There are several debates about when a beer ceases to be craft and if the loss of this condition is linked to its volume of production and automation of processes or to the ingredients it has and especially those it does not. In our case, we believe that as long as it does not contain artificial additives or preservatives, the beer remains craft despite the fact that, due to the growth of the factory, it must incorporate certain automated processes to simplify tasks and standardize product quality.
Industrial breweries have very high production volumes, so they need to standardize all their processes, to replicate the same flavor over and over again. They must often use ingredients less expensive than barley such as rice, corn and millet in their recipes to reach a larger audience with their prices. At the same time, they must resort many times to flavourings, stabilizers or preservatives to prolong the expiration date of the product, and facilitate its conservation.
Craft beer, on the other hand, must respect the 4 basic ingredients of the drink, which are grain (mainly malted barley, although other grains can be used), water, yeast and hops. Many times different additions are made to achieve new flavors and aromas such as honey, fruits, spices, etc., but in no case do they receive the addition of colorants, flavorings or preservatives.
While industrial beer seeks to replicate itself over and over again, craft beer is constantly searching for new recipes that provide variants of flavors, aromas, colors, and textures. In the latter, the Brewmaster (the person in charge of defining the recipe to be carried out) has a preponderant factor in the final result of the product. He can decide to replicate recipes, modifying them or creating new ones. The freedom to experiment with successes or errors is much greater, including many who believed they were errors, new varieties or beers emerged that later had great success.
In Argentina, craft beer has been gaining ground by leaps and bounds for several years now, many local brewers made international cups and both their knowledge and the quality of their products have improved tremendously in recent years.
We invite you to get to know many of these varieties, both artisanal and industrial, in the beer section of our page, where you can find them with their descriptions and particularities.
Because it has natural ingredients and they were made with special recipes from master brewers where the human factor influences their preparation. Obtaining as a result a product of the highest quality, unique in aromas and flavors. Whatever style you like, craft beer will sharpen your senses, you will notice more body, you will perceive aromas. You also collaborate with local producers in this very complicated context. A craft experience that you cannot miss!empre y cuando no contenga aditivos artificiales ni conservantes la cerveza sigue siendo artesanal mas alla de que por la nececidad de crecimiento de la fabrica deba incorporar ciertos procesos automatizados para simpilficar las tareas y estandarizar la calidad del producto.
CRAFT BEER:
- It is made from totally natural ingredients: water, malt and yeast.
Contains no artificial additives or preservatives
Brewmaster recipes are tested and modified countless times to find the desired taste and aroma.
The elaboration process is manually or with minimal help of manual filtering machinery.
A few liters are manufactured in each firing.
More attractive and complex in taste.
It is taken at a suitable temperature to feel its true flavor. - Shorter expiration dates.
It is more expensive for its high quality.
INDUSTRIAL BEER:
- They use less expensive ingredients such as rice, corn or millet.
It is pasteurized (where it loses nutritional properties) and contains preservatives. - Standard recipe that seeks economically viable ingredients and processes, the process is automatic and human participation is minimal.
- Chemical filtering, which eliminates residues, but also destroys yeasts and proteins in the beer, reducing its taste, aroma and properties.
- Thousands of liters are manufactured in each firing.
- It is taken very cold.
It is less expensive
Craft beer is made from totally natural ingredients, which do not contain artificial additives or preservatives, just water, yeast, malts and hops. Instead, industrial beer is pasteurized and contains preservatives.
Industrial beers are produced from a basic, standard recipe that seeks economically viable ingredients and processes. On the contrary, craft beer is tested and modified countless times by the brewmaster to find the right mix with the desired taste and aromas. Each brewmaster develops his own formula to get what he and his customers like best. For this there are different varieties and each beer is unique, making it a more expensive product than an industrial beer.
The process of making craft beers is done manually or with minimal help from machinery, unlike large industrial breweries, where the process is automatic and human participation is minimal. Industrial beers undergo a pasteurization process, where they lose the nutritional properties of the beer.
The main difference between industrial and craft beer is found in the treatment of the raw material and in the production process. As for raw materials, their proportion is lower in industrial beers, which also use non-natural preservatives. Craft beers do not use any artificial additives, the production process is manual from the grinding of the malts to the bottling.
Craft beer is a completely different beer from industrial beer, since it does not have any type of chemical additive, since it is really craft, made by people who investigate, it is reported. It is not an industrial process, this makes it more attractive in taste and presentation. Each brewmaster develops his own formula or his own recipe, to get what his public accepts most. That is why you will find different tastes even within the same type of beer. That makes it a more expensive product than industrial beer.
We should talk about 3 categories rather than 2: homebrewers, microbreweries and industrial breweries.
Homebrewers have more or less rudimentary equipment that allows -with some luck- to repeat more or less closely the same recipe in different productions.
Microbreweries (brewpubs, small manufacturers) have more sophisticated equipment than homebrewers: tanks, pumps, filters… but they don’t reach the level of sophistication of industrial breweries. Many parts of the process (if not most) are carried out manually (adding grain and hops, washing the instruments, etc.) and a personal profile is sought: beer from “such side” and not “such brand”. “.
Finally, the industrial breweries: a process that manufactures thousands and thousands of liters and where there are not so many people behind it. Most of the stages are robotic or automated and the quantities and chemistry of the elements are carefully controlled. Industrial breweries seek to lower costs, increase sales and position brands.
The difference, then, could be this: a homebrewer makes his beer to enjoy himself or with friends. A microbrewer makes his beer to sell it but also to enjoy it: he wants his “creature” to be revered by all. An industrial brewer is an entrepreneur: he does not make the beer that he likes the most, but the one that leaves him the most money.
None of these “roles” is good or bad in itself. They are just different positions on the same issue.
