There’s no doubt the definition of “craft beer” is a slippery creature (which we try to wrestle to the ground in Episode 2 of Beer Nation). Leave it to a second rate business rag, however, to stretch the argument for a more inclusive definition of “craft beer” so far that it offends the sensibilities of even the most fervent supporter of Sam Adams and Sierra Nevada as “craft beers.”
Even the title, “Budweiser takes on MillerCoors’ Blue Moon in craft beer brew-haha,” makes me cringe. The article – featured earlier this week in Crain’s Business – pins Anheuser-Busch’s new “craft” beer, Bud Light Golden Wheat, against MillerCoors’s “craft” delight, Blue Moon.
Guess who wins this epic battle of the “craft” beers? Opportunistic publications like Crain’s Business, who appropriate meaningful terms like “craft beer” for purposes of creating corporate buzz.
It’s retarded that Bud and MillerCoors are in a craft brew battle. To me, there is a difference between craft breweries and microbreweries. Sierra/Sam Adams are not micro breweries, but they are craft breweries. Budweiser may sell something other then a crappy light lager, but it sure as hell isn’t a craft beer.