What is the difference between craft beer and draft beer brewed by manufacturers?

As a senior beer lover, I don’t quite understand the specific difference that the questioner wants to ask. I will answer this question from several aspects, hoping to help you.

There is no equivalent classification between craft beer and draft beer. For example, craft beer corresponds to industrial beer, draft beer corresponds to cooked beer, and there are draft beer, fresh beer, draft beer, and puree. , purely different. Let’s talk about the differences between different categories of beer.

Craft beer and industrial beer

1. Different brewing raw materials

Beer uses grain and water as the main raw materials, and adds hops (or hop products). It is brewed by yeast fermentation and contains low-alcohol fermented wine containing carbon dioxide.

(1) Craft beer: Generally only brewed using malt, hops, yeast and water. One of the definitions of craft beer in the United States, the birthplace of modern craft beer, is that there is at least one flagship product or more than 50 sales products that do not use auxiliary ingredients to brew beer. Even if auxiliary ingredients (such as spices, fruits, nuts, etc., maybe some rice, corn, etc.) are used, the purpose should be to add a certain style rather than reduce the flavor of the beer. In addition, in craft beer, hops often play a very important role, including spice, floral, rosin, citrus, herbal, etc. Brewers like to use hops to make craft beer reach a certain level. characteristic.

(2) Industrial beer: auxiliary materials are often added. The main auxiliary materials are corn, rice, etc. Their cost is lower than malt, and they can effectively reduce production costs in large-scale production. However, adding auxiliary materials will weaken the flavor of beer. Of course, beer with a water-like taste is more easily accepted by the public and has a wider market.

2. Different fermentation processes

(1) Craft beer: mostly ale process, the yeast works at the top of the fermentation tank and floats above the wine liquid, and the fermentation temperature is generally controlled at 10-20℃. Fermentation tanks are usually small and do not undergo filtration or sterilization after fermentation.

(2) Industrial beer: mostly lager process, the yeast works at the bottom of the fermentation tank and sinks below the wine liquid, and the fermentation temperature is generally controlled below 10°C. The fermentation tank is larger, and filtration and pasteurization are usually used after fermentation to increase the shelf life (shelf life) of the beer.

3. Different fermentation times

(1) Craft beer: Because there is no need to care too much about costs, fermentation time is often not paid special attention to and time costs are not considered too much. The most traditional craft beer fermentation time can be as long as 2 months, so that the beer is fully fermented, the wort concentration is higher, and the flavor is richer.

(3) Industrial beer: For industrial beer, time is money, so the fermentation time of industrial beer is usually only about 7 days. In this way, the fermentation will not be particularly sufficient, resulting in low wort concentration and poor flavor. It’s also lighter.

4. Different outputs

(1) Craft beer: requires low output, takes the high-quality route, and is rich in characteristics. The United States requires craft beer production to be no more than 6 million barrels per year.

(2) Industrial beer: The annual output of industrial beer is often more than ten times or dozens of times that of a craft brewery. This kind of ultra-large-scale production must lower its taste requirements, and To achieve "popularity", the lighter the taste, the easier it is to be accepted by most people.

5. Different styles

Craft beer is not only delicious, it also contains culture and soul. While ensuring high quality, we emphasize innovation (innovation in brewing raw materials and brewing methods, such as the clever use of various auxiliary materials, various fermentation microorganisms, and the use of various oak barrels to age beer, etc.), emphasizing diversification, miniaturization, specialization and localization.