What is craft beer?
The Cambridge Dictionary defines craft beer as “beer produced using traditional methods in small, independent breweries,” but most of the breweries we consider established today started out this way. There are no strict criteria for what constitutes a craft beer, but there are some loose guidelines. Criteria include size, independence, taste, and quality, but even these are vague and variable. Perhaps a definition isn't even necessary: craft beers are instantly recognizable by their taste and appearance.
In the United States, however, there is a clear definition of craft beer. The US Brewers Association defines a craft beer brewery as:
small: maximum production of
6 million barrels (approximately 7 million hectoliters) per year independent:
a maximum of 25% of the brewery can belong to a large beverage company
traditional: the brewer must be committed to following traditional and artisanal methods, the taste must not be created by artificial flavors, but must come from “pure” production ingredients.
The artisanal production process
Craft beer production is an art that requires skill, attention to detail, and a love of the craft. It begins with a careful selection of ingredients: malt, hops, yeast, and water. Craft brewers carefully select high-quality ingredients, often from local suppliers, to ensure the best possible taste.
Once the ingredients are combined, the brewing process begins, involving macerating the malt, adding hops, and boiling the wort. Next comes fermentation and maturation, during which the yeast converts the sugars into alcohol and carbonation, giving the beer its characteristic taste and aroma.
Finally, the beer is bottled or put into kegs, ready to be tasted and appreciated by true connoisseurs.
Beer production: the history of its artisans
But how do you define a craft beer?
Beer production, especially craft beer, hasn't always been like this, and its history has seen its ups and downs. It's even been called a true revolution: something that has profoundly shaken up the world of beer.
Ban on beer production
This event began in America in 1978, when President Jimmy Carter signed a law lifting the ban on home brewing. The previous law had banned the production and sale of alcohol. This period lasted approximately 13 years, from 1920 to 1933, and was known as Prohibition.
Before Prohibition, beer production was primarily local. And given the large immigrant population in America, beer also became a way to recognize one's origins; for example, wheat beer in German regions, ale in English regions, and wine in Italian regions.
The American Revolution
At the beginning of the 19th century, there were over 4,000 breweries, and about twenty years after the introduction of Prohibition, only 1,300 remained. Of all these, large-scale production benefited most from mass advertising, which wiped out many small breweries.
After the dark period of “Prohibition,” only a dozen breweries started up again, and surprisingly, most of them only produced Pilsner.
The real revolution came when consumers began looking for different, alternative flavors to Pilsner. Thousands of brewers wasted no time in addressing this shortcoming, beginning to produce different types of beer: from Stout, Porter, and India Pale Ale to Gose and Saison. In doing so, they rediscovered old beer styles and gave them new life.
The growth of home brewing
Beer imports began to increase, and Americans began to get their hands on Belgian beers. Once the beer ban was lifted, hundreds of beer enthusiasts began brewing beer at home, also inspired by the flavors they discovered in imported beers. Some of these enthusiasts turned this hobby into a real profession, giving rise to hundreds of microbreweries. Consumers welcomed this phenomenon with open arms, and with the start of the new millennium, the economy began to grow extremely rapidly.
What does craft beer taste like?
The taste of craft beer is so diverse and varied that there is no single answer to this question. Craft beer is often more aromatic and has a more intense flavor than a “simple” industrial beer.
How to drink craft beer?
Craft beers are meant to be savored and enjoyed properly. They are not meant to be "gulped down." Temperature also plays an important role: the colder the beer, the less the aromas develop.
When drinking, tasting glasses are often used; in fact, there is a glass for each type of beer.
Another big trend is pairing the right craft beer with the right snack. For example, an IPA pairs very well with food.