What Is Craft Beer You Ask? It’s Beer

Along with artisanal and small-batch, craft is an adjective that is clearly effective from a marketing standpoint, as it has become ubiquitous in the modern metropolitan experience. You’ve probably been to one of those places with the wooden bar and the chalkboard full of beer choices listing the location of origin, ABV, and IBU of each one. Craft beer paradise. But have you ever paused to ask yourself—what is craft beer exactly? Here’s a quick primer.

 

Beer

In order to answer the question, we need to first go through a few basics about beer, assisted by A History of the World in 6 Glasses.

According to the fascinating book, humans may have discovered the utility of cereal grains as a source of nutrition around 10,000 BCE. The fact that these grains could be stored proved particularly helpful, perhaps encouraging a shift from a nomadic lifestyle to more permanent settlements. It probably didn’t take long to realize that some moisture could lead to sweetness—the modern term is malting, where enzymes convert starch in the grains into more simple sugars. And from there, the fermentation of these sugars into alcohol by wild yeast wasn’t far, nor was the discovery that the resultant concoction (i.e. beer) could get you drunk.

Ancient civilizations for which we have written records, like the Sumerians of Mesopotamia and the Egyptians (we’re talking somewhere around 4000 – 3000 BCE), developed several cultural traditions associated with beer. Of course, the beer-making process would be refined significantly over many centuries, with hops entering the mix for flavor and preservation, and tons of knowledge being acquired regarding different types of yeast. But despite all this refinement, the bottom line remains that beer is simply a non-distilled alcoholic beverage made through the strategic combination of malted grains, water, hops, and yeast. Which leads us back to the initial question…

 

What Is Craft Beer?

As the title of this piece indicates, craft beer is…beer. The applied adjective has much more to do with the brewery that makes the product, specifically the quantity produced and the ownership model.

Per the Brewers Association, an American trade group, a craft brewery is a small brewery that produces less than 6,000,000 barrels per year, or about three percent of annual U.S. beer sales, thus allowing for some flexibility. (One barrel is the equivalent of two full size kegs, or 31 gallons of beer. Expressed in terms of 12-ounce servings, one barrel would be about 330 of those.) A second part of the definition emphasizes independence, meaning that any ownership or control by a non-craft brewery must amount to less than 25 percent. Finally, a craft brewery must have an Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau Brewer’s Notice and brew beer.

It can probably be assumed that craft beer, in turn, must come from a craft brewery. In 2020, about 12.3 percent of the U.S. beer market by volume and about 24 percent by dollar sales fell under this umbrella.

Although the definition of craft beer (as extrapolated from the definition of craft brewery) has nothing to do with quality, the craft beer industry has become known for an emphasis on innovative flavors and techniques. Craft breweries can have a small but loyal following, aided in part by artful label designs, direct brewer to customer relations, and consumer desire to support local business. It’s not uncommon for craft breweries to become entrenched in their local communities, providing, among other things, gainful employment. (Of course, not all is rosy, as the movement has occasionally been criticized for promoting gentrification.)

Over the years, many craft breweries have been bought by one of the big boys, technically making the acquired company no longer a craft brewery. This practice, in addition to affecting the mystique of craft brewers, has raised concern about anti-competitive practices. Such concerns have been amplified by the sway that larger beverage companies have over distributors and retailers, perhaps limiting the visibility of smaller players.

 

Other Terms

While we’re on the topic, there are a few other terms that may come up from time to time in the craft beer world. Here is a super brief (American) glossary. Beware that definitions can change at any time.

Regional Craft Brewery

A craft brewery that makes between 15,000 and 6,000,000 barrels per year.

Microbrewery

A craft brewery that produces less than 15,000 barrels per year and sells 75 percent or more of its beer off site (less than 25 percent on site).

Brew Pub

A craft-beer-centric establishment that sells 25 percent or more of its beer on site and operates significant food services.

Taproom

A craft-beer-centric establishment that sells 25 percent or more of its beer on site and does not have significant food services.

Contract Brewing Company

A beer company that hires another brewer to make the beer.

Nanobrewery

A really small craft brewery without a formal definition but often producing beer in batches of three barrels or less.

 

If you only want to remember one thing, just remember that craft beer comes from a craft brewery, whose somewhat arbitrary definition includes smallness and independence. Even better, you can scrap all this, leave the debates up to beer people, and enjoy your beverage in peace.