Does Extreme Beer Really Exist?

The past several years, it seems as though our industry wants to apply a definition to “extreme beer.” I would pose this question first: Does it even exist? To say that the advancement of our industry and its products require a new term seems wrong to me. Step away from the beer world for a minute and explore the bigger picture of the industry as a whole. Virtually all industries either provide a service or product. Throughout the evolution of industry, businesses have continually improved their services or products they provide in an effort to stay profitable and evolve in an ever-changing consumer climate.

Let’s look at the computer industry for instance. Computers of the early ’80s were nothing compared to what’s available today. Now they are much more powerful, pack way more memory and are significantly more efficient. Are these “extreme” computers? Or simply the evolution of this particular industry’s growth? In an effort to stay competitive and expand their companies, businesses like Microsoft and Apple have continued to educate, explore and push themselves to create a better product. This very life cycle exists in all industries virtually everywhere, including the beer industry. If this cycle did not exist, we might still be cranking our cars over by hand to start them up.

This example leads me to ponder the question: Why is it that industries worldwide continue to evolve and improve their products without the cliché of being termed “extreme”? What we small brewers, in particular those of us deemed “extreme,” are simply doing is advancing our industry to newer and greater heights. This is the natural evolution of our industry, as found in any throughout history.

I think perhaps one contributing factor for our desire to define this advancement comes from the fact that our industry, perhaps unlike others, has been relatively stagnant for several hundred years. Let’s face it—Old World brewing techniques have existed since the 1500s and really have not been challenged to a great extent until the craft beer movement arrived. For this very reason, maybe we do need to give a name to this movement. We have shaken up the traditional beer world, and every good revolt requires a catchy name. “Craft” worked for a while, but the renegades who have gone to the next level now need a name for their revolt; thus enters “extreme beer.”

This all seems to make some sense to me, but don’t forget to stop and ask yourself what it is that all of us are doing in this industry? We are simply making beer, not as it was made 3,000 years ago nor as the computer or automobile was just 25 years ago. As much as these latter industries have grown and advanced their technologies and ultimately their product lines, so have we. To brand upward movement in product development “extreme” is counterintuitive to the very core of enterprise itself. The essence of invention is to improve upon the industry standard. Those industry leaders who achieve ultimate success understand the importance of invention, creation and exploration. They are not by the definition of “extreme”; they are rather evolving their industry, as all business leaders have done for centuries.

So are we “extreme” beer developers? Or better yet, does this term even merit existence? No, I would argue. We are simply the natural progression of any industry. We as brewers in the “new-awaking” age of brewing are only doing what any good business leader does… inventing, creating and exploring. ■