such beer are often small independent productions with an emphasis on quality and tradition; hence, this is their key comparative advantage to common corporate breweries [40,41].

Research sources were selected in the search protocol of relevant databases such as Web of Science (WoS), Scopus, and Emerald Insight. Databases such as WoS and Scopus were chosen because of the reliability of these tasks. Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus are two major bibliographic databases. Overall, the Web of Science is an important tool for measuring, evaluating, and monitoring scientific research and is widely used in the academic community. Scopus covers more than 42,000 peer-reviewed journals from around the world, while Web of Science covers more than 32,000 journals from 80 countries. Both have comprehensive citation databases that allow researchers to track the impact of their work through citation counts and h-indexes. Emerald Insight is known for providing high-quality, peer-reviewed research articles and content from a variety of disciplines (due to the wide scope of research areas). The period that was taken into account during the search is the last 20 years because during the pilot search, it was seen that only from about 2005, writing and research interest in the topic increased. Therefore, the year 2005 is associated with the trend of beer production in smaller local breweries in the USA, where some of today’s most famous craft beers were created as an experiment in brewing beer at home. The identification process of literature via databases is generated and presented on PRISMA 2022 flow diagram (Figure 1).

After the literature screening process on the mentioned topic in WoS, Scopus, and Emerald Insight databases, we analyzed the distribution and structure of 1337 selected works according to period, research area, document type, and geographic allocation. To conduct our research, we narrowed down the number of papers in the research area criterion, and for the further screening step, only papers for the food science research area were selected.

This paper presents a systematic literature review (SLR) to identify the roles based on the analyzed effects of craft beer production in food science. A qualitative analysis was performed based on the literature sample after the screening process. In the selection of papers, the focused research area is food science, and during the refining process for the said area, only one paper had to be excluded due to its unrelatedness to the topic. All the papers that were selected for analysis were subjected to an in-depth reading to collect information and identify the elements necessary to elaborate the findings to answer the main research questions as well as the connected auxiliary questions. In this study, a co-occurrence analysis is performed based on keywords from the papers chosen using the VOSviewer version 1.6.20 software, which illustrates the information network of connections. The analysis tries to produce clusters from which links and lines of relevant keywords can be found [42]. The lines of interconnection between the links and their sizes demonstrate the strength and relevance of the connections [43,44]. Kraus et al. 2021 describe this method of conducting a systematic evaluation of the literature using co-occurrence analysis, in which they qualitatively classified the literature on digital transformation. Additionally, identifying gaps in the literature is advocated as a future path of research to provide valuable answers for policymakers [45]. Accordingly, we developed a conceptual framework to identify the roles of craft beer production in food science, intending to provide a useful overview and research agenda for investigating the impacts and business opportunities of non-industrial production on local communities. In designing the framework, craft beer production effects in the field of food science were initially analyzed, which are addressed in selected papers that reference the importance and values of their influence in identifying related roles.

As shown in Figure 1, a literature search was conducted through extensive bibliographic databases to cover a wide range of relevant journals. After filtering the publication period of the papers, the search results were filtered according to the exact research area and domain. The obtained results reflect a wide spectrum of different natural and social science disciplines and fields. We used the Jenni AI tool to identify duplicate and ineligible papers. Based on data processing and the confirmation of two co-authors, 495 works were excluded related to the criterion of complete similarity. Due to the highest concentration of papers found in the research area of food science (n = 239), this area was considered during the refinement for further screening steps and bibliometric analysis (see Figure 2). If we consider all the resulting domains, our selected research area, food science, is the most represented in terms of craft beers, which accounts for almost one-quarter (24.44%) of all the resulting papers selecting and screening the exact research area. Also, a large number of papers (almost 17%) are from the areas of biochemistry, genetics, and molecular biology. With a percentage of around 10%, there are other areas of research, such as business and management, computer science, and chemistry. The smallest shares (<1%), according to the research field, characterize the domains of culture, history, telecommunications, sociology, and psychology. Thus, we focused exclusively on research that deals with craft beer production in the field of food science.

In this way, 1078 works that are not related to “Food Science” were excluded. Given the large scope of research related to the topic of craft beer and the high dispersion of scientific research areas, published (peer-reviewed) research articles, books, book chapters, and conference proceedings were selected. Consistently with our selection criteria of including only relevant papers, letters, notes, short surveys, and editorials were excluded. Also, three papers whose language is not English and another paper whose perspective is not related to the topic of craft beer in food science were excluded.

To construct and visualize bibliometric networks of obtained results from searching the literature based on craft beer topic’s keywords related to food science, we use VOS viewer software. A total of 239 papers were included in the design of the bibliometric network, and a limit of 5 occurrences was set to find keywords among the works. The above means that among all the papers included, at least 5 must overlap a certain keyword. When choosing the number of occurrences, Eck and Waltman, 2022 recommend that the analysis be performed in a way that the automatic software recognizes the amount of the same keywords within a specific research domain. The obtained bibliometric network is provided in Figure 3. There were 89 keywords in total, while 76 elements arranged in five clusters were displayed in the visualization. Keywords such as article, multivariate analysis, age, female, and male were excluded due to illogical connection with the research topic.

3. Results

3.1. Bibliometric Analysis

As stated, 2005 is considered the year when craft beer began to gain producers, consumers, research popularity, and interest. The most significant growth in research in the area of food science has been shown since 2015, and during the subsequent years, a continuous increase in research was observed, with a slight decline in 2022, as presented in Figure 4. Interestingly, during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was no significant decline in research on the topic. As the literature search was performed in mid-2024, also for this year, the number of publications in range with previous years is certainly to be expected, considering the growth of research on this topic. The research started in the first part of May; hence, the number of papers in 2024 is still counting. The papers before 2004 were not taken into account due to the very small number of works found during the screening.

The document type distribution is shown in Figure 5. Most papers are represented in the category of journal articles (over 90%). Only two papers are classified as book chapters, while 19 papers are conference proceedings. The rest of the document types, such as notes, surveys, editorials, letters, etc., were excluded due to their lack of relevance for the bibliometric analysis process. The selected papers in the literature sample present a high level of relevance in analyzing the necessary items and finding evidence to answer the research questions posed in this SLR. Duran-Sanchez et al. 2022 point out that the topic of craft beer in the field of food science is attractive for research due to the topicality of the consumption of this segment of beer, which is increasingly becoming an important part of the alcoholic beverage market compared to the mass consumption of industrial beer intended for the general public. In addition, the great interest in this topic stems from the growing number of innovative techniques that are applied to strengthen the structure of the brewing process, which, due to smaller productions, has a strong experimental nature.

Figure 6 shows the spatial distribution of the top ten countries with the largest number of research topics on craft beer. The largest share of publications comes from Italy, followed by the United States, Brazil, Spain, and China. In the observed period, namely the last 20 years, papers on the topic of craft beer in food science were published in a total of 61 countries. It is important to note that 27 papers were marked as geographically undefined, corresponding to 11.29% of the total number of papers selected for the bibliographic analysis since some journals—especially in the chemistry field—allow papers with more than one corresponding author. Thus, considering the geographical distribution of the analyzed literature, due to the aesthetics of Figure 6, all the countries registering only one paper published on this topic were not included in the visualization. The geographical location of the papers is provided by the criteria of the corresponding author’s country of affiliation. It is important to emphasize that Italian corresponding authors are represented in as much as 35% of all reviewed papers, which shows the high importance of research on this topic in the country. Also, certain Italian universities, such as the University of Perugia and the Polytechnic University of Turin, continuously conduct research through the academic community, generally on the production and consumption of beer at the national level [46]. Indeed, according to the 2022 report “Craft Beer, Supply Chain and Markets” by Unionbirrai, a trade association of small independent Italian breweries created in collaboration with OBIArt, Laboratory of the Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Forestry Sciences and Technologies of the University of Florence and dedicated to the study of the Italian artisanal brewing sector, in 2022, the Italian breweries reached 1326 units, employing a total of 9612 direct employees, with a growth compared to 2015 of 104% in terms of businesses and 22% in terms of employees [47].

As a confirmation of this trend, if we look at the individual authors represented in the selected works shown in Figure 7, Italians lead the top ten. The author with the most papers on the topic of craft beer in the field of food science research is Stefano Buiatti, with nine papers. His papers are mainly concerned with the influence of individual ingredients on the quality of the production of craft beer. This is an author with serious experience in publishing on the topic of beer production. Specifically based on our sample, its scope is based on analyzing certain ingredients craft brewers decide to use in the brewing process, with a focus on how adapted techniques affect the quality of the final product. As many as six authors are associated with five papers, among those selected for this analysis.

Considering the indexing of the selected papers on the topic of craft beer within the food science research area, Figure 8 shows that the majority of works (121 of them) are represented in Q1, which means they were published by the top 25% of journals listed in three observed databases (Scopus, WoS, Emerald Insight). This implies high quality in research on the given topic. Only a few papers were indexed in Q4, while for 21 papers, indexing was not defined according to publication in the journal, which confirms the already stated item that among all the selected papers, 19 are conference proceedings and 2 are book chapters. The value of the above is even greater when you consider that over 70% of the works in the reviewed sample are indexed in Q1 and Q2 journals, which implies a high relevance in the selection of works to conduct this SLR.

Figure 9 displays the distribution of papers by journals. As our research is related to the topic of craft beer in food science, most papers were published in journals dealing with linked issues such as beverages and foods. It is important to emphasize that, looking at the top ten journals, according to the published works, they are all indexed as Q1 and Q2, which indicates a high level of quality of research and publications. This indicator certainly contributes to the relevance of the selected papers in our research, as already stated.

3.2. In-Depth Literature Analysis

Craft Beer Definition and Characteristics

One of the aims of this work is to gain a cross-section review of certain definitions related to craft beer from the perspective of different authors from the analyzed papers to create a representative detailed overview of the characteristics of the researched subject by comparing the similarities or differences within the scientific postulated point of view. This would allow us to answer RQ1. The definitions of craft beer/breweries are provided in

Table 1. The definitions of craft breweries.

Reference	Criterion	Characteristics
U.S. Brewers Association (USBA) [48]	(1) Annual production (2) Ownership share (3) Sensory features	(1) Up to 6 million barrels/year (2) Less than 25% of the capital is owned or under-controlled by another subject of the alcohol industry that is not a craft brewery (3) Novel ingredients proportion
British Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) [49]	(1) Annual production (2) Quality standards (3) Degree of independence	(1) Up to 200 hL/year (2) Regulation of safety and quality standards in terms of logistics, sales, and consuming (3) No affiliation with another larger brewing organization.
German Brewers Association (DBB) [5,48]	(1) Annual production	(1) Up to 5000 hL/year
The Italian Law 154/2016 on hygienic regulation of beer production and trade [50]	(1) Annual production (2) Degree of independence (3) Brewing process	(1) Up to 200,000 hL/year (2) Not operate under license to use the intangible property rights of other parties (3) Not subjected to pasteurization and microfiltration processes

.

Based on the analyzed papers, there are four main quantitative definitions that the authors point out in their research as the most relevant to identify craft beer. The definitions are mainly provided by regional or national trade organizations based on legal regulations determined by the national laws of a particular country and refer to the U.S. Brewers Association (USBA), the British Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA), the German Brewers Association (DBB), and Italian law concerning the hygienic regulation of beer production and trade. In defining the craft beer product, organizations are primarily focused on clarifying what a craft brewer is and specifying that it is the output of their production. There are three basic characteristics on which the USBA bases the definition of a craft brewery, and according to them, a certain brewery operating in the USA can bear the seal mark of a craft brewery. These are annual production (up to 6 million barrels), ownership structure (less than 25% of the capital is owned or under-controlled by another subject of the alcohol industry that is not a craft brewery itself), and sensory characteristics (proportion of traditional or new ingredients) [48]. Within the USBA criterion, craft breweries can be classified into six groups: brewpubs, taproom breweries, microbreweries, alternating proprietors, contract breweries, and regional breweries.

The U.K.’s SIBA has two basic characteristics connected with the mentioned annual production criteria (to 200 hL) for obtaining the seal mark of craft breweries, namely compliance with SIBA’s food safety and quality standards and the brewery’s independence from other larger beer producers [49]. Due to these criteria, a large number of smaller local breweries cannot obey the standards with their limited capacities, and that is why, according to some authors, the craft beer industry is more prevalent in the USA. Furthermore, the classification of the DBB includes craft breweries based on the criterion of annual production within the category microbreweries (less than 5000 hL/year) as independent and small breweries [48], and for other breweries, there are different categories: small breweries (5000 to 50,000 hL/year); medium-size breweries (50,000 to 200,000 hL/year); large breweries (200,000 to 1,000,000 hL/year); and brewing groups (more than 1,000,000 hL/year) [50]. According to the Italian “Law on hygienic regulation of beer production and trade” N. 154/2016 [51], craft beer is defined as “the beer produced by small independent breweries and not subjected to pasteurization and microfiltration processes”. In the same law, the small independent brewery is defined as “a brewery that is legally and economically independent from another one, which uses plants physically distinct from those of other breweries, which does not operate under license to use the intangible property rights of others, whose annual production does not exceed 200,000 hL, including in this quantity the amounts of beer produced on behalf of third parties” [52]. It is interesting to emphasize that considering the largest annual production of beer in the world, the Chinese craft brewery law is not officially defined, and the regulations are intended for mass producers of beer, which hinders the development of craft breweries/beers. Under China’s regulatory system, there are strict safety regulations that limit the consumer’s market sales of craft breweries’ products; hence, they are only able to supply their products to restaurants and pubs, where they must adhere to less stringent food safety laws.

If we consider the highlighted key definitions, there are certain differences and common features. For the definitions of craft beer, it is generally stated that such beers are the final products of “small” (or “micro”), “local”, and “independent” breweries inspired by a more oriented business, with certain limiting criteria that differ concerning the regulations of each considered country.

The key characteristics that limit a specific brewery from obtaining the craft seal mark refer to (1) ownership share: it is related to the independence from other companies. According to this criterion, the occurrence of oligopoly in the beer market (brewing cartels), where a couple of large multinational companies hold vital shares in the market with high entry barriers, is tried to be suppressed; and (2) production volumes. It is the criterion used to determine whether breweries are small or micro. This criterion is regulated differently in each country depending on the market possibilities; therefore, craft breweries must not exceed the systematically contracted production capacities. This is the reason why, in some countries, there is a disincentive to develop craft breweries since they decide to scale up their operations and expand their production capacities.

The aforementioned definitions do not focus on the quality characteristics of the ingredients or the specifics of the brewing process. Only the Italian legal definition of craft beer imposes the absence of microfiltration or pasteurization processes, which identify industrial breweries. Also, SIBA’s definition in its criteria contains the element of the agreed scheme of quality standards by which craft breweries differ and stand out among others on the market. Furthermore, the USBA, in its definition, focuses on sensory characteristics, which refers to the structure of the ingredients, which is associated with innovation and experimentation using unconventional ingredients. Such differences in the regulations of certain countries and the lack of application of quality criteria cause ambiguity to consumers, who sometimes struggle to recognize authentic craft beers. The official criteria for craft breweries are more quantitative in nature, focusing on the production volume and ownership share, which partially ignores the true strength of this type of beer production, which essentially focuses on the aroma through the originality of taste and flavor; the specifics of the locality in the form of ingredients and the identity of the landscape; and peculiarity of techniques in the brewing process [48,49].

3.3. The Identifying Roles

The analysis of co-occurrence based on the selected keywords reveals five basic clusters that correspond to these categories by structure and interaction: (1) health effects, (2) aroma, (3) beverage quality, (4) fermentation elements, and (5) local production. Figure 3 shows the bibliometric map with keyword connections and cluster structures based on the selected papers. The categories are determined via the links between elements within the structure of the generated clusters, which additionally refers to the major findings in the literature. Based on this evidence, the intention is to provide a conceptual framework that can be used by local breweries to clarify the critical roles associated with craft beer production in the field of food science. This conceptual framework is designed to identify roles based on analyzed effects from the selected papers. This form of qualitative method is fundamentally sensitive and relies on the researcher’s evaluation. As described in the following paragraphs, based on the in-depth reading of these papers, we have introduced the additional cross-dimension of “Sustainability Attributes” since it emerged as connected to more than one observed effect of craft beer/brewing. To provide an answer to the research question about the identification of the roles that the craft beer segment fulfills in the field of food science (RQ2 and subsequent Sub RQs), a detailed analysis of all scientific papers in the observed literature was carried out to address the features that can elaborate the mentioned gap in research.

3.3.1. Sustainability Attributes

Considering the growth of environmental awareness, sustainable production methods play an increasingly important role among consumers [53]. Due to the often-addressed concern of wasting a certain amount of water in breweries, more and more craft businesses are focusing on reducing water consumption and adopting renewable energy sources. Today’s increasingly sophisticated technology that can automate in real time allows craft breweries to monitor water consumption and regulate waste amounts by aligning sustainable production practices [30]. This principle of investing in the efforts of local breweries, hence that their operating procedures do not harm the environment in which they operate, has a strong influence on environmentally friendly brewing. As a rule, the activities that bring them a good image among consumers are connected with the usage of alternative energy sources such as composting (supplying local farmers with grain residues) [54,55] or industrial symbiosis partnerships, where companies use the waste products of other industries as raw materials in a regional collaboration network [56]. Craft breweries emphasize ensuring that their operations do not adversely affect the environment and the local community.

3.3.2. Consumers’ Health

Concerning the classified categories, an attempt is made to connect their consistency with the findings in the observed papers. In this way, the roles that are presented in the production of craft beer within the field of food science were identified, and their importance in influencing different stakeholders was investigated. Understanding the health effects of craft beer consumption is one of the most important roles in food science due to the growing interest of consumers in health and well-being [57]. Plenty of papers in the observed sample of literature reflect this role of craft beer, studying the various nutritional content [41,42,58] that craft beers can possess, especially through the importance of dosing the optimal ratio of nutrients such as minerals and antioxidants [59,60,61]. The controlled nutritional composition, which is highly important in the craft beer production system, is often provided to consumers with clear information about improvements in the nutritional profile, representing the greater health commitment of the brewers and, importantly, affecting the end consumer behavior. Herkenhoff et al. 2023 point out that the factor of greater freedom and independence of local small breweries producing their craft beers often leads them to make their beers contain more probiotics. In the study, these microorganisms are described as contributing to human health, specifically in regulating the intestinal flora [62]. In addition, due to the specificity of the fermentation process, craft beers often contain fewer calories and carbohydrates, which reduces the potential feeling of heaviness during consumption [63]. A significant trend in craft beer production in recent years is the gluten-free policy, in which certain smaller breweries turn to sophisticated controlled production for those consumer segments that are sensitive to gluten or want to avoid it [64,65]. Descriptions of products related to the health concept are rigorously regulated [66], and craft breweries are obliged to adhere to guidelines that ensure compliance with standards for the direct protection of the interests and health of consumers, for instance, when claiming gluten-free products. However, Buiatti et al. 2018 emphasize that the potential risk of excessive consumption of craft beer should be taken into account, as, on average, it has a predominantly higher alcohol content compared to mass-produced industrial beers that are intended for wider and more frequent consumption. Therefore, the factor of moderation in the consumption of craft beer is an important item of responsible consumption and health implications that should result from the cooperation of food scientists and experts in the production of craft beer to educate and promote information transparency and health awareness [40,67,68]. This role that craft beer production plays in food science helps bridge the gap between the enjoyment of craft beer and the actual health effects of consumers.

3.3.3. Locality

Smaller breweries that have a certain level of limited production capacity are strongly linked to the place where that production takes place. The context of the locality defines the identity of the products of smaller local breweries [69]. The significance of the role of localities for craft breweries is covered in various aspects related to the field of food science. Primarily, the local source of ingredients is a valued component in the production of craft beer because the use of fresh ingredients of known origin and quality results [7] in an improved dimension of sensory and nutritional properties of beer [70]. A certain geographical location determines the concept of characteristics by which craft breweries establish the pillars of locality in their own production with regard to vegetation [71], climate [72], soil, water [73], and, very importantly, the agricultural tradition of that area [37,46,48]. As a result, the final product takes on the profile of specific characteristics (smells and tastes) that prevail in the geographical location and ensures more efficient logistics and transport because the effect of physical distance is reduced [74]. The above contributes to the development of regional styles of craft beer whose style of production and marketing implies the culture and tradition of that location. Sforzi and Colombo 2020 emphasize that breweries are part of certain local hubs and associations for contributing to the support of the local community. Such associations can potentially bring together the different interests of stakeholders, which would result in the purchase of ingredients from local farmers and more efficient distribution [75]. The aforementioned practices lead to the development of the local community [76] and the creation of jobs, especially in rural areas [17], although it is assumed that craft beers are produced more in urban areas. Through engagement in the mentioned forms of cooperation and networking at the local level, craft breweries can directly promote their beer more easily through events and concerts [77,78] because such partnerships alone ensure better connections and execution of cooperation.

In addition, the production of craft beer is linked to the constant exigency for innovation and research into better flavors, aromas, development of packaging design, and labeling [79,80]. This is why cooperation with local institutions such as universities, advisory services, and agricultural advisors [81] is extremely important for craft breweries. In this way, greater engagement of science and local policymakers is encouraged to improve the identity that craft beer forms. Such partnerships are reflected in the development of pilot projects and experiments by public institutions, as local craft breweries serve as experimental hubs [25] for the invention of new models and methods of beer production [82,83]. In the implementation of pilot projects, it is important to continuously collect data on the feasibility and impact of innovative practices in specific local beer production in order to maintain quality and feel the identity of the landscape [35].

3.3.4. Enhancing Quality in the Beverages Market

The quality of the final craft beer product results from that of the brewing process. This chain of production quality continues to the alcoholic beverage market itself; therefore, this role is particularly important in ensuring the setting of high standards for quality in the beverage industry [84]. According to Buiatti et al. 2024, what stimulates the realization of quality craft beer production at the level of the food and beverage industry is meeting the demands of consumers who expect that precisely such segments of beer, which come from generally smaller local breweries, achieve a stronger effect of preference. In this way, the development of high-quality craft beers is directed, which, with their specific sensory and nutritional properties, should lead to quality [85,86]. Brewers should take advantage of this in the form of transparent and adequate promotion and placement of final products, marking the contours of their own quality [66]. Providing clear and accurate information on labels about ingredients and brewing processes helps consumers make informed choices about quality [87].

3.3.5. Tailored Brewing Process

The control of fermentation parameters, such as temperature and duration of the brewing process, are crucial determinants of the consistency and quality achieved in the final product. The role of brewing is crucial to understanding the influence of factors on the development of desirable and undesirable compounds that brewers optimize to ensure the desired aromaticity and beer quality [88]. What is characteristic of the craft beer segment is the higher degree of freedom of small brewers who, in assessing the fermentation process, have the independence to choose exactly the combination that would create the desired flavor. The exploration of the features of this process encourages breweries to apply more innovative approaches and techniques to optimize their production [13,40]. Merlino et al. 2020 claim that this entire preparation and production processes result from the relatively unlimited possibilities for experimentation that non-industrial breweries have compared to industrial ones because they have a greater ability to selectively test the desired product during brewing before it is ready for packaging and usage. Another emerging reason connected to the higher freedom of craft brewers is the higher marginal investment in the production process of different beer styles, which then encounters the higher willingness to pay by niche consumers who seek special beers with rare characteristics.

3.3.6. Aroma

When consuming craft beer, a certain consumer experience is created, and it is also determined by the aroma as a sensory way of tasting it [72]. The variety of ingredients ensures the complexity of the beer’s aroma, which leaves its unique signature on the consumer. From a chemical point of view, many scientists point out four main factors that influence the uniqueness of a craft beer aroma, namely, hops [89], malt [28,90], yeast [91], and free ingredients [92,93,94]. In short, the primary source of the aroma of every beer, both industrial and craft beer, is represented by the hops used, which determine the aromatic (citrus, floral, herbal) notes, the quality of which depends on the location and method of cultivation as well as the desired style of beer [74,95,96]. Tubaro (2009) maintains that malt and yeast together represent contributions to the aroma itself through the Maillard reaction during fermentation, adding additional aroma through esters that develop delicious (nutty, fruity, chocolate) notes, while free ingredients are presented as an experimental part of craft beer that rounds off the aroma in the desired way of the brewer [13,97,98]. The role of the aroma of craft beer in food science is unique. Essentially, aroma is a sensation created by taste and smell, i.e., in the nose and on the palate when these two senses jointly detect the taste. Viejo et al. (2021) claim that achieving the authentic aroma of craft beer lies in the stability of the sensations on the nose and palate, which creates a balance of flavors that generates pleasure for the consumer. Given the strong effect aroma has on consumer preferences, it is essential to create sensory thresholds so that brewers know how to recognize the optimal balance [96] and adapt different styles in a way that ensures uniqueness in the consumption experience. Due to their uniqueness, craft beers are more intended for some hedonistic principle of enjoying the uniqueness of aroma and taste, while industrial beers have more of a quantitative consumption nature.

4. Discussion

Based on the analyzed literature, the effects of craft beer production in the field of food science are investigated to identify the roles of craft beer and breweries in the researched area in order to construct a conceptual framework that serves as an overview of the possible implications on the local community in the spheres of food science. According to the designed framework presented in Figure 10, there are five main roles of craft beer production based on the scrutinized corpus of research: consumers’ health, aroma, enhancing quality in the beverage market, brewing process, sustainability attributes, and locality. The health role relates to the influence of educating about the responsible consumption of alcoholic beverages [30] in this example of craft beers, which generally contain a higher percentage of alcohol. Based on greater experimental independence, these beers can develop higher nutritional values (enrichment with probiotics and antioxidants) that directly affect the health of consumers [99]. In addition, craft breweries have a greater possibility of segmenting their final product based on health needs; thus, they produce gluten-free craft beers [53,58] or with a lower concentration of calories [100]. Achieving a unique taste experience, which craft breweries especially focus on during the brewing process [25], has a strong appearance characteristic of the flavoring component of such beers, whose role is simultaneously realized on the preferences of the consumers themselves [101]. The brewing process has a significant role for smaller breweries in terms of experimental brewing techniques in which innovations are applied that imply the specifics of the desired final product, and precisely, the role of quality derives from this process [94]. Addressing the quality of the final product by craft breweries with adequate labeling [88] and efficient direct marketing [35,102] meets the expected demands of consumers regarding the quality of beer from smaller local productions [103]. This role relates to ensuring high standards of quality in the food and beverages market. The role of the location where craft breweries operate contributes to multiple effects. First, it strengthens the identity of the geographical area itself through the development of specific local styles in the production of non-industrialized beer [98]; moreover, it intensifies the identification with the tradition and culture of agricultural activities [46], local ingredients [92] and the social habits. Secondly, it develops new sustainable practices in terms of partnership [31] and the creation of stakeholder networks in order to design programs to promote the identity of the area and to strengthen the local community’s awareness of the importance of local production and business-innovation diversity [104].

The constructed framework can serve as a guide for different stakeholders in the field to acknowledge the key roles of craft beer production and make strategic decisions based on the observed effects of this type of local production both on the market and society. The analyzed effects that appear under the means of craft beer production (left side of the framework) imply certain roles (right side of the framework) by addressing the importance of such influences in the field of food science. Considering the content of a larger quantity of probiotics, vitamin B, complex, and stronger antioxidant activity in the formulation, craft beer achieves greater nutritional effects on consumers’ health and well-being [62]. At the same time, there is caution in consumption due to the higher percentage of alcohol that, on average, these beers contain, making it necessary to be a responsible consumer by drinking craft beer in moderation [105]. In general, industrial beer is associated with weaker aromaticity due to more wateriness, which causes a higher degree of obsession with the consumption of this type of beer [67]. For craft beer, the flavor and taste are more intense and expressive; hence, the aroma is more unique, which represents a key role in the originality of the sensory effects that create a greater enjoyment impression during consumption [58,72]. This can lead to the consumer willingness to pay (WTP) a premium price for this product, especially if consumed in specific contexts like a microbrewery taproom [106]. According to a survey conducted by The Brewers Association (BA) in 2023, more than 40% of craft beer consumers are willing to pay more for craft beer than other beer types, and in that sample, the largest craft beer consumers’ cluster is represented by millennials [107]. Industrial beer production in larger quantities for a wider consumer population limits the possibility of experimentation. Otherwise, craft brewers can independently experiment with a large selection of new and original beer formulas, which is an important effect of this production process [18]. Innovative recipes and production processes can reduce input use, operating costs, and environmental impacts. Past literature found that preferences for sustainability attributes are widely distributed among craft beer drinkers, and also, in this case, WTP was registered in the presence of these characteristics. Therefore, craft brewers could attract new consumers by clearly communicating their commitment to sustainability, higher quality, and product differentiation [108]. For this reason, non-industrial beer is also defined by its creativity and innovations through experimentation. By carefully monitoring and controlling beer brewing parameters, craft brewers can improve new recipes and innovative techniques, ensuring the desired result while at the same time pushing the boundaries of traditional brewing, which is an important role of the adaptive brewing process [109]. The key characteristics of craft beer production, which is limited and local, identify such a final product with high-quality consumer demands. In this way, craft breweries are obliged to ensure that production batches reflect quality standards and positively influence consumer preferences [86]. Consistency in the production of craft beer should be accompanied by the quality that defines the brand, along with the potential scalability of the brewery. Thus, it would encourage consumers to be willing to spend more for that product, which is why quality enhancement plays an important role in the alcoholic beverage market [56]. The consumption of a particular domestically produced craft beer directly contributes economically to that local community as this effect spills over into promoting further growth and creating new opportunities for sustainable local development [31,75]. In this way, consumers are able to help local farmers and, through certain stakeholders, sustainable brewing, which is reflected in the strengthening of the identity associated with a specific locality [17]. Also, the role concept would benefit public institutions in the form of guidelines for policymakers to promote sustainable policies, incentives for microbreweries, and connected stakeholders and programs to strengthen the identity of the local community [110]. In the EU, for instance, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) could finance local craft beer producers through specific projects driven by local entrepreneurs in this field.

In terms of circular economy practices, craft breweries are increasingly turning to sustainable development policies and prioritizing organic ingredients with a minimal level of negative externalities/waste in the production process [25]. These policies include monitoring the use of resources with an emphasis on the lowest possible tolerance of waste and water consumption [111]. In their studies, certain authors highlight and appreciate the efforts of craft brewers who invest in sustainable practices within the local community [15,70] without sacrificing the quality of their final product [112]. The above represents a challenge for small and independent brewers, although their number is constantly growing on a global level, which translates into a global turnover projected to reach USD 502.9 billion by 2025. In more detail, total U.S. operating breweries continued to grow in 2023, reaching a record value of 9761, representing 25.9% market share by volume in the overall beer industry [113]. Driven by the growing number of breweries and a continued shift to hospitality-focused business models, craft brewers directly employed more people in 2023, a 1.1% increase from 2022. The European craft beer market reached USD 37.7 billion in 2023, expecting a growth rate (CAGR) of 6.57% in the period 2024–2032 [114].

Finally, in recent years, the value that a certain locality addresses in the spheres of food science for craft breweries has been intensively studied. Many authors in their papers that investigate this issue emphasize the effect of the mentioned value on the environment and sustainability due to the existence of the growing practice of original forms of industrial symbiosis in which craft breweries cooperate with farmers in local hubs [78,81,95]. This form of cooperation enriches in a sustainable and efficient manner, networking ways to promote biological diversity and, more vital, ecological development.

5. Conclusions

This research aims to identify both the main characteristics and roles the production of craft beer has in the broad context of food science, with reference to the main research questions. The results of the bibliometric and in-depth analysis provide insight into the possibility of enriching the literature with sound theoretical frameworks for further exploring the subject of craft beer productions and consumption processes. The findings of certain authors [12,31,58,95] are important in determining the roles of this type of local production in the chosen field of research. The role of the customized and tailored brewing process increases the independence of craft brewers and has a positive effect on the application of new techniques and continuous experimentation to ensure the best possible final product in terms of quality, flavor, health, and sustainability [17]. The location where craft beer is produced presents the opportunity to strengthen the identity of that territory, promoting local-specific styles in the creation of packaging design [95] and labeling [65] as well as sustainable and innovative production techniques [35,53]. The above stimulates all those local small producers to emphasize the importance of the identity of the entire local community in the form of their style of production and marketing of craft beer [17].

Although its original contribution is clearly represented in the proposed conceptual framework, this paper also presents some limitations. The main one is the selection of a specific field of research according to the number of papers. This was a boundary set by the authors, who found this field to be the most numerous, representative, and significant without the need to include other research fields. Future review papers could consider the roles of craft beer production in research areas such as business and management or others (see Figure 2). Also, given the nature and aim of this paper, it did not focus specifically on the chemical aspect of craft beer production, which is assumed to be central and influential considering the nature of the topic. Further research should deal more with the issue of chemical compounds in the production of craft beer that are related to food science. Furthermore, it would be important to conduct case studies for certain craft breweries in urban or rural areas to obtain the key characteristics and specifics of production and, at the same time, the evolution of business strategies according to which they develop their operations. Certain areas of research that are related to sustainable development, business and management, and green innovations in economic ways are increasingly popular for research, and the present evidence certainly opens space to fill the lack of relevant papers on the mentioned topic. This assumption also stems from the bibliometric network that visualized a small number of papers presenting keywords related to the previously mentioned economic areas of research. More papers are prevalent in the natural sciences; hence, exploring this topic in social science fields is a possible advantage when evaluating research ideas. In addition, connecting several areas, such as agriculture and business, can contribute to a theoretical and practical view of a certain topic and encourage researchers to give more importance to an interdisciplinary approach to research.