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 it’s volume in either all malt beers or in beers which use adjuncts to enhance rather than lighten flavor.

Microbrewery: A brewery that produces less than 15,000 barrels (17,600 hectoliters) of beer per year. Microbreweries sell to the public by one or more of the following methods: the traditional three-tier system (brewer to wholesaler to retailer to consumer); the two-tier system (brewer acting as wholesaler to retailer to consumer); and, directly to the consumer through carryouts and/or on-site tap-room or restaurant sales.

Brewpub: A restaurant-brewery that sells 25% or more of its beer on site. The beer is brewed primarily for sale in the restaurant and bar. The beer is often dispensed directly from the brewery's storage tanks. Where allowed by law, brewpubs often sell beer "to go" and /or distribute to off site accounts. Note: BA re-categorizes a company as a microbrewery if its off-site (distributed) beer sales exceed 75 percent.

Contract Brewing Company: A business that hires another brewery to produce its beer. It can also be a brewery that hires another brewery to produce additional beer. The contract brewing company handles marketing, sales, and distribution of its beer, while generally leaving the brewing and packaging to its producer-brewery (which, confusingly, is also sometimes referred to as a contract brewery).

Regional Craft Brewery: An independent brewery with an annual beer production of between 15,000 and 2,000,000 barrels who has either an all malt flagship or has at least 50% of it's volume in either all malt beers or in beers which use adjuncts to enhance rather than lighten flavor.

How do craft brewers make beer?

Craft beer is made using a traditional process of blending the sugars from malted grains (such as barley or wheat), with hop flowers and water. The skill of the Masterbrewer brings out the desired aroma, color, mouth feel, foam and flavor qualities of the hops and malt through formulation of recipes and the fermentation of sugars into alcohol, carbon dioxide gas and other characters. After careful aging at just the right temperatures the beer is packaged and delivered to the consumer.

Craft-brewed beers are usually not pasteurized, but often go through a filtration process to improve clarity. But this is not always the case. Many craft-brewed beers are not filtered and you may experience what's called a tasteless "chill-haze or protein-haze" in unfiltered beer. Some craft beers may also still have yeast present either in suspension or as sediment, increasing its appeal to beer enthusiasts that enjoy these characters.

Does the beer made by craft brewers taste different? If so why?

It's hard to generalize about the taste of beer, but nevertheless we might say that beers from America's craft brewers will usually have a fuller more complex flavor than the typical light American lager style of beer popular throughout the world. Because of the increased percentage of specialty malt and hop ingredients you are going to experience flavors and aromas not found in light American style lagers.

The aroma of the beer may remind you of citrus, flowers or herbs. This is attributable to how the Masterbrewer utilizes the delicate characters of the hop flower. You may also smell caramel, sweet biscuits, cocoa, coffee-like character, honey, fresh baked cookies - all pleasant sweet notes contributed to by the skillful selection of specialty toasted and roasted malted barley.

And there's even more you'll discover with the Masterbrewers use of specialty yeasts whose delicate byproducts of fermentation result in sensual aromatic and flavor characters such as clove, spice, banana, strawberry, apples and more.

Are there any flavors, aromas or other character that are undesirable in beer?

There are several characters that most brewers, whether they are craft or light lager brewer, usually want to avoid in most beer styles. Once again, it is hard to generalize, because the qualities that are undesirable in some beer styles are desirable in others.

Let's identify a few traits that you should be suspicious of if you encounter in your beer.

If a beer reminds you of the smell of a skunk that is a result of a photochemical reaction and indicates that the beer has been exposed to light for too long. You may or may not appreciate this character.

If a beer smells or tastes like wine, wet cardboard, or paper (okay I know you don't usually go around and chew paper, but just imagine) then that's an indication of old, stale beer. It shouldn't have been sold to you in the first place. Storing beer at warm temperatures accelerates the staling process.

If you experience a sour, bacterial or moldy flavor in your favorite draught beer at your local bar or tavern - tell the bartender. It means that the beer tap hoses have not been cleaned properly. Draught beer lines need to be properly cleaned every two weeks in order to maintain the delivery of fresh beer to your glass.

What is the importance of foam and head retention?

 

Beer is meant to be served with a visually appealing (not excessive) head of foam. If you are ever served a beer in a glass and there is absolutely no head retention whatsoever or there are lots of bubbles sticking to the sides of the glass, this is certain indication that the glass has not been properly cleaned. Soap, detergent, grease and wax residues left over from prior use will kill foam formation and retention. You deserve better.

Bubbles of carbon dioxide escape from the beer creating foam and also carry with the pleasing aromas of craft-brewed beer. You miss all of the sensually pleasing aromatic characters of craft-brewed beer if you only drink out of the bottle. Enjoy it in your favorite glass.

Can I make my own quality craft-brewed beer?

 

Absolutely. While many might ask the question, "Why bother making your own beer, when there's so much great American craft-brewed beer available?" there are those that want to explore and understand the mystique of beer making as a hobby. Homebrewing offers the experience to not only learn more about making great beer, but is sure to educate your palate about the wide variety of great beer character throughout the world. Plugging into the American Homebrewers Association's network of beer making members offers the unparalleled opportunity to develop your passion, have fun and appreciate the finer aspects of beer and brewing while sharing the great results of your brewing efforts with friends.