Malt Rage started as a simple idea between a couple of friends trying to make a beer that didn’t fall into the pretentious, arrogant world of craft beer. Sounds simple, right? Well, it wasn’t. The more we looked at the category, the clearer it became that craft beer had started taking itself far too seriously. Too many complicated names, too many rules, too much talking about flavour notes, brewing methods and exclusivity — and not enough room for simply enjoying a good beer with good people.

That original idea forced us to stare straight into the monster the industry had become. Craft beer was supposed to be independent, accessible, experimental and full of personality.

Instead, it often felt like a private club: expensive, over-designed and made for people who wanted to prove they knew more than everyone else.

Watching that happen was frustrating. Inevitably, you get a little angry when something built around creativity and community starts behaving like it is better than the people drinking it.