What is a Craft Beer? Knowing the beer name & brand used to be enough but sadly this is not the case anymore.
Big beer like Anheuser-Bush InBev (AB INBev) has set a course to fool uneducated beer drinkers.
AB InBev have disguised themself as mock craft breweries by creating brands that resembles craft beer or by purchasing other craft breweries.
Breweries such as Kona Brewing, Goose Island Beer, Devils Backbone, Wicked Weed Brewing and Karbach Brewing, Red Hook, Omission Brewing, Appalachian Mountain Brewery & Cisco Brewers … just to name a few.
These companies are directly and/or indirectly involved with AB InBEV through the Craft Brew Alliance.
So what is considered a Craft Beer? According to the American Brewers Association, craft beer is one that is created by a “small and independent brewer.” Simply put, craft beer is a beer that has been independently brewed in a facility that does not produce more than six million barrels of beer per year. This leads to an alternative brewing and fermentation process. Using a traditional base of malted barley, the craft brewer thoughtfully adds different ingredients to come up with an inimitable flavor for the brew.
There is also a special rule for ownership, in that, at least 75% of the brewery must be owned by someone who is actually an independent craft brewer.
This rule guarantees that mega-breweries cannot take over craft breweries, thus maintaining the unique status of the smaller brew and allowing for special techniques.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, knowledge is power. Learning more about things you care about it’s always a good idea. You don’t have to become a beer snob to make an educated decision. When it comes to beer, you just have to know enough because you may think you are drinking a craft beer but you might not be. Knowing the difference it’s key.
Raymond
