The current explosion of the craft beer industry in the U.S. is based in large part on the access to market it gets from independent beer distributors free to handle and help build their brands, along with the tremendous financial investments those distributors make.
For craft brewers in particular, independent beer distributors are indispensable in getting their smaller brands to the widest number of retail outlets in a cost efficient manner, so their products can be priced competitively and their sales can grow.