Today, choices abound for beer enthusiasts and plain old beer drinkers alike. Choice is generally a good thing, though it is getting tougher to keep up with all the new options. The craft beer segment is still ablaze and forging new territory. Brewers achieve rock star status among the craft beer faithful. Beer Snobs, Beer Geeks, and anyone who wishes rate beers constantly. Numerous blogs and sites offer no shortage of information. Perhaps, the quality of the information is not as high as the quantity. Some "reviewers" have little beer knowledge, or may be short on style guidelines, etc. I like to read lots of reviews regardless of the writer's experience. I'm no expert, but I love good beer. Must it be craft to be good? What is craft beer?
Today Countless Beer Styles And Choices Abound
Beer, even as popular as it is, currently finds itself in a fluid state (pun slightly intended). Definitions in the brewing world seem to be changing like the weather. Beer Snobs are the most likely to keep up with all the minutiae of these changes to stay at the top of their game, good naturedly ribbing you later with their vast knowledge. While Beer Geeks share a high percentage of DNA with the Beer Snob crowd, I think they are usually more intrigued by the actual design of the beer itself. "How do I make this, only better?" Let's turn to the Brewers Association for some help with the definition of some terms:
According to the Brewers Association, "An American craft brewer is small, independent, and traditional."
Small - "Annual production of 6 million barrels of beer or less (approximately 3 percent of U.S. annual sales). Beer production is attributed to the rules of alternating proprietorships."
Independent - "Less than 25 percent of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by an alcoholic beverage industry member that is not itself a craft brewer."
Traditional - "A brewer that has a majority of its total beverage alcohol volume in beers whose flavor derives from traditional or innovative brewing ingredients and their fermentation. Flavored malt beverages (FMBs) are not considered beers."
Further from the Brewers Association, some concepts associated with craft brewers:
Craft Beer Industry Market Segments
There are four distinct craft beer industry market segments: brewpubs, microbreweries, regional craft breweries and contract brewing companies.
Microbrewery
"A brewery that produces less than 15,000 barrels (17,600 hectoliters) of beer per year with 75 percent or more of its beer sold off-site. Microbreweries sell to the public by one or more of the following methods: the traditional three-tier system (brewer to wholesaler to retailer to consumer); the two-tier system (brewer acting as wholesaler to retailer to consumer); and, directly to the consumer through carry-outs and/or on-site tap-room or restaurant sales."
Brewpub
"A restaurant-brewery that sells 25 percent or more of its beer on site. The beer is brewed primarily for sale in the restaurant and bar. The beer is often dispensed directly from the brewery's storage tanks. Where allowed by law, brewpubs often sell beer 'to go' and/or distribute to off site accounts. Note: BA re-categorizes a company as a microbrewery if its off-site (distributed) beer sales exceed 75 percent."
Contract Brewing Company
"A business that hires another brewery to produce its beer. It can also be a brewery that hires another brewery to produce additional beer. The contract brewing company handles marketing, sales and distribution of its beer, while generally leaving the brewing and packaging to its producer-brewery (which, confusingly, is also sometimes referred to as a contract brewery)."
Regional Craft Brewery
"An independent regional brewery with a majority of volume in 'traditional' or 'innovative' beer(s)."
Regional Brewery
"A brewery with an annual beer production of between 15,000 and 6,000,000 barrels."
Large Brewery
"A brewery with an annual beer production over 6,000,000 barrels."
EUREKA! What? Still confused? Me too. 10 Barrel, Goose Island, Elysian, Blue Point, Redhook, Kona, Magic Hat, Blue Moon, Shock Top, Pyramid, Leinenkugel, Third Shift... all fit where? How about Ommegang, Southern Tier, Matt's (Saranac), Genesee, Yuengling?
What is your favorite beer? Who brews it? Is it the same brewer/owner as last year? Does it matter? What if your favorite beer is brewed by Bud or Miller-Coors (BMC) and you don't know it?! Gasp! What's with all the large brewers buying those smaller than they, and micros buying micros, or regional---- argh, STOP!
The mergers and acquisitions maze requires real give-a-damn-geekiness to keep up. Goose Island (in my opinion) does NOT make the same beer as before the AB-InBev buyout. I will admit a bias towards smaller brewers, which may have played a role in the taste change I perceived. Can a "sell-out" craft brewer still make good beer? Are they still a craft brewer? I don't prefer smaller brewers because they necessarily make better beer. I'm a huge small business fan and do what I can to support them. However, if they make crappy beer I go elsewhere.
My gateway beer into craft beer, long ago, was Samuel Adams Boston Lager. I also turned many others onto this brew. Jim Koch may have his detractors nowadays. Sadly, it seems it's because of his success. I still to this day use Boston Lager to help BMC drinkers ascend to "real" beer- if they so choose to join us. As a Beer Geek (as opposed to a Beer Snob), I don't care what others drink. Instead, I stand at the ready to help BMC drinkers discover great beer. I also admire Boston Beer Company and Jim Koch for their tremendous success and the fact that they remain independent. Jim has also branched out with great success. Kudos to Jim Koch.
Large breweries have the money to buy up what they wish. However, they can't buy that which is not for sale. Who is to blame? Anyone? Is it a problem? Do you stop drinking a beer because the owner changed? Is there a quality difference after the acquisition? Are there advantages to beer drinkers when big buys small? Food for thought, I think there are as many answers to these questions as there are IPAs in America.
Personally, I drink what I like. I'll try nearly any brew, whether made by Joe down the street (actually Tyler is a better brewer), or by BMC conglomerates. Yet I do take issue with the way the mega-conglomerates abuse their size and power in shelf space, distribution, placement, etc against the little guy. Still, a company has to do something quite offensive for me to avoid them completely. Homebrewing is a great answer too.
A Satisfyingly Delicious Home Brewed IPA
I'm putting the final touches on my "keezer" (a home-made kegerator built from a chest freezer) to take advantage of the knowledge I glean from homebrewtalk.com on a regular basis. My local homebrew shop has been very helpful at getting me up to speed on making highly acceptable beer as well. Beer has a bright future with fantastic organizations behind it. As the Brewers Association, American Homebrewers Association, numerous guilds, forums, and others push for improvement in the beer industry daily, the number of members in our "Beer Geek Nation" continues to increase!
My Oasis Of Cold, Flowing, Home Brewed Beer
Enjoy beer's great diversity (I didn't even mention imports) as you see fit. Cheers!
Today Countless Beer Styles And Choices Abound
Beer, even as popular as it is, currently finds itself in a fluid state (pun slightly intended). Definitions in the brewing world seem to be changing like the weather. Beer Snobs are the most likely to keep up with all the minutiae of these changes to stay at the top of their game, good naturedly ribbing you later with their vast knowledge. While Beer Geeks share a high percentage of DNA with the Beer Snob crowd, I think they are usually more intrigued by the actual design of the beer itself. "How do I make this, only better?" Let's turn to the Brewers Association for some help with the definition of some terms:
According to the Brewers Association, "An American craft brewer is small, independent, and traditional."
Small - "Annual production of 6 million barrels of beer or less (approximately 3 percent of U.S. annual sales). Beer production is attributed to the rules of alternating proprietorships."
Independent - "Less than 25 percent of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by an alcoholic beverage industry member that is not itself a craft brewer."
Traditional - "A brewer that has a majority of its total beverage alcohol volume in beers whose flavor derives from traditional or innovative brewing ingredients and their fermentation. Flavored malt beverages (FMBs) are not considered beers."
Further from the Brewers Association, some concepts associated with craft brewers:
- Craft brewers are small brewers.
- The hallmark of craft beer and craft brewers is innovation. Craft brewers interpret historic styles with unique twists and develop new styles that have no precedent.
- Craft beer is generally made with traditional ingredients like malted barley; interesting and sometimes non-traditional ingredients are often added for distinctiveness.
- Craft brewers tend to be very involved in their communities through philanthropy, product donations, volunteerism and sponsorship of events.
- Craft brewers have distinctive, individualistic approaches to connecting with their customers.
- Craft brewers maintain integrity by what they brew and their general independence, free from a substantial interest by a non-craft brewer.
- The majority of Americans live within 10 miles of a craft brewer.
Craft Beer Industry Market Segments
There are four distinct craft beer industry market segments: brewpubs, microbreweries, regional craft breweries and contract brewing companies.
Microbrewery
"A brewery that produces less than 15,000 barrels (17,600 hectoliters) of beer per year with 75 percent or more of its beer sold off-site. Microbreweries sell to the public by one or more of the following methods: the traditional three-tier system (brewer to wholesaler to retailer to consumer); the two-tier system (brewer acting as wholesaler to retailer to consumer); and, directly to the consumer through carry-outs and/or on-site tap-room or restaurant sales."
Brewpub
"A restaurant-brewery that sells 25 percent or more of its beer on site. The beer is brewed primarily for sale in the restaurant and bar. The beer is often dispensed directly from the brewery's storage tanks. Where allowed by law, brewpubs often sell beer 'to go' and/or distribute to off site accounts. Note: BA re-categorizes a company as a microbrewery if its off-site (distributed) beer sales exceed 75 percent."
Contract Brewing Company
"A business that hires another brewery to produce its beer. It can also be a brewery that hires another brewery to produce additional beer. The contract brewing company handles marketing, sales and distribution of its beer, while generally leaving the brewing and packaging to its producer-brewery (which, confusingly, is also sometimes referred to as a contract brewery)."
Regional Craft Brewery
"An independent regional brewery with a majority of volume in 'traditional' or 'innovative' beer(s)."
Regional Brewery
"A brewery with an annual beer production of between 15,000 and 6,000,000 barrels."
Large Brewery
"A brewery with an annual beer production over 6,000,000 barrels."
EUREKA! What? Still confused? Me too. 10 Barrel, Goose Island, Elysian, Blue Point, Redhook, Kona, Magic Hat, Blue Moon, Shock Top, Pyramid, Leinenkugel, Third Shift... all fit where? How about Ommegang, Southern Tier, Matt's (Saranac), Genesee, Yuengling?
What is your favorite beer? Who brews it? Is it the same brewer/owner as last year? Does it matter? What if your favorite beer is brewed by Bud or Miller-Coors (BMC) and you don't know it?! Gasp! What's with all the large brewers buying those smaller than they, and micros buying micros, or regional---- argh, STOP!
The mergers and acquisitions maze requires real give-a-damn-geekiness to keep up. Goose Island (in my opinion) does NOT make the same beer as before the AB-InBev buyout. I will admit a bias towards smaller brewers, which may have played a role in the taste change I perceived. Can a "sell-out" craft brewer still make good beer? Are they still a craft brewer? I don't prefer smaller brewers because they necessarily make better beer. I'm a huge small business fan and do what I can to support them. However, if they make crappy beer I go elsewhere.
My gateway beer into craft beer, long ago, was Samuel Adams Boston Lager. I also turned many others onto this brew. Jim Koch may have his detractors nowadays. Sadly, it seems it's because of his success. I still to this day use Boston Lager to help BMC drinkers ascend to "real" beer- if they so choose to join us. As a Beer Geek (as opposed to a Beer Snob), I don't care what others drink. Instead, I stand at the ready to help BMC drinkers discover great beer. I also admire Boston Beer Company and Jim Koch for their tremendous success and the fact that they remain independent. Jim has also branched out with great success. Kudos to Jim Koch.
Large breweries have the money to buy up what they wish. However, they can't buy that which is not for sale. Who is to blame? Anyone? Is it a problem? Do you stop drinking a beer because the owner changed? Is there a quality difference after the acquisition? Are there advantages to beer drinkers when big buys small? Food for thought, I think there are as many answers to these questions as there are IPAs in America.
Personally, I drink what I like. I'll try nearly any brew, whether made by Joe down the street (actually Tyler is a better brewer), or by BMC conglomerates. Yet I do take issue with the way the mega-conglomerates abuse their size and power in shelf space, distribution, placement, etc against the little guy. Still, a company has to do something quite offensive for me to avoid them completely. Homebrewing is a great answer too.
A Satisfyingly Delicious Home Brewed IPA
I'm putting the final touches on my "keezer" (a home-made kegerator built from a chest freezer) to take advantage of the knowledge I glean from homebrewtalk.com on a regular basis. My local homebrew shop has been very helpful at getting me up to speed on making highly acceptable beer as well. Beer has a bright future with fantastic organizations behind it. As the Brewers Association, American Homebrewers Association, numerous guilds, forums, and others push for improvement in the beer industry daily, the number of members in our "Beer Geek Nation" continues to increase!
My Oasis Of Cold, Flowing, Home Brewed Beer
Enjoy beer's great diversity (I didn't even mention imports) as you see fit. Cheers!
