We’re going to talk mostly about Craft Beer here in The Beer Lounge. There’s a big difference.
So let’s leave industrial beer (Anheuser-Busch Inbev/Miller/Labatt, Molson Coors, and the like) to the mainstream consumer. We’re here to talk about small batch, natural, and innovative brewing for beer enthusiasts.
So what is craft beer? It’s beer that’s produced by a small brewery and is almost always composed of only natural ingredients. In contrast, most big breweries add dozens of chemicals. The differences are enormous. Official definitions vary, but in Ontario a craft brewery produces less than 400,000 HL, and is independently owned.
Subjectively speaking, I see craft beer as having been produced with natural brewing techniques, having only a few ingredients (4 or 5), and that carries a connotation (if this were about food) of “home cooking,” vs “fast-food.” Craft beers have flavor, freshness, verve and spirit!
Only a few ingredients: Craft breweries use only malt, hops, yeast, and water for brewing (unless they do a flavored beer). Unlike industrial beer, no artificial additives are added. Compared with industrial beer, a craft brew is much more natural. Flavors are fresh. The brewing process for craft beer is often measured in weeks rather than days.
So let’s raise a glass to Craft Beer! Enjoy the abundance of craft beers available in the marketplace. Each one has its own character and charm. — Here’s my post about Sleeping Giant Brewing, an outstanding example of a craft brewery.
The Wine Baron & Beer Lounge Regular