"Craft" vs. "Traditional" Beer

LOL!

 

And quality isn't an American monopoly.

 

I answered using the 4th option, based on my drinking patterns only.
My purchasing patterns suggest that I prefer traditional styles to craft by a margin of about 60/40. it's rare that I purchase a macro brew, but I will drink them from time to time if the mood strikes and circumstances dictate.

I prefer the delicateness and subtlety of something like a German Pilsner or Helles over the brow beating, over the top flavor of say an IPA or an Imperial Stout.

I have gotten a greater appreciation for styles such as the Germans produce because I am finding that brewers who try to emulate these styles more often than not fall short in their efforts, whereas it seems that most competent brewers can produce a worthwhile imperial stout. Therefore indicating the relative difficulty in producing a quality Pilsner/Helles/Munich Dunkel, etc.

 

I think I'm going to stop drinking beer until January so that my palate is completely recovered in time to taste the new Sierra Nevada Pilsner they're introducing.

 

American craft ales only for me thank you, and have a nice day!!
Yes even during a football, hockey game. Say what you want, imma do me! American ales to the face, allday errryday! The more local the better.

 

I voted "craft" only by accident, but I do love Belgium ales. I think for the reason I don't drink quite as many European beers is a price factor. Imports like Chimay, Rochefort, and Weheistephanen are all more expensive than American craft beers that can be just as good (in their respective styles; no brewery is touching Roch. 10 IMO).

 

@AlcahueteJ I don't think a poll of what BA's are drinking is reflective of the buying habits in the larger craft beer markets. I think @yemenmocha is describing craft beer drinkers beyond BA members very well, and some BA members too. Many people buy beer, craft or otherwise, without ever even considering joining BA. I suspect and observe around me that the larger market of craft beer consumers also buy plenty of macro beer too.

 

I drink whatever I'm in the mood for, which ranges from "craft" to "traditional" to macro. Money plays a factor too.

 

I'm not sure how to answer. Does traditional mean macro? Or do German and Belgian beers equal traditional?

 

Nobody can define craft anyway. But of the 1400 or so new UK brewers , all of which would be considered "craft" about 99% of them concentrate on "traditional" styles such as ales and porters.

 

My definition of craft would be along the lines of breweries who are neither very old nor very big, and usually more open to move and experiment from the standards and traditional styles (if not creating new ones), even if they focuse on those classics and use them as a paper sheet (who doesn´t, by the way?).

Of course this has nothing to do with the actual meaning of the word; a Paulaner Salvator is as crafty as anything from BrewDog, if not more, but although the frontiers will always be foggy i guess we all understand the meaning. Any suggestion to improve the term?

 

I am about 75% Craft and 25% Traditional. While I enjoy several traditional styles, there are many I dislike or at least haven't acquired a taste for (whether made by a "craft" brewery or in their home country).

Ultimately, IPAs/IIPAs/IPLs, Stouts/Porters and APAs make up about 70% of what I drink. That precludes "Traditional" from a higher percentage. So yes, there is market segmentation. Also, in my mind, beers like Stella and Heineken are "macro" rather than traditional.

 

Is an independent brewery that makes a bitter and an American style IPA traditional or craft?

 

Mmmm...i guess it depends if they are bearded and/or tatooed!

 

The traditional styles are themselves the work of massive innovation in the past and settling for what seemed the best.They are and always have been constantly changing.
I feel that "craft" has been misused. So a baker who produced beautiful old fashioned crusty bread from a wood fired oven isn't a craft baker, but if he throws in a handful of brazil nuts then we have craft bread. Even though the nuts spoil the loaf.

 

I wholly agree with the first phrase, the second just in part. You may find traditional breweries from Cornwall and other places in the UK who are moving forward, while using American hops in their IPAs. You know better than me. But surely the Germans are quite happy with the beers they deliver at the moment, and while little changes might be made to improve the brews they look like quite monolithic to me, if compared to more modern breweries. In spite of the past research and evolution which i have no doubt it happened. Got your point anyway.

Well...if you read my comment again you´ll see that we think just the same, my old crusty bread being a Salvator (or a Celebrator for that matter), which are as crafty as a drawing from Leonardo!

Definitely "craft" is not a very brilliant word for a convention on this. You are lucky to have great Ales being made in the UK since decades, if not centuries. Same for Germany and their Lagers, Weizens, etc..But here in Spain has been crap beer for most of the past, and leaving out Franziskaner and a couple of Belgians, good imports were rarely seen until recent times. Maybe the US suffers from this also, to a lesser extent of course, and coming from times when macros were prevalent made the meaning of "craft beer" more logical and accepted, as good beer was still more widely spreading?

I don´t really like the term, but i still get it. The fact is that it seems to be losing sense by the second, and i wonder if it is due to globalization and good imports more available. Or just that "craft beer"(good beer) is spreading towards becoming mainstream (which for once would be very welcome) and it will become just "beer" in time. The sooner the better in my opinion!

My English is not good and all this makes me so thirsty. But unlike yesterday, i managed to grab an Augustiner Helles, a Pilsener and a Weizen from Weihenstephan. And i don´t actually give a shit on what we call them! Prost.

 

I am an equal opportunity drinker between craft and traditional. On a side note, I never felt quite right with people calling a beer like Duvel a craft beer. I like this distinction much better.

 

Part of the issue is not having enough solid, fresh examples of traditional stuff for it to really compete with craft re: purchasing patterns. Combined with American brewers' seeming focus on/comfort with/skill in other styles (IPAs, pale ales, stouts, etc.), the reality is that, though I deeply appreciate traditional beer, craft makes up a larger percentage of my purchases. But, as others have said, so much of this is a "When in Rome..." situation - when I'm at a place that specializes in traditional beer, or when I happen upon some fresh examples at the store, I'm happy to snag them. As for macro, well, even that has a place, I suppose, albeit a very, very small one