Greetings Life of Dad Community!
Welcome to The Beer Guy’s 4th week of writing beer reviews and responding to reader mail.
Top 5 Craft Brewing Companies (based on 2011 beer sales volume)
By now, most of you have realized that the beers being reviewed are not your normal, run-of-the-mill beers. That’s right, most of the beers receiving reviews are created by craft breweries or microbreweries. What is a Craft Beer Brewery, you ask? According to Todd Allström, co-founder of BeerAdvocate, “a global, grassroots network, powered by an independent community of beer enthusiasts and industry professionals who are dedicated to supporting and promoting beer,” the definition is “debatable.” The Brewers Association, an organization of 1,400 US breweries, 30,000 homebrewers, as well as others in the industry, defines craft breweries as:
- Small: Annual production of beer less than 6 million barrels. Beer production is attributed to a brewer according to the rules of alternating proprietorships. Flavored malt beverages are not considered beer for purposes of this definition.
- Independent: Less than 25% of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by an alcoholic beverage industry member who is not themselves a craft brewer.
- Traditional: A brewer who has either an all malt flagship (the beer which represents the greatest volume among that brewers brands) or has at least 50% of its volume in either all malt beers or in beers which use adjuncts, such as rice or corn, to enhance rather than lighten flavor.
Allström suggests this definition is “for their organization, not the rest of the world or (for) what craft beer is.” This definition means breweries such as Magic Hat and Pyramid, technically, do not fall into the “craft brewing” category, due to their ownership by North American Breweries (NAB). They are not deemed “independent” because NAB is owned by a private equity fund, not a craft brewer.
All semantics aside, more discussion and debate should be focused on what the true definition of a craft beer is…but not now. The fact of the matter is this, craft brewing is growing.
“In the last 15 years, craft brewing has gone from one percent of the overall beer market to almost six percent in 2011,” said Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association.
And it continues to grow. Let’s face it, breweries that should be deemed “craft breweries” are not included in that growth statistic, and new ones continue to open. The future is bright for craft brewing.
And this is the reason I am reviewing them—to introduce you to beers perhaps not fully stocked at the grocery store, encourage you to try something different, and maybe next time you’re filling your coozies with beers for a barbecue with the pals, you can bring them something new to try. Recently, I was inspired by a friend’s enthusiasm for polskie kasyna, and how they showcased unique Polish flavors and regional offerings. It reminded me of the individual stories, science, love, and care that go into crafting a good beer. Over the next month or so, I hope to bring you more on this journey, with interviews and discussions with home brewers, new breweries, and industry professionals.
In the meantime, go try a “non-macrobrew” you haven’t heard of. Try something new. Go to the American Craft Beer Fest, being held June 1-2 in Boston, or experience one of the many other beer festivals that go on throughout the year. Join a Beer of the Month Club. Fellow Life of Dad Man Cave member and fellow blogger, Trey Flynn, recommends Amazing Clubs. (By the way, check out Trey’s story about his son Holden here. It’s quite touching.) Do it. Do all of this right now. Don’t be normal. Don’t be run-of-the-mill. Be part of the 6%. Be unique. Then, come back and tell The Beer Guy all about it. You’ll be happy you did…and so will your kids.
Now let’s open the mailbag…
Beer Guy – I notice your reviews are not categorized according to traditional evaluation categories (appearance, smell, taste, mouthfeel & overall). How come? – Linc (Moorpark, CA)
Linc – While you are correct that I don’t break out my review with these categories specifically headlined, I do try to analyze each of these in my reviews. The goal of my reviews is to combine the writing with the review. I want to tell a story of my experience, while addressing all of these senses and overall opinion, without appearing too analytical. Kudos to you for knowing the categories! TBG
Beer Guy – Is there a perfect 7 of 7 (Life of Dad Beer Champion) beer out there? Thanks. – Sean (Bloomington, MN)
Sean – Great question because I go back and forth on the methodology of my rating system. If I sit down and have a kick-ass beer and rate it a Life of Dad Beer Champion, can there be any better beers? I’m sidestepping the question here, but look forward to the pursuit of the perfect beer. TBG
Beer Guy – I agree with your sentiments on your Beer Guy Review #2 (Discord Dark IPA). Thanks for the suggestion of trying the beer different ways. – Cole (Billings, MT)
Thanks, Cole! Can’t wait to get my hands on some Big Sky if I’m in Montana, or through one of the many online beer retailers out there. Room temperature or cold..out of the glass or out of the bottle…beer is what you make of it. Enjoy it! TBG
Thanks for all the interest, e-mail and Tweets! Keep them coming and keep an eye out for The Beer Guy’s weekly beer review, this Thursday.
So, what do you think? Send me a note at The Beer Guy’s mailbag, TheBeerGuy@lifeofdad.com. You can follow me on Twitter (@TheBeerGuyLOD) and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/TheBeerGuyLOD) as well .
About The Beer Guy – A dad, husband, friend and drinker of beer. I review & blog about it all on LifeOfDad.com, the premiere social networking website for Dads. The Beer Guy enjoys IPA’s and Pilsner’s, but will really try any kind of beer. You may disagree on some of his opinions. Let The Beer Guy know. Reviews are published on Thursdays. The mailbag is open on Tuesdays. Read more here to learn about The Beer Guy, who he is and his beer rating methodology.
The Beer Guy, and Life of Dad, promote responsible drinking. Never drink and drive.