Who thinks the “Craft Beer Revolution” is petering out? It seems to me that human nature always follows a pattern–the first thought: “We are different! We aren’t like the ‘Giant Commercial Breweries.’ We really care about our beer and it’s made with love and real ingredients. You should buy our beer, because it’s better.” Next comes the realization … “Wow. This is hard work. I’m not making near enough money to live on. Why aren’t people coming in here and buying my beers? Don’t they know I’m not like those other guys?” Finally, the transition. “I guess I need to make something that folks will buy. I also need to use fewer ingredients in my beer to save money. I know people are trying to be more conscious of what they drink. I can help.”
This explains to me why every “Craft Brewery” is now making a “Light Lager.” What’s the point?
I get passion. It was evident in many of the early start-up breweries in the 80’s–the so-called “Craft Beer” beginning. But, come on. Almost every brewery (besides those started by very wealthy people) started as “Craft Breweries.” All the stories run along the same line … it started on a shoestring. It found success in a flagship beer that people liked. The race was on to keep up with demand. There isn’t a brewery out there (AB, Coors, Lone Star, etc) that didn’t start as Craft. I would argue that they are still “Craft.” Yes, they have perfected the production aspect of beer making, but they are still providing something “artfully made.” They have a recipe, they follow the process — they mash, they boil, they add hops. They ferment. There really is no difference. The people who work there are as passionate about their beer production as any other brewery — large or small.
The two main differences between “Craft Breweries” and the “Large Breweries” (in my opinion) are: 1) You always know what you get with the Large Guys; 2) It probably costs less money. If I am just looking for a light lager, I’ll choose the one I know. I will pick it for the least amount of money. Because, in the long run, it truly is just about the money. The only people I know who brew for the pleasure of it are home brewers–and sometimes I doubt even that.
Don’t get me wrong — I love “Craft Beer.” But, really, I like good beer and for a reasonable price. I don’t care who makes it … more often than not, it’s been me making it lately.
Simply Beer 