Beer School

What is Craft Beer?

You have probably heard the term, “craft beer” thrown around a lot. If you’re not an ultra beer geek, you might not know exactly what that means. Well, it’s time you learned what craft beer means…

What is Craft Beer?

What does “Craft Beer” actually mean?

A craft beer is a beer that is not brewed by one of the big “mega-brewery” corporations. More often than not, when the phrase craft beer is used, this is what it means.

However, it is a rather imprecise thing to define something by what it is not, so let’s take it a bit further…

 

According to the Brewer’s Association and CraftBeer.com a Craft Beer designation comes from a brewery that is:

Small

Annual production of 6 million barrels of beer or less (approximately 3 percent of U.S. annual sales). Beer production is attributed to the rules of alternating proprietorships.

Independent

Less than 25 percent of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by a beverage alcohol industry member that is not itself a craft brewer.

Traditional

A brewer that has a majority of its total beverage alcohol volume in beers whose flavor derives from traditional or innovative brewing ingredients and their fermentation. Flavored malt beverages (FMBs) are not considered beers.

 

If you’re currently in the process of discovering craft beer, check out our post on the #drinkLocal social movement and find out why it’s important to you!

 

Now that you’re in the know about craft beer, you may also like:

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