He said the campaign was not meant to offend or upset and that beer drinkers should decide on taste whether to try Crafty Beggars, rather than other people's opinions.
"I guess we were a little bit validated at the recent brewing awards in the lager section."
Crafty Beggars Pilsner won a silver in its category at the International Brewing Awards in Britain, and Lion also picked up two golds for the Speight's Tri Hop Pilsner and Mac's Sassy Red.
Mr Phillips said he had not heard of any other retailers apart from Liquorland Newmarket who would not stock the beer.
The retailer did not return calls yesterday.
Brewers' Guild of New Zealand president Ralph Bungard said he was aware of the campaign, which was a bit "deceptive", but said it would be hard for small brewers to complain because they often took the same stance in their marketing. "They can be pretty cheeky about some of the ranges that the bigger brewers put out," said Mr Bungard, who runs Three Boys Brewery in Christchurch.
"For example saying, 'Why would you drink this bland fizzy brown stuff they call beer?'
"If you're willing to give [it] you've got to take a little as well," he said of Lion's campaign.
"Most brewery members realise it's part of the game and they wouldn't be shy about making some cheeky comments back."
He said having the "big boys" entering the craft market was a reflection of how well the microbrewers had created that market.
The marketing ploy
"Someone should make a craft beer you can actually drink. That's the conclusion we Crafty Beggars came to. A rogue society, hidden deep within the industry, made up of nine brewers of unsurpassed skill and fanaticism, who all agreed that beer had gone in two directions - either hopelessly middle of the road, or so snobbily crafty that one overpriced sip will blow your face off in a blitzkrieg of hops and whatever else has been arbitrarily thrown in. Something had to be done."
