When is Craft Beer not Craft Beer? (When a large brewer takes over brewing a "craft beer"?)

[vince costanzo]

This question has perplexed me for some time now and I know it is a very emotional issue for some "craft" beer drinkers and small craft microbrewers.
But before we get all emotional perhaps we should look at what craft beer is on a technical basis and then see where all the emotion is coming from. Is that emotion justified and if so is there anything that can be done to separate "true craft brewed beer" from those that just want to make millions.

The Oxford dictionary defines craft as follows;
noun
an activity involving skill in making things by hand:
the craft of cobbling
[mass noun]:
art and craft
(crafts) work or objects made by hand:
the shop sells local crafts
(as modifier craft)
a craft fair
[in singular] the skills in carrying out one’s work:

The first sentence probably relates to beer more closely than other definitions; "an activity involving skill in making things by hand".

So it may be that the skill of the brewer in designing and executing his craft in making a unique beer is the crux of making a "craft" beer. It appears that there is an amount of art or invention involved and then knowing how to carry out and reach the goal initially envisaged by the brewer that defines a craft beer. But more than that it is a unique beer that discerning drinkers can enjoy and reflect on that uniqueness. Its the emotion it evokes and that is different for every drinker so it is a personal experience.
It's like a piece of art that can be interpreted differently by the beholder that makes a fine painting.

But let us not forget that brewing beer is also a well established science and in my opinion probably more so than even winemaking. It matters not whether its craft beer or mass produced beer the same scientific principle apply to making beer.

So if we put it all together making beer in general is both an art and a science. Perhaps making craft beer is a romantic pusuit in that those doing it may consider it being more of an art than science.

And you would not blame homebrewers thinking that when they start out in their shed. It is a very attractive proposition and why would you need to know all the science; surely that is for the big boys who pump out millions of litres of sameness and blandness.

But the big boys are now recognising the growth in the craft beer sector and are they "muddying" the waters with their own versions of craft beer? Are their beers technically any less inferior to those produced by the independent, small craft brewer?

One just has to look at microbrewers such as James Squire, Little Creatures, or Emerson's in Dunedin to recognise that they had started small, were independent and successfully producing great craft beer. But when taken over by large brewers had their technical and artistic merit changed. Certainly not and in fact their consistency probably would have received an injection of help from the mother company.
I would argue that technically the beer hasn't changed in most cases and now benefits with a better and wider distribution network so that it reaches the consumer in a fresher state and become more available to all. This cannot be a bad thing.

But many argue that because the multi-nationals are deceiving the public by not being transparent and declaring the name of the mother company it is unlikely for the unsuspecting consumer to make an informed decision as to whether they want to make a stand against them purely because it may disadvantage the small struggling microbrewer.

This very argument forms part of the current affairs program aired last year on the ABC program Landline.

Although I understand their sentiments are we just crying over spilt milk? Yes, there are challenges for the new start up microbrewer but isn't that the case in any type of small business. Don't a number of small businesses close their doors in the first 5 years after opening?

Yes, the big companies have a distinct advantage over the small company both in their experience, huge sales force, competitiveness and ability to purchase raw materials at bulk pricing. But that is as a consequence of capitalism, is it not?

Recently, Blue Moon has become one of the most successful "craft" beers in the US. It has raised controversy because it is owned by MillerCoors and the small microbrewers are crying foul as did the Craft Brewers Association (CBA), who black-listed them (but later reneged).

According to the CBA Craft brewers are "small, independent and traditional". But the emergence of Blue Moon has raised the level of awareness of that style of beer, "Villa, who has a doctorate in brewing from Belgium and tours the world talking about Blue Moon's pedigree, said the beer has been instrumental in recruiting consumers into craft beers, especially Belgian white." If so, and it would appear to make sense, the small brewers have also benefited in that more people are now set in their quest to seek out more craft beers resulting in increased sales for the small microbrewer.

And furthermore the company (Blue Moon) has sponsored the annual Great American Beer Festival in Denver. Apparently, no-one is complaining about that.

I have considered the pros and cons of craft beer produced by the small, independent producer and the large multi-national brewer but I am still finding it hard to side with either of them.

But I guess my strongest driver comes from my training in Science and looking at the objective difference and merits of what craft beer is; and that is one that is designed to add flavour and enjoyment when consumed with a variety of foods in the company of good friends. So I guess I look at the end in mind first before considering who produces it as long as the producers do no harm to anyone in the process, and act in fair competition which is usually regarded as healthy in a society such as ours.

But I do detest unscrupulous actions by big companies (or anyone for that matter) that put the publican or retailer of beer at ransom and in an uncompromising position to take their beer.

Maybe the decision comes down to the individual and even though the big companies choose not to label the parentage of that beer news travels fast enough these days because of the net and social media that it would not be long before you find out who the producer is.

If you are still opposed and offended by the large brewers then it is unlikely you can influence the big companies entry into this segment. All you can do is boycott their beers.

And if you are still unsure about it all maybe just apply this test; if you were offered a job at a large brewery would you take it or reject it? In fact you could apply the same principle to any industry, whether it be insurance, accounting, mining or whatever.

But one thing is for sure. The controversy will keep raging and sales and awareness of this new phenomenon will continue to grow at an incredible rate for many more years. And perhaps one day the majority of beer will be craft beer and the insipid offering will be in the minority. Then someone will come up with the novel idea of starting a brewery that produces easy-drinking lager style beers once again.

Brought to you by Costanzo Brewing Consultants
Better Brewing, Better Beer
[phone]

[Smiffy]

Do we want a legal definition of "craft beer", I think not. I don't think CAMRA's definition of "real ale" is helpful any more although it was in the early days as it distinguished "live" beer from mass produced slops.

I think it would be a good start if beer labels had to be truthful, e.g. if it were illegal to call a lager an India pale ale (and you all know what I'm talking about). If you want to campaign on something, start there.

Smiffy

[Peter Smith]

I think its all about the taste perception,  some of the US west coast brewers are "commercial" scale by our NZ standards, but their beer is still considered craft.   If the beer tastes good then its been made by a craftsman.  

If it tastes good then people will buy it, doesn't matter what the label says on it.    Commercial breweries sell what people buy,   most people are actually just purchasing alcohol not beer.      Many alcohol purchasers baulk at the price of real craft beer.   This isn't the fault of the breweries its more a reflection on the binge drink to your drunk on the least $ possible culture in NZ.

Correct me if I am wrong but isn't the sale of premixer alcopops, like Woody's, still a bigger commercial segment then craft beer in NZ? 

[Dyl]

this is making me emotional

[Robert McLeod]

I think if we're going to use the term craft, then we need to talk about what a craftsperson actually does. I'm going to make a long rambling analogy here .... indulge me for a moment if you will .... 

Yes - craftspeople make things, sometimes with their hands, sometimes with machines. But one of the key components of any craft is the materials they use. These materials can determine whether one is a stonemason, a carpenter, a painter, a plasterer and so forth. In effect, the materials are core to determining the craft itself.

Within that craft there are often sub-materials, these may have different purposes and properties. e.g: A carpenter wouldn't generally use a soft wood where a hard wood is required (or indeed mandatory to the style of furniture if they were a furniture maker)

So, making an 'Oak dresser' out of pine wont fly, neither will staining it to make it look that way, which is even worse. Making a pine dresser out of pine, however, is fine. Making an Oak dresser out of oak, is also fine. Making an avant garde piece of furniture out of different materials is also fine, so long as you are honest about your materials.

Honesty about ones materials is, to my mind, a fundamental principal of craft, be it furniture, stonemasonry or beer.

With that in mind, the only way the consumer will ever know whether the brew they have in their hand is 'craft' or 'faux-craft' would be if your favourite tipple contained a complete list of ingredients, and listing the beer style it should fit in would be great as well. By a 'complete list' I mean a *complete* list, every single thing that the brewer/y adds or takes away. Quantities don't necessarily need to be listed, but they should list everything thats in it.

If it was mashed, vorlaufed, lautered, sparged, boiled, hopped, crashed and innoculated and so forth - then isnt that the craft of making beer? If the materials are such that the grain and hop bill matches a style or profile, then it is material honesty?

To my way of thinking, the beer fails to be craft when the source of material inputs cant be guaranteed, e.g: hop essence, malt extract, unnamed colour additions, vaguely named chemicals, the use of corn sugar in place of a base malt.

I'm not saying home brewers that use extract are not craft brewers, I'm saying that breweries that use a pre processed form of material are no more craft brewers than McDonalds are a fine restaurant. It doesn't preclude them from brewing a craft beer though.

So as a wee though experiment, what would you consider of a Black IPA that uses Sinamar as an ingredient for the colour - craft or faux? Lets break this into two scenarios.

Scenario one: the brewery is a multi national, well known for fizzy tasteless yellow stuff passed off as different styles of beer, when in fact they are all the same style, just with different colour additions and flavour additions. In this instance they used real grain, with real hops and real yeast. This is brewed properly. The only difference is they used Sinamar.

Scenario two: The brewery in question is a celebrated craft brewery that is well known both domestically and internationally and continue to push the envelope of beer styles and are considered to be the cool kids at school. This is a brew using real hops, real yeast and real grain, but with Sinamar being used solely as a colourant.

So - which is craft and which is faux?

[Peter Smith]

The people will decide, based on taste, in both cases it wont be the cheapest beer in the chillor so its going to have to offer a taste experience better then the competition.

[Chad Keven]

Craft

[Chad Keven]

Beer

[Chad Keven]

Is

[Chad Keven]

Dead

[Chad Keven]

Just make/enjoy/taste beer that you like why debate? Wheres it gonna get us?