Craft brewers and craft beer omelet disintegrates into media scrambled eggs

Craft beer. Craft brewers. Knowing it when you see it is a learning experience.
Photo by Charlie Papazian

Call them what you want. Drink what you perceive. But the terms craft brewer and craft beer are getting some high profile and confusing bandwith in the media these days.

The New York Times led off with last week’s June 8 story Small Brewer Outgrowing Label revealing that when Boston Beer Company (makers of Sam Adams branded beers) produces more than 2 million barrels annually it may no longer qualify as a “craft brewer.”

So who is leading the definition? The U.S. Government? The answer is no it isn’t the Government.

The Brewers Association has a definition of what a craft brewer is on their website. It states:

An American craft brewer is small, independent and traditional.

Small: Annual production of beer less than 2 million barrels. Beer production is attributed to a brewer according to the rules of alternating proprietorships. Flavored malt beverages are not considered beer for purposes of this definition.

Independent: Less than 25% of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by an alcoholic beverage industry member who is not themselves a craft brewer.

Traditional: A brewer who has either an all malt flagship (the beer which represents the greatest volume among that brewers brands) or has at least 50% of its volume in either all malt beers or in beers which use adjuncts to enhance rather than lighten flavor.

On the web page there are a number of related ideas about craft brewers, two of which are:

• Craft brewers are small brewers.
•  Small brewers are defined as those who qualify for the Tax and Trade Bureau's small brewers excise tax differential by producing less than 2 million barrels annually.

Contrary to what many bloggers and news media report the Brewers Association does not define craft beer. It is a talking point among the eight bulleted concepts. It isn’t part of the definition of craft brewers, though there is a nod that craft brewers do make craft beer.

One of the principal reasons the Brewers Association grappled with the concept of defining “craft brewers” was that it produces an annual statistical review of beer industry growth and trends. In order to frame data charting the growth of an industry it is essential that clear and objective factors need to be established in order to qualify who is “in” and who is “out” of the data. If the qualifying factors are not objective, sets of data becomes less useful.

What is sometimes confused as part of the craft brewer definition are the bylaws of the Brewers Association. The bylaws define what kind of companies are qualified to become voting members of organization. It is confusing because this document contains elements of the small and independent parts of the craft brewers definition, but the bylaws contain much more detail regarding what is “independent” and defining the types and details of small brewers who qualify as voting members. Sometimes the eligibility of membership is construed as part of the definition of craft brewers. It is not.

Why does this all seem to matter? For some beer drinkers it matters who makes the beer they want to pay money for and drink. For others it does not matter. Figuring it all out gets confusing, especially with the inaccurate reports of the past few days.

The Huffington Post in their story Sam Adams Beer Pleads To Keep Craft Status has some innacuracies:

• "Boston Beer Company, which owns and operates Sam Adams beer, is trying to hold on to their official designation as a "craft beer," as the New York Times reported." There is no official designation of “craft beer” by the Brewers Association or any government agency.
• The Huffington Post also states, “…Massachusetts Senator John Kerry and Idaho Senator Micahel D. Crapo are fighting for a bill they introduced six months ago that increases the yearly production limit on "craft" breweries from two million to six million barrels.” Nowhere in the legislation is the term “craft brewer” referenced. The Senate bill was introduced in May, merely a month ago and not 6 months ago.

In the New York Times story Brewers Association COO, Bob Pease is quoted, “The Brewers Association created a distinct definition for craft brewers, to differentiate small companies from big ones that were also marketing certain beers as craft.” This is quite accurate. The definition helps differentiate the mojo which small and independent brewers created over the last 30+ year period. Furthermore, and as referenced above the definition helps qualify accurate framing of beer industry trends and statistics.

Let’s not confuse bylaws which qualify membership into the Brewers Association with the craft brewers definition. The bylaws were drawn up in 2004. The craft brewer definition was drawn up a couple of years after that. And yes, there are some similar elements one can view in both documents, but their purposes are distinctly different.

Here’s a more accurate report at About.com Bryce’s Beer Blog, titled Sam Adams is Losing the Craft.  , though I don’t necessarily agree that just because a brewer crosses a volume-produced threshold the quality of the beer changes and there is an inferred loss of quality. But as the definition currently stands, Boston Beer would not fall under the Brewers Association’s current definition as “craft brewer.”

Bryce Eddings wonders, “I have to wonder if the Brewer's Association will consider amending their definition anyway.” There’s nothing wrong with wondering. That’s how a lot of things begin.

Finally, I have to kindly rebut Jim Koch’s New York Times statement, “Quite simply, he [Jim Koch] said, a craft beer is one recognized for flavor versus thirst-quenching qualities. ‘A craft beer you would not drink,’ he said, ‘after you just mowed the lawn on a hot day.’”

I homebrew a few terrific full flavored ales and lagers, less than 4.5% abv, that I consider homebrewed “craft beers” and I often enjoy them after and midway mowing my lawn on hot days. I’ve tasted several craft beers from craft brewers that I’d do the same with. This contrary to the Huffington Post story that befuddles in part, “craft beers tend to focus on flavor rather than, say, 'drinkability.’” I like my beers to have drinkability and flavor. That is why I enjoy them.

What is drinkability? That’s a whole ‘nother conversation, isn’t it?

What started out as an order of two eggs over easy morphed into an omellete, which is being presented as a healthy dose of hotel buffet style scrambled eggs – overcooked and haphazardly presented.