There’s No Growth Without Critique

Let’s face it—there’s a lot of naïveté in the greater beer community. It’s an unfortunate byproduct of this “us vs. them” mentality—so-called “craft beer” vs. the “BudMillerCoors” of the world—that has left many high-fiving each other based on an assumption that craft beer is good and everything else is bad, and that we all share this opinion.

Here’s an example. Recently, a blogger in the Twitter-sphere tweeted:

#craftbeer is not about critiquing beer, it’s about recognizing artisan qualities in a mass produced world

This statement implies that the process is more important than the end product. Sure, craft efforts can be praised and true artisans should be recognized, but it all comes down to the ultimate result: the beer. Just because a beer is from an artisan brewer doesn’t mean it’s good by default.

It’s our duty as Beer Advocates to criticize the entire beer industry, not just the mass-producers of the world, and anyone who claims to care about the beer industry should be doing the same. Be constructively honest. Express unique opinions, not regurgitated snippets from others. Demand quality from the entire industry with your wallets and words. Don’t be a beer-geek zombie.

#craftbeer is about approaching the art of brewing with respect

Respect Beer. ■