“The corporate takeover of ‘craft beer’ leaves a nasty taste in the mouth” by Katie Mather“
Giant multinationals are swallowing up independent breweries yet keeping the subversive, sock-it-to-the-man branding. Do they think drinkers are daft?
Thoughts from the Beer Guide’s editor:
The above article from the Guardian in the UK writes about large beer corporations taking over small breweries and muddying the idea of what defines craft beer for the average drinker. It also gives a few subtle pokes at BrewDog and their over-the-top advertising about being independent, but then selling out to a large conglomerate anyway. Real punk stuff.
Basically, beer drinkers want to to enjoy unique beer from smaller companies and get away from BIG beer, and then BIG beer companies take over the small breweries.
Part of the article mentions the difficulty in how breweries use the word ‘craft,’ especially as it meant something a little different in the UK from the what it initially meant in the US. For me, an American, the word craft was just short-hand for beer that was made well in small batches with more flavor. It was also a better term than “micro-brew” which only denotes the size of a brewing operation.
– I remember taking an international flight many years ago and was offered a Goose Island IPA, a little while after they were bought by AB-INBEV (Budweiser). I thought to myself:
WOW! I can get an IPA on a international flight? Has ‘craft beer’ won?
Oh how naive I was thinking that the big beer companies would have to change what they do and local beer would change the world…
Fast forward to today…
I have seen some responses to the article that the biggest question in the article is about using the word craft, and I have to disagree.
First, I think the word is fine, and I don’t know of another word that would work better. There just needs to be more information than if the beer is labeled as ‘craft’ or not.
Second, I think the bigger problem is that big and small companies do not have the customer’s interest in mind, and it is better for their profits to muddy the water rather than to be clear about what is available. I think that is part of what the article points out.
Last year, I was going to a local bar/restaurant that I really liked, but the management changed and now most beers on offer are imported. When asked, the staff have no idea about the beers they sell, and the menu only says the name and style of the beer, NOT the brewery. The location changed from being a strong supporter of the local community to majority imported beers you can get in any city (plus some beer that the owner’s friend makes at home).
It sure seems like the owner does not want customers to know where the beer comes from, or who makes it.
As for being in Thailand, the beer & alcohol laws make everything infinitely more difficult, and create even more questions:
Q: Should it be legal to make beer at home?
– Yes, I think so.
Q: Should small breweries be allowed to operate small operations?
– Absolutely! Small breweries are small companies that support the local economy, and can do some great unique styles! I definitely want to see small companies make beer in Thailand instead of being forced to brew outside the country and have to be imported into their own country.
Q: Should the same beer made at a person’s home be sold at bars and festivals?
– I don’t know about that… Are you sure the beer is clean? Am I buying the 1st beer a brewer has ever made? I don’t want to buy a brewer’s first beer, and that should probably NOT be sold to someone that doesn’t know about beer.
To reiterate, I do not think the word craft is the problem. I believe the article points out that large companies are using the word to obfuscate what is being offered to the customer, and that in Bangkok, we have big and small organizations that are doing the same. It is compounded by the local laws that are changing, but have previously kept BIG beer companies as the only legal brewers in the country.
I don’t think we need a different word in our beer dialect, but I do prefer to have more information available. If you are at a bar and its not very clear where your beer is from or who makes it, I worry that it could be by design.
-Clif
Editor, Bangkok Beer Guide
PS. to be clear, this is article refers to places in Bangkok that sell beer in English. This article does not try to take on the issue of translation between Thai and English.
