The Professor offers some points that are worth considering regarding the use, or mis-use of the ‘craft beer’ concept – with Boston Brewing and Sierra Nevada being good examples of large operations still being able to make quality product that is still considered craft-beer.

So then is anything that is not brewed by Miller-Coors / In-Bev considered craft? Is that the threshold? It certainly aids the craft industry to perpetuate the ‘us vs. them’ mindset like its some kind of holy warfare for the souls of millions, but maybe we’re all being duped in a way by clever marketers on both sides of the issue.

I mean, think about all these beer review blogs out there (like this one). They are essentially FREE exposure and advertising for the craft beer industry. How’s it feel to be working for free? Who benefits from a glowing review of a beer that hundreds or thousands of people might read? The blog? Nope.

Still, I agree that people will buy what they like, and hopefully given all the choices available now they will once in awhile try something new.

Great comments!
.-= Scott-TBC´s last blog ..Flying Fish Oktoberfish Beer =-.

I guess it all really boils down to what your definition of “craft” beer is. The problem I have is that I feel that the prevailing arbitrary definition which specifies that the size of the operation determines the “craft” designation is a mis-use of the term. Remember that this designation is basically a marketing tool used and promoted by a segment of the beer industry, the same as any other marketing tool which would be used by bigger trade interests.
I feel this way about the “craft” moniker because as small brewers grow (as the better ones surely do and will continue to do…as the less skilled ones mercifully die off), does that mean that the products of the newly grown companies are no longer “craft” beers?
I hardly think so. Again, and I can’t emphasize enough…the ‘craft’ is in the making of the product. Sierra Nevada and Boston Brewing are certainly no longer small companies and I doubt that anyone would consider their beers as anything other than “craft” product (at least, I would certainly hope not).

Most of all, I disagree with the notion that the Michelob products, Blue Moon, or other such special products made by the bigs or their subsidiary companies are “posing” as “craft” products or anything else. They are special products made by big companies that are looking to recapture tradition and –make no mistake about it–also to cash in on a hot new trend. Nothing at all wrong with that; after all, the growing army of small brewers are doing that too.
I’ve never been an AB fan or apologist, but I’m actually glad InBev-AB is recognizing the growing niche market for specialty and legacy beer “styles” and hiring a new young breed of brewmasters to create these products. Some of the products Michelob line (including the Classic Lager) are fine examples of the brewing arts and beer traditions of years gone by.

Fortunately, the so called “craft” brewing segment has firmly entrenched itself. I have been, and remain a fan (albeit a slightly jaded one lately).
They have proven themselves and the good ones will continue to grow and thrive. There are some great “craft” beers, and some really crappy ones. And also, I don’t think that the smaller brewers are immune from the idea of ‘greed’…there are quite a few “craft” brews out there commanding unwarranted and incredibly high prices, and I suspect that some are priced that way because the brewers know they _can_ charge those prices because of the prevailing hype and consumer trends (though I suspect that the recession is having some impact on the bottom line).

I still maintain that the big breweries re-entry into the making of quality beer is a good thing for both segments of the industry…the big and the small. The small guys will push the boundaries with their sense of adventure and show the bigs that there is no reason to fear flavor, and the big ones will continue to refine the quality control aspects and add consistency and balance to the mix, as well as a finesse that a lot of the really over-the-top-for-the-sake-of-it “craft” brews lack (although that assessment starts getting into the territory of individual taste… A whole ‘nother barfight).
Finally, the bigs will also obviously continue to do what they do very well: cater to the vast majority of the beer drinking public. But with their branding now appearing on new “craft” brews, they will also be introducing new flavor horizons to some beer consumers who perhaps in the past were locked into Light Lager mode…and in turn, they are opening a wider audience to the smaller, local brewers.
So in the end, it’s all good.
It’s pretty simple. Tastes vary, and people will buy what they like and sometimes hopefully will try something new. These days, with so many new small breweries popping up, buying “craft” beer is a real crap shoot (literally, unfortunately).
If the beer is good, and folks like it, people will continue to buy it, regardless of who makes it.
Just my humble opinion. Your results may vary…

Two that come to mind are Leffe and Hoegaarden. While European, and not Craft brewers, they are certainly not mass-produced swill for the grovelling masses either. Possibly, they are even better because they now benefit from larger distribution channels, allowing more people to have the beer than before. Again, devil’s advocate – but I get your point completely.
.-= Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Blue Moon Beer – Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale =-.

Any time you have a brew from a mega brewery like Michelob or A-B, it is about mass appeal. What can they brew that can appeal to the most people, because the bottom line is what they are all about. Of course the craft brewers are interested in this too, but their motives are more for the true advancement of the craft, not just making a profit. At least that is what I would like to think, and the few brewers I have spoken to seem to fit that profile.

So the question is does purchasing of a mega brewery product that is posing as a craft brew ultimately help or hurt the craft brew industry? I would say it hurts more than it helps, because ultimately what they want is to crack the craft brew market hold and pull those buyers back into the mega brewery fold. That is their intent. They have seen the craft brew market reach growing and cutting into their profits, so their movement into the craft brew is not to do anything but to break up the craft brew buyers and get some of them to switch back to macro brew products.

It won’t take too much of this until they begin to break some of the craft breweries. Their margins are much lower, and if they can pull away 10% of their market back to mega brews that might be enough to see many of the craft brewers fold. That is corporate america, and that is what is motivating them. Not making better beer. If they can crack this market they will jack the prices up on the fake craft brews and the rest of us who can’t afford it can go back to drinking their swill. I really didn’t feel this strongly when I began this comment, but as I thought about it, it became clear that their greed is at the center of this and their agenda is clear.

Support you local craft beer makers. Don’t buy the mega crap. Just don’t do it.

-Don
.-= Don´s last blog ..Keep your Pumpkin Beer – I’m a Yam Man! =-.

Michael Reinhardt’s last blog post..Getting Started – Beer Trading (Part 3 of 5)

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…but one other thing: when did 2-row malt become an ‘inferior grain’? I’m guessing that perhaps it was a typo, because the opposite is actually the case. Most of the best beers in the world are made with two row…a lot of them with ONLY two row and nothing else.

That you only gave it 2.5 stars because it was just “good” resonates with me. Often, I feel that people look at a review I’ve done and assume because it gets a 2 star review, the beer in question was “disgusting.” Far from it! Just because a beer gets a low review doesn’t mean I hated it. Typically, if it’s beer, I can find some enjoyment in the product.

I see where the prof is coming from. However, I too see where Mike is coming from. Truth be told, Michelob is unable to truly put out a craft product due to the scope of their consumers, who for the most part go after that American Lager flavor. they are not so interested in craft beer. And craft beer nut will hardly be persuaded to switch to Michelob. So to reach the in-between guy/gal, Michelob has to use inferior grains (a lot of two-row malt) and scrimp a bit on the hops, in order to not charge 12 bucks for a sixer like the craft brewer.

I applaud the fact that Michelob is trying to put out a better product. I do hope their motivation is not strictly profit related, but “for-the-love-of-beer” related. Their products just might persuade someone to try something new: transition beer.

I’ll try any beer. In fact when the economy hit me last year and I was without work, I had to forgo beer. A cold molson ice at my dads house was a treat!

nate’s last blog post..Getting Started – Beer Trading (Part 3 of 5)