Craft vs Crafty: The Debate Continues

The good folks at the Brewers Association have gone and changed the definition of a Craft Brewer again. They don’t do it all that often, but when they do it gets nutty in the brew house. Some brewers will breathe a sigh of relief, while others will shake their fists and shout. Beer Sofa isn’t going to point fingers; nor can we blame anyone for their emotional outbursts. This industry is full of people who are nothing if not passionate. Craft vs crafty: the debate continues.

There are three components to the Brewers Association’s definition of a craft brewer: Small, Independent and Traditional.

Small Before: Annual production of 6 million barrels of beer or less. Beer production is attributed to a brewer according to the rules of alternating proprietorships. Flavored malt beverages are not considered beer for purposes of this definition.

Small Now: Annual production of 6 million barrels of beer or less (approximately 3 percent of U.S. annual sales). Beer production is attributed to the rules of alternating proprietorships.

Independent Before: 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.

Independent Now: Independent: Less than 25 percent of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by a beverage alcohol industry member that is not itself a craft brewer.

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

Traditional Now: A brewer that has a majority of its total beverage alcohol volume in beers whose flavor derives from traditional or innovative brewing ingredients and their fermentation. Flavored malt beverages (FMBs) are not considered beers.

So what’s the point of changing the definition of a Craft Brewer? According to the BA, it’s because the times are a changin’. Craft beer is constantly evolving and the BA wants to stay on top of this constantly adjusting industry. That is legitimate.

Let’s be honest: let’s say your favorite neighborhood brewery suddenly no longer met any one of the above guidelines. If the beer they produced was still exactly the same and you had no loss of enjoyment when consuming it, wouldn’t you continue to drink it? Trade organizations exist to help businesses compete and excel within a certain industry. The BA is doing that for their brewers. But let’s not lose sight of the big picture: you should drink whichever beer you like for whatever reasons you have for liking it. Because as we all know: beauty is in the taste of the pint holder.