The perception of the beer corporation and your local brewery

Would you rather have a freshly baked loaf of bread from your local baker or a mass produced, shipped thousand of miles loaf of bread? The resurgence of the consumer's interest in locally grown vegetables, breads, fruits, and other various merchandise has been apparent with the rise of such stores as Whole Foods Market and the coverage of "green products" in the news media. The popularity of the green movement has peaked consumers interest in where their products are coming from and how many chemicals may be used to continue their shelf life. This concern of products does not just fall into food, but into beer as well.
Many microbreweries proudly express how they use recycled paper for their beer bottles or how they reuse the water they use to cool down their wort (beer before it is bubbly). Micro-breweries also do not have to ship their products far if they are consumed in the local area and they also use growlers (Large refillable glass jugs which hold 64 oz. of beer). Not only do the growler reduce the use of bottles, but the beer used to fill the growlers is the freshest it could be. The spent grains used for making the beer is usually also sold to local farmers who use it for their animals.
The ability for microbreweries to portray a more environmental practice in their production gives them the advantage over large beer companies. This also shows their awareness of their consumer, because of the general age group who drinks micro-brews, is also the age group who is interested in the green movement. Highlighting certain aspects of your business to entice potential consumers, is something which microbreweries have latched on too. This local and green perception is something which the large breweries can't compete with. I guess a large brewery could say that they act green, but just buy the amount they create will hurt their green image. In the end though it really comes down to taste and the quality of ingredients used. In this case I think microbreweries win.