For 5 years now, the trend of CRAFT BEER has flourished in Russia at an increasing rate.
Craft beer - craft beer brewed on a small scale in a small beer factory. Often, according to recipes or other unique recipes. The key difference is scale and uniqueness.
Let's understand what it is and where this trend is going.
Craft beer: HISTORY
According to some data, craft brewing in the form that it exists was now organized in the United States sometime in 1960. Then a certain Fritz Maytag opened a private brewery Anchor Brewing and began to brew beer according to old recipes that were in use even before the introduction of the DRY LAW in the USA.
After 20 years, this phenomenon in the United States has spilled over into a less understood structure. In 1978, home brewing was legalized in several states and the brewery began to grow by leaps and bounds. In principle, I believe that the official basis for "craft brewing" in what form and sense we see it now can be called the legalization of 1978.
The full legalization of craft brewing in the United States ended only in 2013.
In 1980, there were 8 private breweries in the United States. By 2010, there were 1,600 in the United States, and now there are more than 2,000.
What is considered “craft brewing” in the US: STANDARDS
The American Brewers Association introduced the term “craft beer” and we can use it to understand the phenomenon of “craft”.
A craft brewery is considered one if it produces no more than 703 million liters of beer per year. If craft brewers began to produce beer more massively, then the quality and uniqueness would come to naught. This condition is quite adequate, logical and understandable.
- Independence from investment and money. At least 75% of the company's capital should be in its personal possession. This means that if a third-party investor comes and wants to get more than 25% of the brewing organization’s money, then it will cease to be such. This is understandable and logical because there already will be a question of money, not quality and uniqueness.
- Following the traditions of brewing. The base of the author's beer should always be MALT. Each craft brewer should work on the complication of the taste and quality of beer. Mass production is moving in the opposite direction: the cost of a unit of drink is lower, which affects quality and naturalness.
What is this phenomenon and how is it different from ordinary “mass” beer?
My editors and I decided to understand the phenomenon of "craft beer" and why it is developing so. We found the top 3 explanations why craft beer captures people's minds.
1. We aim for quality and taste
A feature of the craft brewer is an IDEA. It is the very idealist who creates beer not for the sake of money and profit (although for the sake of this, too), but for the sake of quality, pleasure and taste.
A craft brewer is a tainted guy who wants to get everything out of life. Our life is too short to drink the "mass urine" that multinational companies create to make money.
Craft brewer is an ideological enthusiast. He wants the best for himself and his consumers. He loves his job to the extreme and wants to delight this world with QUALITY and TASTE.
2. Creativity, self-realization, and innovation
Perhaps one of the trends of craft beer is EXPERIMENTS. Mini breweries and craft manufacturers are trying to express themselves. Create unique beers. They are experimenting and are not afraid to contribute a share of creativity and novelty to already established ideas about beer.
It is the craft world that creates unique and unlike tastes and beers. We should be grateful to the craft manufacturing market for many varieties that would never have appeared if these amazing creative people hadn’t.
3. Community involvement and crowd isolation
Each craft brewer works in two directions at once: highlight, become unique and distinct from others and be part of the craft brewing subculture - create communities and follow trends.
Two, seemingly different, looking in opposite directions. However, this is precisely what makes the craft world unique.
In the 21st century, it stands out due to its taste and preference is considered an important component. You choose the communities and worlds with which you associate yourself. In this case, this is the world of gastronomy and beer, craft beer.
On the other hand, you try to stand out. Choosing your favorite varieties, companies, and styles - you kind of say: I am an individual. And craft beer is a bastion of individuality and style.
Problems of craft brewing in Russia
There is still no clear and understandable regulation of this market in Russia.
Private breweries correlate with giants. They are presented with the same requirements, but in places, they do not understand.
When experimenting with the creation of new styles - craft brewers are forced to register their creative ambitions in each created beer as a NEW VARIETY. It's about state registration. This introduces some difficulties in such a market. Many brewers go into the shadows and do business illegally.
Craft beer: drink or not drink, is that the question?
Let's look at the difficulties with the market, price, and positioning.
- Kraft prices are quite high and start at 100 rubles per bottle of 0.5 liter (good beer costs from 150 and above) it is difficult to produce craft at a low price, this contradicts its whole culture;
- to find craft you will have to look for specialized stores because you cannot find craft in the networks;
- there are a lot of episodic companies and beer in craft (something quickly leaves and if you try once, you may never find this beer again);
- craft manufacturers have problems with the ability to convey information. Often poor marketing, terrible labels and no clear positioning of their products. It is often not clear how to choose beer and what to rely on. Many terms are used that are understood by a narrow circle of persons;
- the craft world is not enough clear and complicated for an ordinary person (this is a fairly underground culture).