– What The HELL Is Craft Beer? A Blog.
As an idealist I went into this discussion thinking we would sort this issue out once and for all, alas as I am beginning to learn the idealist is oft disappointed. I say disappointed, however this is a gross exaggeration, it was a real privilege to take this discussion out of the internet and into the real world, a lively and animated discussion amongst esteemed members of the beer community, what more could I have asked for? Our panel comprised of John Clarke (south Manchester CAMRA), Toby Mckenzie (Head Brewer, Redwillow Brewery), Zac Avery (Blogger and owner of Beer Paradise), Peter Alexander (CAMRA type, NWAF organiser) and James Watt (Head Honcho, Brewdog), we attempted to make the panel as balanced as possible with some pro-craft and those with a more traditional CAMRA perspective. There were certainly flaws in the event, chiefly among them a lack of women on the panel, this was highlighted by the very mixed demographic of the crowd in attendance, perhaps an imbalance in the panel, we possibly needed another staunch craft perspective. We live and learn, if you have any comments as to flaws or possible improvements in the format then please let us know.
As the compere for the evening my brief was to keep the discussion going, stimulate discussion and to try and keep my opinions to myself. Each member of the panel was given 3 minutes to state their case, a very brief run down of some of the live tweets from the talk:
“Trying to define it (craft beer) I don’t think we’re going to get anywhere” – John Clarke (CAMRA)
“A really powerful thing is how you define yourself ” – Zak Avery
“we need the definition, to protect it from the multi corporate bastards” James Watt (Brewdog)
“I don’t think we can define craft beer” – Tandleman
“we should not follow the USA in relation to their definition of craft beer” – Tandleman
“You’ve got your own palates! We brew beer you like it, you drink it. You don’t like it, you don’t drink it.” – Toby Mckenzie
“It’s about education. Information for the consumer is key to drink better beer.” – James Watt (BrewDog)
“Not everyone can drink expensive beer” – Zak Avery
“We don’t need a definition. Summer Wine, RedWillow, Thornbridge, Quantum are growing – does it matter?” – James (SWB)
“Be wary of selling things. Don’t push people out. Keep the prices low.” – Tandleman
Well that gives you a flavour of the discussion, the only person who really advocated a tighter definition of craft beer was James Watt, stating size, independence and something else, a broadly similar to the American Brewers Association definition. I was surprised that more people didn’t really support this type of motion, personal I think there is some sense in it.
Do we really need a definition at all? I would argue that maybe we don’t, the US have a constitution set in stone the UK do not, is there a parallel to be drawn here, do us Brits need strict rules to judge these things by and even if we did would we still argue about them anyway? I would say that maybe we need a set of aspirations so that consumers can judge for themselves what is and isn’t craft, some guidance through the world of beer particularly for the uninitiated. I think some of the proposal containing in Tandleman’s blog are very sensible, to develop a broad qualitative definition, maybe using size, independence, ethos and other such wooly terms, at least this gives people a framework by which to make up their own minds.
In terms of ‘craft beer’ being derided as a marketing term, what is the problem with it being a marketing term? Real ale has become a marketing term and plenty of brewers have hung their hat on that, why not have a marketing term which could help small brewers, pubs and customers a like in the same way real ale has done so far.
I think it’s fair to say outwardly we may not have come to a conclusion, however I think it was good to get the discussion out in the open and it has maybe thrown up a few possible discussion points for future events such as:
What future for CAMRA? Beer is an exciting and dynamic industry with a changing demographic, young people, women, previous non-beer drinkers of all ages are getting interested. Can CAMRA keep pace? Is it interested in moving forward? Is it too late? Has the campaign(for real ale) been won already?
Why are PROFIT and MARKETING dirty words in the beer industry? Two words which are vital to the success of any small business or industry as a whole so why do so many get so worked up a bout them?
Words By Jonathan Heyes
– Meet The Brewer with Kirkstall – Monday 29th October 2012
5.30pm – 8pm (event starts at 6.15pm)
£8 advance from the bar or 0161 237 9949
Kirkstall has a brewing heritage stretching back to the 12th century when Cistercian monks founded an abbey on the banks of the River Aire at Kirkstall. The Abbey complex included a brewhouse and a forge. Kirkstall Abbey is regarded as the best preserved Cistercian monastery in the country and the picturesque ruins have been drawn and painted by artists such as J.M.W. Turner, Thomas Girtin and John Sell Cotman.
On the opposite side of the river and overshadowing the Leeds Liverpool canal is the magnificent stone built and original Kirkstall Brewery. It operated as a brewery between 1833 and 1983 before being closed by Whitbread, its last owners. However the brewery buildings have been well preserved and the brewery and site are now home to students of Leeds Metropolitan University. For more detail see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirkstall_Brewery
The Kirkstall Brewery beers were highly regarded throughout Yorkshire and the North East of England and acquired a chain of tied pubs and built an impressive free trade business. The Brewery also had offices in London and exported beer to Australia and New Zealand making use of the canal system to transport their beer to the coast for loading on to ships for export.
Kirkstall purchased two Leeds breweries in the late twenties and early thirties before being a taken over themselves by Dutton’s of Blackburn in 1936. However the brewery remained in production to produce beers for their Yorkshire trade. Dutton’s became part of the Whitbread empire and continued to brew until 1983.
The new Kirkstall Brewery situated on the side of the Leeds Liverpool canal and in the shadow of the original brewery revives the long tradition of brewing in Kirkstall and provides the inspiration to once again make the name famous for great beer.
– Photos / An Evening with Schlenkerla – Monday 24th September 2012
Matthias from Schlenkerla (6th generation owner) hosted a wonderful evening, captivating everyone with his Germanic humour and wonderful beers!
Schlenkerla served up three of their beers during the evening, including Marzen, fresh from the oak barrel, tapped straight in front of our eyes. You can watch a video below, kindly filmed by Ste P.
We hope you enjoyed our ‘pop up’ German style kitchen in the beer garden? Tasty sausages indeed!
– Budapest beer explorations by Niall Lecoustre
When people think of Hungary they think of amazing architecture and possibly good wine but certainly not beer. Hungarians keep most of their best wine for the domestic market and don’t seem to export their beer. By chance my visit to Hungary coincided with the Sorfesztival, a celebration of Hungarian mainstream and craft beer, also offering some decent stuff from Belgium, Germany, the Czech Republic and even Brewdog. The majority of Hungarians seem to drink lager and dunkel style beers but under the surface there is a growing interest in craft beer and small breweries are experimenting with less traditional styles.
The Sorfesztival (29 Aug- 2 Sep) took place in the spectacular location of Budapest castle, east of the river Danube in the Buda part of the city. The castle was worth exploring and its courtyards provided an ideal backdrop for the beer festival. Each brewery had its own wooden stall with the majority serving draft beer and the odd one offering bottles. So was the beer any good? Well the majority was pretty average but one or 2 offerings were worth seeking out. Armando Otchoa runs the beer shop Csak a Jo Sor (Only good beer) and his Grabanc IPA was supposed to be available at the festival. Despite searching every inch of the courtyard, disappointingly I couldn’t track it down. When I met Armando a few days later he informed me that his latest batch wasn’t ready for the festival and would only be available after I had left town! I started the festival with Sefforas IPA; the first IPA brewed in Hungary and a pretty flat, watery affair on this showing. Next up was Koleses Sor, a pale, refreshing beer ideal for the hot weather.
The festival took a turn for the better with a visit to the Bors brewery stand. Despite all their beers being bizarrely named after characters from Robin Hood, they certainly seemed to make some of the more interesting craft beers available in Hungary. On draft Little John pale ale was a bit cloudy but still had plenty of flavour. The bottle version was even better, a bit yeasty with nice hints of fruit. Tuck Barat a Belgian style double, was a tasty, well-balanced affair with hints of caramel and dark fruit. The Bors brewery is still a work in progress but they are definitely a brewery worth watching and their beers are well worth trying. Next, the Gyertyanos Kriek was a nasty cherry beer best avoided. This was followed by Buza from Szeles and Szeles, an instantly forgettable wheat beer sold in plastic bottles by the likeable brewer.
The beer of the festival and probably the best Hungarian craft beer of the trip was Keseru Mez brewed by Foti. This was a well-balanced, honeyed beer with fruit notes and a subtle hop bite which was quite moreish. It was popular with the locals in Skanzenclub and also came in decent 500ml bottles. The Sorfestival cost £7 including a couple of beers and was an enjoyable affair and a good introduction to Hungarian craft beer. It also provided a chance to wander round the grounds of the fantastic castle. The Hungarian scene is still in its infancy but a couple of breweries have the potential to up their game and enter the export market. Budapest does have some great bars worth visiting to escape the generic mass produced lagers that dominate the city. Csak a Jo Sor is a small but excellent beer shop/pub run by the knowledgeable Armando. The shop sells some of the best Hungarian beer and also has a good selection of craft beer from heavyweights including De Molen, Brewdog and Flying Dog at very reasonable prices. The fruit beers from the Bekesszentandrasi brewery were definitely worth trying, especially the plum beer which was extremely refreshing after traipsing round in the hot summer sun. Other places worth checking out in Budapest include Skanzenclub, Bier Beer, Piratos Pub and the IF Café. Skanzenclub in particular was really fun. It is an unlicensed pub which doubles as a tobacco museum where you pour your own pint and pay for it in a collection tin. The bar served really good draft Kesuru Mez and the local crowd were very friendly. Budapest is certainly a great city to visit and although the Hungarian craft beer scene is very much a work in progress, if you search around you might find something worth drinking.
Words by Niall Lecoustre
