Poll: should we continue using the term "craft" to describe beer?

Sure. As I said above, I don't see people using the word craft much in here in that kind of context. I just do not see what the problem is with how the word is currently used on here.

Try these usages

A. What do you think of Sam Adams? "It was my gateway to craft beer" "It was my gateway to beer" "It was my gateway to good beer, but wait, its not that Bud is actually bad ...""
B. Is there a craft beer bubble? Is there a beer bubble? Is there a good beer bubble?
C. Has the hops obession ruined craft beeer? Has the hops obsession ruined beer? Has the hops obession ruined good beer?

I think it is clear from the above examples that "beer" is too broad (how can there be a beer bubble in the US when beer consumption in the US is declining?) and "good" beer is both too narrow (how can anything ruin "good" beer if it is still good?) and too broad (how can Sam Adams have been my intro to good beer if I had good macro beers before I tired SA?)

 

As long as we do this.

 

If it were that simple this discussion would never have occurred.

 

In the real world sometimes you need some other descriptor than "beer" at least as a last resort. In Philadelphia you generally don't need to specify craft beer at a restaurant or bar. Most places simply hand you copy of their beer list, which is typically better than a server trying to memorize rotating taps.

You should hop on the train to Philadelphia where you can order yourself some "wooter" [translation: water]

Yes, constantly, and the definition varies from person to person. I can't count how many times there have been discussions on these forums about whether certain breweries can be considered "craft." In any discussion of breweries like Goose Island, Sam Adams, Magic Hat, Leinenkugel, or Widmer/Redhook (and many more) someone almost always declares that they aren't craft based on some opinion or arbitrary metric they invented in their mind and think the rest of the world should abide by. There's even a whole organization that sets [and regularly changes] a definition of craft brewer for marketing purposes, which is always creates a rousing discussion of what is craft on these boards.

 

Because acording to sales that is the "beer" that 89% of the country prefers. I would argue that it is much harder to brew the identical beer batch after batch in multiple breweries than making any "craft" beer.

 

This was the perfect comment. I rearley use the term "craft" in everyday conversation. Its beer. Im going to a BEER festival, BEER release, im going to a brewery, ill have a beer. Craft is rearley used.

 

"Craft" is better than the old precursor from the 90's - early 2000's - "microbrew".
It's also better than "artisan", which I heard a few times back then as well.

 

The first comment was in response to another comment that now has been taken out of context. Someone was arguing that BMC "needs to go on the defensive" and that because "craft" beer has been around longer we should be able to just use the term "beer". I was attempting to show how silly that is based on the prefrence of a majority.

 

I have no idea what to use. Craft however is overused and pretty meaningless.

 

The term serves it's purpose for lots of reasons already mentioned. I think people want too much from the term. (if that makes sense...) It's very useful to designate a segment in the beer industry and helps smaller breweries or "craft breweries" stay afloat in the beer market, without macro taking over, due to lower taxes and regulations for "craft breweries". You can't think of the term "craft" as meaning good or bad because you can still say "Well crafted" or "Poorly crafted" instead.

Here's the Brewers Association's definition and this is really the only way I look at the term "craft" and also to easily describe a segment of beer without confusion.

http://www.brewersassociation.org/statistics/craft-brewer-defined/

 

well for the overused words, I would think answers to that would certainly include "beechwood aged" "brewed the hard way" "lite" "ice" etc.

Top countries is better, because I doubt anyone here wants to drink Belgian because of Stella Artois. As for the last, I think the word "local" is usually used to imply craft. People who live down the block from an AB brewery generally don't call Bud Lite a local beer, even though it is. That's just a quirk of the way our beer terminology has developed.

 

I went with no. I don't think it implies quality, which is IMO the more important thing. I don't care about your scale or process if the beer is no good OR if it's full-on wonderful.

 

But BA is in the business of lobbying and promoting on behalf of one segment of the beer industry. They need to have a definition and a term. You may not agree with their agenda, but to try and preempt it by attacking them for using a word to describe seems wrong to me. Similarly some people do not want to drink beer that is made by a certain set of breweries based on size or ownership. You can disagree with that preference, but again if they have such a preference, they need a term to describe it.

This reinforces what I said above - some people don't like some of the preferences others have with regard to brewery size/ownership, and dislike the word "craft" because it enables that discussion.

 

Does this distinction really work? Why is Miller Lite industrial and Torpedo not? Genuine question. Stone uses that language when discussing "yellow fizz" and it feels like more marketing separatism.
I'm not sure how much good comes from a word swap. A rose by any other name...

 

Some would also include "triple-hopped." :-)

 

In an ideal world, I think "craft beer" would just be "beer" and BMC would be called something other than beer, like "adjunct beer" or "alcohol water". But unfortunately until it gains way more than 11% of the market, it will be commonly called "craft beer".

 

I'll stop using the term "craft" when all the "CRAPT" is gone