Sam Adams Light
4% ABV
Stone Levitation
4.4% ABV
I prefer the Sam Light
I would call these session beers. Definitely not “light”. But, maybe just like “craft” we have a definition problem in “light”.
SA is only Light compared to other SA beers - 124 calories and 9.7 grams of carbs.
Stone - Big hoppy character with rich malt flavors and citric overtones 145 calories.
I consider brewing to be a craft at any level.
By consensus “what is the definition of craft beer” as understood by homebrewers and brewers alike?
Arnold Horshack. I know, off-topic but thanks for the memory!!!
Any brewery who doesn’t intend to make a profit will not be around for very long, whether they make each barrel of beer by hand or with a fully automated brew-factory.
Up your nose with a rubber hose!
This Sooooooo much
I agree, You eliminate the profit, you eliminate the brewery.
I mostly agree with the professor. Some of the big companies have small lines of varied products . Anheuser Busch makes beach blonde ale etc. FWIW i don’t mind there fizzy yellow product either on occasion. just don’t like that it isn’t american owned. I just like the variety that “craft” brings.Something new, or a new perspective on something common. Isnt that why we have so many recipes out there. Guinness is kind of a big brewery but they brew something other than a pilsner, does that make them a craft brewer? Not in my opinion. It is not a beer I particularly like, something that some british marines and I got in to a disagreement about 25 years ago in hong kong. But because it is not a common beer
i agree with the profit thing to stay afloat…
maybe bmc’s sacrifice taste to make profits…while craft beer and those that produce it focus on creating complex tastes to guide their profits. there’s a part of me that feels when AB created the american ale they designed the beer around a price point, and there price point was low because they assumed a lot of the people that typicaly buy their normal products would not splurge for $10 a six pack. so they sacrificed ingredients and taste to get down to what they felt would be a competitive price point for their product.
not that ‘craft brewers’ disregard this totally but i want to believe it is not necessarily on the forefront of their minds, OR, they just know that the market that typically buys their beer doesn’t mind spending a bit more for taste…did that make sense? i just went crosseyed.
so, craft brewers don’t disregard profits, but their methods and philosophies of obtaining profits are a bit different than those of the bmc…or maybe i just want to believe this to be true… :-\
i don’t think i even answered the question…i’m just going to stop
That’s ultimately the problem… we seem to be putting a lot of effort into defining what a “craft beer” really is, without really stopping to think why we’re defining it.
Charlie said to…
Actually, you clarified my point pretty well. Think of crafts in general. It’s trinkets and quilts and stuff that people enjoy making and using. Often people who are into crafts become good at and prolific, so they decide to sell their product and make some money, hopefully at least enough to continue with their craft. I think it’s the same with craft beer.
Oh, well that’s all right then.
Well said!
Great analogy!
[quote]A craft beer is a beer created for the love of the product, not for the love of the profit it might make.
Any brewery who doesn’t intend to make a profit will not be around for very long, whether they make each barrel of beer by hand or with a fully automated brew-factory.
[/quote]
That’s for sure.
I’ll go a step further and say that anyone who goes into any business not intending to make a profit is just plain dumb.
The only exception might be someone who is so financially independent that a business is more of a sandbox to play in than a real business. Other than that, profit is needed (at the very least) to sustain the business. Going into business with no eye towards profit is just bad business.
I find it pretty hard to believe that anyone would start up a brewery without the intention of making money…especially given that brewing for retail sale is quite a jungle, one that’s getting more and more crowded by a glut of product, some of which actually does more harm to the cause than good.
If I ever hit some kind of lottery thats what I’ll have…a sandbox brewpub
Maybe it will be good…maybe it will suck but I’ll have fun brewing ;D
Someone will manage the food end of it but the beer side would be my hobby
Regarding Profit: Obviously if you are not making a living you won’t be making beer for very long. ;) I think what pepple mean is this: there are a lot easier and cheaper ways to make a living than brewing. I could invest 1/8th of the money I have invested in my brewery (opening in 2-4 weeks, BTW ;D) and open up a business that would be much more profitable down the road. But we are not interested in simply making money. We want to make beer!
That said, if I am not paying myself a salary in a year or two I probably won’t be in business.
I went to the site and voted for beer with an elevated flavor profile brewed by any brewer, large or small. My reason is that to be a craft brewer you have to be able to produce that elevated flavor profile and size of the brewery has nothing to do with that single perspective. Larger brewerys simply choose not to for the most part, why should they when they don’t have to? They’re supplying a product that most people want already. That doesn’t mean that a larger brewery couldn’t, or wouldn’t… and I’m sure they could do it overnight if they wanted. And rest assured their head brewers do know how to make any beer style.
Craft is an interesting word, put two products or services side by side letting them be evaluated by people and I’m sure you’ll hear the word craft or skill come up. Both could be outstanding products or services, but in the end there can be only one. Choose wisely. ;) 