In 2016, small and independent craft brewers were responsible for more than 456,373 jobs in the US. Matthew J. Lee | The Boston Globe | Getty Images

A new seal began to appear on bottles and cans of American craft beer in 2017. It both certifies that the beer came from one of the nation's independently owned and small-scale breweries and signals that these upstarts are fighting back against the corporations trying to co-opt their authenticity and craftiness. The corporate juggernauts often called "Big Beer" clearly get the multifaceted appeal of independently brewed craft beer powered by a thirst for locally made products like beer made from traditional and unusual ingredients. That's why they're trying to beat back the competition by giving off the same vibe as the craft breweries that have eroded their edge – when they're not running Super Bowl commercials that deride people who drink craft beer. Like other researchers studying this trend, we see the growing taste for beer from small-scale artisanal breweries as a consumer-based social movement. We believe the new label will help craft brewers to hold their ground because many enthusiasts don't want to be fooled into drinking a fake version of a product that commands a premium due partly to its diversity and authenticity.

Source: Blue Moon Brewing Company

Masquerading as upstarts We call Anheuser-Busch's Shock Top, MillerCoors' Blue Moon and similar beverages "imposter beers" or "crafty beers." They tend to leave their big corporate parents off the label – which of course stresses local origins. Blue Moon's packaging, for instance, notes prominently that it is made in Fort Collins, Colorado. That geographic detail, the label's imagery and a prominent reference to the Blue Moon Brewing Company (with no reference to MillerCoors) suggest a source with modest means, not a multibillion-dollar behemoth. BEER TWEET Consumers who felt deceived when they discovered that Kirin beer was made in the U.S. and not Japan – despite advertising that suggested it was imported – sued Anheuser-Busch in 2013 and won. So did plaintiffs in a similar lawsuit regarding Beck's, also brewed by Anheuser-Busch. But Big Beer has prevailed in court with litigation involving consumers who felt misled about what kind of company brewed their beer rather than its geographic origin. For example, an irked beer drinker sued MillerCoors for misrepresenting its Blue Moon label as a craft beer. MillerCoors responded that any definition of what makes a beer "craft beer" is meaningless. U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel agreed. Essentially ruling that beer is beer, no matter how big its brewer is, he dismissed the case – letting Goliath get away with posing as David.

Snapping up competitors

Taunting craft beer drinkers

When Big Beer isn't imitating its craft brewing competitors, it counters their appeal by belittling their customers. In a commercial that aired during the 2015 Super Bowl, Budweiser declared that it is "proudly a macro beer," not to be "fussed over" or "dissected" or imbibed by consumers of "pumpkin peach ale." The company doubled down on its big-is-better meme the next year. In a similar commercial, Budweiser sneered at the origin stories of many craft breweries – which often begin as homebrewing pastimes – that Budweiser is "not a hobby" and "not small." Budweiser also feminized male craft beer drinkers and implicitly questioned their sexuality. The 2016 commercial boasted that its beer is "not soft" and "not a fruit cup" to a thumping, masculine beat. Some craft brewers retaliated with parodies.

Who is winning?