Times are changing in the Craft Beer world and there’s a battle going on between real Craft Brewers and the “so-called” craft brewers. For quite some time now the big multi-national breweries have been producing different beers in their line up and calling them “craft beer”. What my column is going to delve into is the difference between real authentic Craft Beer and the “crafty” beer that is produced in these mega breweries. These mega multi-national breweries produce some good beer (I really don’t think so but I’ve been told) and market these beers as Craft Beer. I’m not trying to sway your opinion one way or another but just trying to give you some knowledge to make your own decisions.
One thing that these mega breweries have done over the last few years is purchase some real craft breweries. These breweries then have the monetary backing, marketing budgets, and distribution network that the real Craft Breweries do not have. Do these purchased breweries still make good beer? That’s up to you to decide but these mega breweries are very good at making you think that you drinking real Craft Beer. Quite often the beer that used to be produced in these smaller breweries is now brewed in the mega breweries so they can get more of their crafty beer to you. Why do these mega breweries do this? Simple, they are having their market share cut into by real indepently-owned small Craft Breweries and they do not like it!
In upcoming columns I will explain who some of these crafty breweries are and pass on some more knowledge so that you can make an informed decision when purchasing your beer. You decide, Craft or “crafty”? Cheers!
