 richarDISNEY  | 29 Mar 2011 12:13 p.m. PST |
Maybe I am just old, but since when is Microbrews now called 'craft' beers? link And they are asking these trendy twenty-something DBs? Heck, none of them have been tossing them back for long, the oldest one was only 28…. Which term do you prefer? Microbrew or Craft beers? Sorry… I take my beer seriously. 
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pphalen  | 29 Mar 2011 12:44 p.m. PST |
I had always distinguished the two as how they were ditributed, but no clear rule as to which constituted which and whether mass-produced beers like Sierra Nevada were still considered micr-brews… |
| TheStarRanger | 29 Mar 2011 1:20 p.m. PST |
The term microbrews has been on the way out for a few years.
First, it really does not describe the difference between the beer the smaller brewers make compared to the industrial lager that the big brewers produce. Craft beer is a term that many feel gives people a better idea of what their product is and why it is different. Second, many of the 'microbreweries' have gotten large enough to considers a small or even a regional brewery. 10,000 barrels per year produciton used to look big but many craft brewers are over 100,000 barrels and some over a million. Still small compared to Bud/Miller/Coors but not quite 'micro' any more. Thus I use 'craft' most of the time but it goes over some peoples heads so I fall back to micro if needed. |
 John the OFM | 29 Mar 2011 1:58 p.m. PST |
Too bad the old timers making Kaiers and Gibbons et al didn't know that they were making Craft Beers.
Every town in the area had their own brewery. Here they thought they were merely slaking the thirst of coal miners! If only they had survived, they would have been selling their craft beers for $6 USD a bottle over the state line.
Now, the same beer has to have a trendy name for the brewery, a cute/complicated name for the brand ("Endless Mountain Blueberry Smoked Chocolate Lager IPA") and a colorful label. What's the best beer? Free and cold, right after you finish mowing the lawn on a hot day. Beer snobs won't agree with me, but the heck with them. |
| richarDISNEY | 29 Mar 2011 1:59 p.m. PST |
Sierra Nevada hit the Macrobrew scale, BTW… Word up, John. I agree with you.
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| pmwalt | 29 Mar 2011 4:17 p.m. PST |
Honestly, I just stick with the term "beer." I really don't care how the brew master or critic describe the brewery itself, but I do care about how the beer tastes. |
 CPT Jake | 29 Mar 2011 5:09 p.m. PST |
I really need to set up my brewing kit and make a batch… It has been years since I have done so. |
 Mapleleaf | 29 Mar 2011 9:20 p.m. PST |
It's all marketing ploys Mass market beers rely on mass advertising . Lesser available beer or smaller labels need a presentation factor so a "craft beer" label makes it seem different and "trendoids" will have a go. |
| pphalen | 30 Mar 2011 3:15 a.m. PST |
Good point, Mapleleaf.
If you label it craft beer, then you can charge $10 USD for a four pack… |
| Klebert L Hall | 30 Mar 2011 4:44 a.m. PST |
It's trendy buzzword vs. trendy buzzword. There's no content, so picking the "moral high ground" becomes difficult.
-Kle. |
| gweirda | 30 Mar 2011 4:48 p.m. PST |
For me, it's quality. The $$ I spent on a bourbon-barrel-aged stout was well worth it, because the taste/experience paid out. You gets what you pays for. |
| stenicplus | 04 Apr 2011 7:06 a.m. PST |
What's the best beer? The one I'm drinking at the time. |
| Last Hussar | 04 Apr 2011 8:23 a.m. PST |
In the UK its 'Real', to distinguish it from the urine that you is cold. |
