Crafty beers are a problem for people who drink craft beer on principle but are still getting accustomed to all the ins and outs of the industry. In this episode, we’ll discuss different ways to get a handle on which beers are which, how regional brewers might deal with the big beer merger, and the pointlessness of complaining about styles.
We also review the Shore Craft Beer Fest and share personal beer stories from the week.
Crafty Beers stay crafty
We’ve covered this in a past episode, but it is worth revisiting since the case has been finalized:
No problem, it’s easier to differentiate between good and bad beers anyway… https://t.co/hrq9ZBvvRn #crafbeer
— Beer with Strangers (@beerwstrangers) October 28, 2015
Whether or not this guy believes he was misled isn’t a huge issue for me. The best way to make certain you’re getting a craft beer is to go to the brewery and have one. Failing that, if you want to make certain that you’re not supporting non-craft beer, you’re going to have a tough time. Whether they’re being deceptive isn’t really an issue. advertising, generally, is always going to exist in the gray area between truthiness and fiction. Support your local brewers, find out what out of town beers they like and start there. There’s plenty of good craft beer to go around, no matter what the labels say. Like I said… First of all, it’s pretty cool that people are worrying about the regional effect the AB InBev and SABmiller merger might have.
Big beer merger isn’t that big, yet
Local craft beer economy may change after big beer merger – Boise State University The Arbiter Online https://t.co/uW5BgsFWoT — Craft Beer share (@CraftBeershare) October 28, 2015
I’m comfortable with the idea that it mostly is about distribution efficiencies and increasing the global rather than the regional reach. In the coming year, though, as more craft breweries get into distribution and shelf space gets even tighter, it makes sense to stay concerned about the power of the distributor.
From the slow news day department:
Is the hops arms race ruining craft beers? https://t.co/Dxc6tLi6jC
— War On The Rocks (@WarOnTheRocks) October 27, 2015
No.
But it’s worth mentioning that the drive for hoppier beers isn’t solely a vanity project for brewers, although vanity certainly does play a role. Instead, they are meeting a demand, but not, in my experience, to the exclusion of other beers. It’s the fall and the stouts, porters and harvest ales are in full swing. I didn’t look, but this is probably the same kind of blog that worried that there was too much pumpkin beer. Drink what you like and be happy, I say.
Author: Tony Russo
Tony Russo has worked as a print and digital journalist for the better part of the 21st century, writing for and editing regional weeklies and dailies before joining the team that produces OceanCity.com and ShoreCraftBeer.com among other destination websites. In addition to having documented everything from zoning changes to art movements on the Delmarva Peninsula, Tony has written two books on beer for the History Press. Eastern Shore Beer was published in 2014 and Delaware Beer in 2016. He lives in Delmar, Md. with his wife Kelly and the only of his four daughters who hasn't moved out. Together they keep their two dogs comfortable.
