Craft beer has finally hit the big time.
By Don Kavanagh
After years of incremental growth, it is now a fixture in bars, restaurants and supermarkets and a faithful and enthusiastic market of consumers has developed.
And why wouldn?t that be the case. From small beginnings, the number of brewers has mushroomed and the quality has gone through the roof.
From crisp lagers to monstrously roasted porters, every possible style is covered and some fairly unique creations have also appeared, including the Yeastie Boys? whisky-malt inspired Hud a Wa, Mike?s Coffee Porter and the intriguing Taa Kawa, a lager infused with kawakawa berries.
Bars such as Galbraiths, Hashigo Zake and the Malthouse have catered to increasingly sophisticated consumers, who are demanding quality, innovation and excellence.
But for all the good news floating around craft beer and brewing, there are challenges too. One of the main challenges now is who to cater to. While the craft enthusiasts have become more demanding, the mainstream customers can be put off by the more esoteric brews.
So breweries are having to decide whether to brew huge, hoppy exotic beers for the purists or stick to more tried and trusted recipes so as not to scare off the craft beer novices.
Some breweries are struggling with that issue. A few ? which were considered avant garde not long ago ? have fallen between two stools; they are a bit too far out there for the mainstream consumers and they aren?t far enough out for the more enthusiastic beer nuts.
There is also the temptation to make beers that are bigger, hoppier and stronger than anything else out there. That?s fine, as long as they realise that there is a limited market for such beers. Only the extreme end of the market wants to drink it and ? as has happened with both wine and whisky ? tastes tend to change and beers that are more balanced in their flavours tend to find longevity.
At the opposite end of the scale, some brewers are dumbing down the beers into facsimiles of standard mainstream beers. This is perhaps a greater mistake. If people want to drink Carlsberg or Budweiser they will buy the relatively cheap version already available, instead of paying a premium for something that doesn?t taste any better.
For all the challenges, though, the craft brewing sector is in great heart. Brewers seem cheerful and optimistic, while drinkers can?t get enough of the variety.
On the evidence of this month?s tasting (and some private research) there are some great beers out there.
This month?s Panel was smaller than usual, mostly due to time pressures, but it was good to welcome long-time beer drinker and collector John McNeill back to the ranks. We?d like to thank John for hauling himself off his sickbed and fronting up for a collection of 17 craft beers.
Click here to download the tasting notes as a PDF.