Friday 11 February 2011

What Craft Beer Means To Me


n.
  1. Skill in doing or making something, as in the arts; proficiency.
  2. Skill in evasion or deception; guile.
    1. An occupation or trade requiring manual dexterity or skilled artistry.
    2. The membership of such an occupation or trade; guild.
  3. pl.craft. A boat, ship, or aircraft
n.
    1. A fermented alcoholic beverage brewed from malt and flavored with hops.
    2. A fermented beverage brewed by traditional methods that is then dealcoholized so that the finished product contains no more than 0.5 percent alcohol.
    3. A carbonated beverage produced by a method in which the fermentation process is either circumvented or altered, resulting in a finished product having an alcohol content of no more than 0.01 percent.
  1. A beverage made from extracts of roots and plants: birch beer.
  2. A serving of one of these beverages.
Take the first definitions of each word and you have something resembling the meaning of Craft Beer. Now the old crusties of the blogosphere are lamenting this phrase and the fact that it seems to have jumped the Atlantic so easily. Get over yourselves, the English language is one of the most fluid things in the world  no matter what side of the pond it comes from.
The indignance isn't just about the language though is it? It's more than that, it's also about the new wave of beer lovers who are prepared to make cheesy video's like I am a Craft Brewer and I am a Craft Beer Drinker to shout about something they love in a different way. Again, it's progress, it's having the means and mediums to shout about your passion, the internet didn't exist until recently but it has been possibly the greatest invention of all time in putting the word out to people about anything you want including Craft Beer.
I have a medium, I have an opinion. You might not agree with that opinion and that's your right but I will opine anyway.
But I digress...I...er...think.
So what does craft beer mean to me? When someone mentions the term craft beer it brings up notions of innovation, passion, hands on, an art, something that a person has made. It gives me a sense of pride that I am helping bring craft beer to London like I know it gives the brewer pride in creating something that people are finally getting to enjoy.
Now whether you prefer the term good beer or artisan beer or craft beer doesn't really matter, they are all phrases that are out there and being used, what does matter is that you keep talking about it, keep writing about it, keep drinking it!


*pic taken from Dan Harrisons flikr, hope he doesn't mind, it's a superb pic!

6 comments:

Cooking Lager said...

You get exactly the same care and attention to detail in any industrially produced grog. The employees of Coors care just as much over Carling.

dredpenguin said...

"Keep Drinking it"

"Yes Mr Barfly Sir."

Mark Dredge said...

I like it - progress, evolution. Love your definition as well, the emotive nature of what craft beer is and means to an individual and that's what's important - what it means to ME.

Seeing the other opinions is fascinating but the alternatives are either less relevant than craft beer or they completely miss the point of what the posts are about.

rabidbarfly said...

@Mark - Apparently we are beer snobs now too. The words Grumpy old bastards spring to mind.

Mark said...

What the hell are you talking about:

the internet didn't exist until recently

I refuse to believe that a time existed without the internet. Ridiculous - what would be the point in living?

BeerBirraBier.

rabidbarfly said...

Sorry Mark, I forgot you young people have only know life with the internet. See before it was all telegrams and carrier pigeons.