CRAFT BEER VS INDUSTRIAL BEER: HOW THEY DIFFER

Julio Cerezo - Beer Sommelier
Director of Sabeer Beer Academy

The Spanish beer scene has undergone a significant transformation in recent years with the rise of craft beers. Gradually, these beers have carved out their place, initially in specialized venues and later in mainstream outlets, both in the hospitality industry and retail. The media has also taken notice, making these beers a familiar part of everyday life for any enthusiast.

However, beyond their dedicated fan base, the general public's understanding of craft beers and how they differ from industrial ones is often quite limited. We’ll therefore aim to identify these differences from various perspectives to build the most comprehensive picture possible.

From a legal perspective, in Spain, craft beer is defined as one where ‘personal involvement is the predominant factor, under the direction of an experienced master brewer or artisan, with human factors taking precedence over mechanical ones in its production.’ This means that there are no limitations on the size of the brewery or the volume of production, unlike in other countries where specific criteria are set to define a beer as a craft.

The craft brewing sector itself has come up with initiatives to define its territory more precisely. Thus, the Spanish Association of Independent Craft Brewers (AECAI) requires its members to not be affiliated with large brewing groups. This led to the brand Cibeles having to leave the organisation a few years ago after selling a stake to Heineken, even though its beers continued to be produced as they had been until then.

This brings us to the heart of the matter: the product. There’s nothing inherently mandatory that separates a craft beer from an industrial one, but typically there are some differences between the two:

• Craft beers tend to reproduce lesser-known styles than industrial or mass-market beers, although exceptions are becoming more and more common. For example, IPAs were once a hallmark of small brewers, but today nearly all major companies produce one. On the flip side, until recently, golden lagers were considered taboo in the craft world, but today it’s possible to find several.
• Craft beers do not usually use fermentable adjuncts in their recipes, such as rice and corn. These two grains often feature in the production of the world’s best-selling beers alongside barley malt, making them lighter and easier to drink. On the other hand, craft brewers tend to avoid their use, leaving malts to take centre stage.
• As a result of the two points mentioned above, we could say that craft beers generally offer bolder sensory profiles, while industrial beers tend to be more restrained in terms of flavour and aroma.
• Finally, the price of craft beers tends to be higher than that of mass-produced beers. The use of some specific high-cost ingredients and the obvious economy of scale of their competitors means that we have to pay a little more for them.

In the end, it is our palate that has the last word, as always. Nonetheless, nothing prevents us from alternating the consumption of one or the other depending on our personal preferences and occasion. As always in moderation.

Cheers!