BeerStyle - Craft Beer

What is Craft Beer?

To put it simply, we believe "Craft Beer" is the art and science of making better beers. It
involves the passion, innovation and technique of the brewer to reinvent time tested styles
or create new styles.

Craft brewers, in general, will spare no expenses to produce their beers. The brewmaster
select ingredients of the finest quality, carefully supervises production, and avoid the use
of cost-cutting techniques and ingredients. All for the sole purpose of maximizing the
flavor, appearance and aroma of the beer.

The table below shows a simple comparison between craft beer and mass produced
beer. It's purpose is not to show that craft beer is a better choice over mass market beer.
They serve two different market segments and two different purposes.

Life's Short, Drink Better Beer

BEERSTYLE

CRAFT BREWER: An American craft brewer is small, independent, and traditional.

Small = Annual production of beer less than 2 million barrels. Beer production is
attributed to a brewer, according to the rules of alternating proprietorships. FMBs
(Flavored Malt Beverages) are not considered beer, for purposes of this definition.

Independent = Less than 25% of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent
economic interest) by an alcoholic beverage industry member who is not themselves a
craft brewer.

Traditional = A brewer who has either an all-malt flagship (the beer which represents
the greatest volume among that brewer's brands) or has at least 50% of its volume in
either all malt beers or in beers that use adjuncts to enhance rather than lighten flavor.

Source: BREWERS ASSOCIATION

CRAFT BEER	MACRO OR INDUSTRIAL BEER
Handcrafted in small batches	Mass produced
Brewed for maximum taste and aroma	Likely to be served at a temperature so cold that the aromas and flavors are subdued
Available in over 70 different beer styles	Tends to be confined within the pale Lager category.
Usually available in single or 6 packs in bottle form. Vintage types are also available and would be good for cellaring	Available in single, 6 packs to 24-cartons in cans and bottles form
May taste different over different production batches. This is because craft brewers tend to put priority on great tasting beer than being consistent.	Excellent quality control. This is because when dealing with a product with a light taste, any fluctuation from the norm could be highly noticable
Ingredient selection is an integral part of the craft brewing process as is the purity of yeasts or other cultures	Brewed with more common ingredients and may contain rice or corn, artificial color, artificial flavors, thickeners or extracts
Tends to be not pasteurized as pasteurization tends to dull the flavour, flatten the taste and interfere with the carbonation process	Tends to be pasteurized to maximize shelf life