Comments on: What The Hell Does Craft Beer Mean Anyways? A New Definition Arises… http://www.beerscribe.com/2008/05/12/what-the-hell-does-craft-beer-mean-anyways/ Dedicated to the art, complexity, and business of beer... Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:23:56 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Jeff http://www.beerscribe.com/2008/05/12/what-the-hell-does-craft-beer-mean-anyways/comment-page-1/#comment-261 Jeff Tue, 13 May 2008 15:53:50 +0000 http://www.beerscribe.com/2008/05/12/what-the-hell-does-craft-beer-mean-anyways/#comment-261 So a market dominating product can never be a craft beer? They are mutually exclusive? I just don't buy that that is inherently true. I think "craft" is more of an evaluation of the quality of the product and the care in designing and making it. That quality and quantity don't happen to correlate is more of a function of business than the nature of the beer ITSELF. And the phrase is "craft beer" not "craft business". Moreover, a definition that excludes quantity in its entirety wouldn't need to be revised "when things reach a point that Blue Moon outsells Coors Light" - Blue Moon either is, or is not, a craft beer. And how much they sell of it shouldn't have any bearing on it. So a market dominating product can never be a craft beer? They are mutually exclusive? I just don’t buy that that is inherently true.

I think “craft” is more of an evaluation of the quality of the product and the care in designing and making it.

That quality and quantity don’t happen to correlate is more of a function of business than the nature of the beer ITSELF. And the phrase is “craft beer” not “craft business”.

Moreover, a definition that excludes quantity in its entirety wouldn’t need to be revised “when things reach a point that Blue Moon outsells Coors Light” – Blue Moon either is, or is not, a craft beer. And how much they sell of it shouldn’t have any bearing on it.

]]> By: Andy http://www.beerscribe.com/2008/05/12/what-the-hell-does-craft-beer-mean-anyways/comment-page-1/#comment-260 Andy Tue, 13 May 2008 13:20:50 +0000 http://www.beerscribe.com/2008/05/12/what-the-hell-does-craft-beer-mean-anyways/#comment-260 The limited quantities portion is an important way to differentiate between the market dominating products of of larger brewers and their smaller releases. BeerAdvocate defines this term to mean: "Limited Quantities - Refers to the volume of production per brand against the industry as a whole. To apply a specific volume would be arbitrary and subject to change, as fails to take shifts in industry volumes into consideration." When things reach a point that Blue Moon outsells Coors Light, then we may not have a need for either definition any more... The limited quantities portion is an important way to differentiate between the market dominating products of of larger brewers and their smaller releases. BeerAdvocate defines this term to mean: “Limited Quantities – Refers to the volume of production per brand against the industry as a whole. To apply a specific volume would be arbitrary and subject to change, as fails to take shifts in industry volumes into consideration.”

When things reach a point that Blue Moon outsells Coors Light, then we may not have a need for either definition any more…

]]> By: Jeff http://www.beerscribe.com/2008/05/12/what-the-hell-does-craft-beer-mean-anyways/comment-page-1/#comment-259 Jeff Tue, 13 May 2008 13:13:48 +0000 http://www.beerscribe.com/2008/05/12/what-the-hell-does-craft-beer-mean-anyways/#comment-259 Not that I'm trying to plug my own site, but I think this is a fascinating issue and have dealt with it a few times (http://www.madisonbeerreview.com/search/label/craft). For my $.02, I don't think the BA definition is any better. Why does there HAVE to be limited quantity? It seems to me that the primary recognition of a "craft" brewery is quality and art over quantity. But one can have that focus and still HAVE quantity. Granted the two don't typically align, there's no reason why they can't. In speaking with most "craft" brewers, the "limited quantity" is less because they have some high-minded notion of keeping their beer rare, than that they can't financially support releasing higher quantities. So, what's "limited quantities"? 20000 bbls? 50000? 100000? 1 mil? 2 mil? 5 mil? And why that number over any other number? That's why I think it's better to just have a definition that exists irrespective of quantity or ownership. Not that I’m trying to plug my own site, but I think this is a fascinating issue and have dealt with it a few times (http://www.madisonbeerreview.c.....abel/craft).

For my $.02, I don’t think the BA definition is any better.

Why does there HAVE to be limited quantity? It seems to me that the primary recognition of a “craft” brewery is quality and art over quantity. But one can have that focus and still HAVE quantity. Granted the two don’t typically align, there’s no reason why they can’t.

In speaking with most “craft” brewers, the “limited quantity” is less because they have some high-minded notion of keeping their beer rare, than that they can’t financially support releasing higher quantities.

So, what’s “limited quantities”? 20000 bbls? 50000? 100000? 1 mil? 2 mil? 5 mil? And why that number over any other number? That’s why I think it’s better to just have a definition that exists irrespective of quantity or ownership.

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