The war between craft brewers and their macro counterparts continued with another battle this summer. The Brewers Association released a new seal at the end of June 2017 that can only be placed on beer that follows their definition of craft beer. The intent of this seal was to allow consumers to have a visual aid on product packaging that would allow them to tell at a glance if a beer was made by a craft brewer, similar to the already existing Belgian Trappist seal.
The Brewers Association is a not-for-profit group that consists of various professionals in the brewing industry and publishes a body of statistics and literature focused around the relatively new craft beer resurgence. They define craft brewers as breweries that are small, independent, and traditional. To be considered small, a brewery must produce less than 6 million barrels annually. Independent means that less than 25% of the brewery is owned by a member of the alcohol industry that is itself not a craft brewer. Traditional beer refers to breweries where the majority of alcohol volume and flavor comes from creating beers using traditional and innovative brewing techniques.
However, these three beers below stand head and shoulders above the beers they’re meant to be compared against, namely what some are calling "quasi-craft beers". The breweries below not only were successful and innovative before their respective mergers, but also provided inspiration for many of the newer craft brands that exist today. Community-driven scores from both Ratebeer and BeerAdvocate are given to show exactly how well received these brews are by beer enthusiasts.
Founders KBS (Kentucky Breakfast Stout)
Ratebeer Overall: 100 | BeerAdvocate Score: 100
Founders KBS creates a huge demand among beer lovers every April, during its annual release. The beer has been made since 2003 and has slowly but steadily grown a fan base, won numerous awards, and has delighted the tongues of those lucky enough to find it. This decadent imperial stout, made with coffee and chocolate, is aged in bourbon barrels for a few months, imparting delicate notes of vanilla and oak to an already rich beer. KBS has been no longer deemed a craft beer by the Brewers Association since the end of 2014, when Founders sold a 30% stake to Mahou San Miguel. Because San Miguel produces well over 6 million barrels, any Founders beer can no longer be considered craft, even though their full capacity is only around 900,000 barrels annually as of 2014.
Ratebeer Overall: 99 | BeerAdvocate Score: 98
Lagunitas makes this fan favorite once a year, when the hop farms they coordinate with in Yakima, WA begin their fall harvest. The concept behind this beer lies in picking the hops and immediately using them in the brewing process instead of preserving them, resulting in this special "wet-hopped" beer. Using only the freshest of the yield ensures a high level of quality in this unfiltered, dry, and grassy pale ale. Lagunitas was first removed from the craft beer segment in 2015 after selling a 50% stake to Heineken, with the hopes of creating a global market for the brand. The deal seems to have pleased both parties enough for Lagunitas to sell the remaining 50% to Heineken in May 2017.
Ratebeer Overall: 100 | BeerAdvocate Score: 97
While not as rare as the other two beers mentioned above, Ballast Point's Victory at Sea is certainly just as well rated. This imperial porter is brewed year-round with vanilla and locally roasted cold brewed coffee, providing a few extra layers of complexity to a potent malt focused body. Ballast Point lost its craft status after a highly publicized buyout from Constellation Brands for $1 billion. Constellation has been a giant in the alcohol industry for many years, producing and distributing many different brands of wine, beer, and liquor. Its mass production of beer brands such as Corona and Negra Modelo, however, was the main reason for the relabeling Ballast Point as not authentically craft.
