Has this term of endearment that has meant so much to so many of us as we have grown and changed over the last few years when it comes to our taste in beer become co opted and broken from overuse, misplacement and so much noise?
Seeing things in black and white is what I did when I look at who makes my beer and where my dollars will go when it comes to supporting breweries, the grayness of that decision has grown in the last few years. The call of "craft beer" used to mean being independent of giant, multinational conglomerates that see beer as nothing more than a part of their bottom line at the year end P/L statements and to ensure that stock dividends are met. And while you and I may find Molson or Labatt's beer boring, it is indeed a well made product and maintains consistency no matter where in the world it is brewed or consumed. We are not so much about the beer as the world around our beer that we want to be part of. In your 20s, it was all about the party and being part of that "in crowd". As we have gotten older, we see the shift and want more than just pithy advertising, we want substance and a connection to what we consume when it comes to certain things, beer and food being chief among them.
It isn't just about beer at all, but more and more about the culture shift and community around the breweries than beer itself that has drawn so many like me and you into the fold. It is the people that drive the engine of making the beer, dreamers and creators who want to share their visions with us by the glass. But at the end of the day, all beer is business and their business is to sell us that beer at a profit and in a timely fashion to pay their people, their bills and their suppliers. So it becomes about finding great beer as well as an atmosphere and attitude that makes us feel independent and also part of a movement at the same time. "Craft beer" is cool and knowing that, the macro producers attempt to buy into that market by hook or by crook and time after time, people fall into the circle of not knowing where their beer is made or not caring because they like it or have been given an incentive to do so. The terms around our beer make us feel superior, above the average drinker who doesn't know better and it is that type of snobbery that will keep driving people away and into the arms of he macro producers and their faux craft subsidiaries.
Perhaps we have moved past the term craft beer, although it will continue to be the de-facto designation because it is too well ingrained into the minds of the general public to change overnight. I'd prefer to see the Independent label, much like they've gone to in the US (website here : https://www.brewersassociation.org/independent-craft-brewer-seal/), as a means of truly identifying these standards we would like to see define what craft beer is. What those standards are will be a subject of some debate as large regional and even national brewers will be suspect as their volume grows while maintaining an independent ownership that still feels crafty, the times are changing and we need to figure out the next steps.
Some will say, and have for some time, that it doesn't matter who owns the brewery, that it is the quality of said beer that matters much more. A technical point for a macro purchased craft brewer that is made all the time and not unfairly. If it is about the beer itself, then the quality issue is the only consideration. In "craft beer" though, I have found that the beer is only a component of what draws people into this world. It is the taproom experience, the story behind the beer, the people who work and make it and the community that has grown to surround the world that is this beer. It isn't just about the beer and that is why the descriptions and labels matter so much to those of us who wish to see nothing but more growth and inclusivity into this transformative drinking experience that has shaped and changed how and why we drink beer.
What will we see as the percentages of craft beer drinkers continue to grow? Will more brewers look for exit strategies that involve selling to a macro producer and cashing in on a lifetime of work? Will breweries become legacy projects or sold to the people who work there as a way to keep alive their independence from the big boys of beer? Is all of this just a very first world problem that really is about a luxury and a business that we have turned into community and a proud label to wear? Craft beer drinker or Independent beer drinker? Only time will tell...
Cheers!
Polk
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