Time to drop "Craft" from Craft Beer?

In recent years I've gone back and forth on the history and purpose of Brewers Association with both amateur and professional colleagues. And while there is no consensus on whether or not the organization is the true and ultimate authority, few dispute the fact that an individual, amateur brewer toiled diligently for several decades to establish the organization as an authority in this regard.

It's no surprise then, that some here (and at every other hobbyist site) view them as an authority on the word, and craft is definitely in their Statement of Purpose:

It's a fair point to disagree on whether or not Brewers Association is the ultimate authority on the definition of the word craft, at least with respect to its usage in either the brewing industry or the home brewing hobby -- and much less whether craft ought to be capitalized as Craft in such usage, or even appended with a registered or trade mark; To the best of my knowledge, Brewers Association is not in the legal possession of such a mark.

P.S. OP wrote:

But you cared enough to start a thread, eh?

I agree with your other point -- it's beer.

Personally I find that there's beer that I like, beer that I don't like, mediocre beer, local beer, local-mediocre beer, beer I don't much care for, and beer that I consider worth recommending to others if they should ask me for my professional (and often rather humble) opinion.

But in the end, whether or not a beer is labeled as a Craft Beer doesn't influence me as much as whether or not it's a brand or style that I tend to enjoy.

 

Well it suppose I am not an "über beer loving geek" since I still use the words "craft beer" to describe beers that are non-BMC type beers (i.e., AALs).

Well, it is of importance to me as I described above.

I suppose if we use an infinite timeline that prediction may turn out to be true. I have doubts that this term will go away in my lifetime. It is worth noting that the word "craft" is being used by some (many?) of the newly opened breweries in Germany that make beer styles of IPAs and other non-German beers.

Cheers!

 

The "craft" term seems kinda fancy and douchy to me. Like something snobs would use to let others know that they have finer taste in beer. It's just all "beer" to me.

 

Most of the times when I go to a bar or restaurant I ask if they have any locally brewed draft beer. Obviously, a brewery located one hundred miles away would not be considered local but the staff will usually point out the beer that is brewed within the state.

I guess one pitfall to using the name local to describe beer is that if you live near an InBev plant like in Williamsburg, that beer would be considered local!

 

I look at the term "craft" similar to how I view the term "domestic" on a restaurant drink menu. A serviceable if in some ways nonsensical term for what it categorizes. Sure we can get into arguments over if Lagunitas or Goose Island are craft just like we can get into an argument about how something brewed in Indianapolis somehow isn't domestic for a bar in Indianapolis, but if servers and people generally know what is meant by the term then I'll probably use it even if the definition is a little sloppy in application.

 

Let's call it artisanal beer!

 

Unless you are going to a "craft" beer bar and they serve "craft" beers out of mini snifters. With a 2" head you end up with 8 ounces. I guess that's a rant for another thread.

 

AB InBev will force craft beer out of the market no matter what it is called. They have a floor of a large office building somewhere filled with cubicles stuffed with poindexters calculating how to wipe out or purchase anyone else with the nerve to make beer.

 

I agree, and I disagree. When a brewer does something unusual like deciding to add a maceration of figs to his fermentation at the last minute and then filter it through a hand-made wooden trowel of beech wood filled with freshly pulled twigs of pine before going to secondary for krausening, and it works, that's artistry and craft. That's why chefs are becoming prominent these days. Anyone can cook, but it takes a special talent to put together something interesting. So, in my opinion the exact opposite exists - there IS craft beer, you might like it or you might not.

 

There are a lot of far more pointless threads on here than this.

 

There is craft that goes into creating beer. You don't seem like the sort who would lump all beers made by breweries that produce under X amount of barrels per year into a category by that title, though. That's a separate discussion.

 

I like craft beer as a handle. I never use 'craft beer' among friends. There is 'Beer' and 'Sh*t Beer' - As in, 'Don't go to the store and buy sh*t beer.' or 'Drink my beer and take the sh*t beer back home with you.'

 

Agreed! And a very good point ~ the essence of the thread... I was simply responding to the quote, which I both agree with, and disagree with.

 

haha, very well. Take it up with @smakawhat

 

So would you forgive me if I really enjoy pizza lol

 

But there is no consensus on the last point even on BA. I have no preference based on ownership among BP and SN. I don't care. Don't care that Bouelvard is Duvel either. I'm interested in the beer, not any political statement associated with drinking it. I might prefer my truly local breweries to the bigger craft players in some cases, but that's about it.

 

You know, if you can't figure out what it is that you like in beer or mistakenly think that Budweiser is the newest, greatest micro brew, semantics won't help you. To the rest of us, do we really need a word or title in assisting us in figuring out what to order?

 

You are forgiven , I enjoy a pizza too. But I accept it for what it is.

 

True. And some of the debates are just as much fun.
At least everyone pretty much agrees on one thing: good beer is a good thing.
And in the end, there as many valid definitions of good beer as there are members here.

 

Political beer semantics. I'll continue to pursue and buy the stuff I enjoy regardless of the "label".