Why Craft Beer?

There are very few things in this world that have as interesting an adjective as "craft" in their title. There are "big" and "super" and "first", but few things can be described with such utter reverence as craft. (Thanks for ruining my point "artisan" bread...) Still, that is really what it is, a craft. For anyone, like myself, who has brewed beer at home or even seen beer being brewed, you know that more goes into the process than in making a simple pitcher of sweet tea. It takes many hours of preparation and several more for the actual process. The overall character of a beer is made up of its flavor, aroma, and appearance (there are more specifics, but that is for another time), so much goes into the creation of said characteristics. Over a century ago, the macro breweries of this country settled in on a recipe that most people could stand and have made some semblance of that lager ever since.

Yet, it is in the last 30 years, and moreover, the last 10 years, that an industry called "Craft beer" has come to the forefront. While once a large and prolific industry,
it never fully recovered after prohibition. We now have around 1700 craft breweries according to the Brewers Association. More and more are coming every year. My town of Charlotte, NC has several set to debut in the coming months alone. (VERY excited for NODA Brewing to finally open up shop!)

It is really the brewers that give the industry the craft name. The time and energy spent in making recipes and testing batches is not easy. But it is the passion, desire, will, talent, and maybe even stubbornness that give the industry its name. And we consumers appreciate that. There is a reason people take their hard earned money and spend it on bottles and glasses of beer... we love it! This world of beer is not about drinking for drinkings sake - it is about the quality and camaraderie that comes with it. It is all the sophistication of wine, but with more fun, more diversity in ingredients and less spitting at tastings!

It is for these reasons and many more that I wanted to start this blog. I have seen my friends and my wonderful girlfriend become elated in the world of craft beer. But everyone needs a guide, mine was my brother Brent (along with my Dad), and I have been lucky enough to help others along the way. It is my intention to help others on their beer journey. So, there will be articles on breweries, home brewing, reviews of beer and just general beer experiences and fun!

This blog is a lot like beer, in that it was created to make people happy. So, I hope you all enjoy it!



Cheers! Salud! Prost! Iechyd da! Lechaim! - You get the idea...

~ Tyler