NOVEMBER 2011

The purpose of this page is to save us the trouble of explaining what we mean each time we use phrases like ‘craft beer’, ‘good beer’ or ‘craft brewery’. We find those phrases useful even if others find them irritating, or rail at their imprecision.

This page is likely to change as we have our prejudices challenged and learn more about beer and brewing.

Short version

When we say craft beer, we mean a group of beers, including many real ales, which, in our view, are a good thing and deserving of respect.

Calling something a craft beer doesn’t necessarily mean we like the beer in question; just because it isn’t to our taste doesn’t mean it isn’t well made.

Specifics

This post sets out a list of things which might make us feel warmer towards a beer or brewery and thus consider them craft beers or ‘craft brewers’. We’ll use that as a starting point for a new list here.

Craft breweries and craft beers will have some of the following characteristics.

1. They’ll use malts like Maris Otter or even Plumage Archer because they want a particular flavour in their beer, rather than higher-yielding, cheaper varieties. This fact is mentioned on the packaging or on the website.
2. They’ll produce single-hop beers or beers which prominently feature specific hops. Their choice of hops is driven by something other than the market price of hops. It is possible/easy to find out which varieties are used and in which forms (extract, whole leaf, pellet).
3. It is easy to find out where the beer is made — ideally because it is mentioned on the packaging. It does not pretend to be from somewhere else. (I.e. Belgium, Denmark, Newcastle.)
4. The brewers have their names and/or faces on the website or packaging. There are identifiable individuals making the beer. They might even be contactable on Twitter or through their own blogs.
5. They lager or age beer for extended periods even though it’s expensive to do so.
6. Their beers have vintages and change from year to year: they are not entirely focused on consistency.
7. There are signs of innovation led by the brewers rather than marketers or management.
8. The brewers are the management.
9. They brew beer that makes you say “wow”, not “meh”, or “not bad”. (A beer can be 3.8% abv, brown and hopped with Goldings and still make you go “wow”, by the way.)
10. They make a dark beer: they haven’t ceded this ground to Guinness.
11. They don’t use clear bottles.
12. They make cask- or bottle-conditioned beer.