Differences between craft beer and industrial beer
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Craft beers have experienced a very good boom in recent years and a craze among beer lovers to the detriment of industrial beers. More than a new trend, there is really an upheaval in consumption habits and a desire to consume quality products and local products.
To help you better understand the differences between craft beer and industrial beer, in this article we have listed the main differences between craft beer and industrial beer.
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New trend?
The making
As its name suggests, the manufacture of industrial beer is produced by a large industrial group with considerable equipment, such as factories in many cities, in several countries or even on different continents. You should know that more than 45% of beers produced in the world belong to… 3 industrial giants! Their main objectives are commercial and financial, and in this regard the quantity produced and the automated processes of their production lines play a major role in the final price.
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For its part, a craft beer is brewed locally using traditional methods and in much more limited quantities compared to industrial production. Local breweries or microbreweries have places of production where humans are at the forefront in the brewing process. To stand out, the craft brewer will therefore give priority to something other than quantity, namely quality.
Profitability vs quality
In their quest for profitability, large industrial groups tend to use cheaper raw materials such as corn or corn sugar in order to reduce their production costs while the artisan brewer will focus on the quality of the raw materials. . Each ingredient, mainly grains and hops, is carefully selected and, in our case, also produced locally. This makes it possible to have better control over quality, in particular by visiting the places where the main ingredients are produced. The hops we use are produced in the province of Hainaut and the malt comes from Antwerp. The quantities of these raw materials used are also different. In a craft beer, we use up to 5 to 6 times more hops than in an industrial beer which is too often satisfied with extracts of this plant. The artisan brewer will also not hesitate to mix several types of malt in his recipes.
Taste
All of these choices obviously have an impact on taste. The flavors and aromas of craft beers are 100% natural. A craft beer is a living beer and is neither pasteurized nor processed like an industrial beer can be. Moreover, you will note that the taste of a craft beer can be different from one brew to another because the ingredients used can have different characteristics from one year to another such as hops for example while beers industries rely on uniformity of taste.
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Finally, a very good reason to drink craft beers is that they are healthier. It's no secret, it's basically because the main ingredients are of higher quality. There are indeed no additives in a craft beer even though they are part of the components of industrial beers, whether they are flavor enhancers, foaming agents or other products serving to fill the use. lower quality raw materials during brewing.
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Here you know a little more about the differences between craft beer and industrial beer. So are you more industrial beer or craft beer?
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