Commentary: Why I Love The Craft Beer Business

Outsiders look upon craft beer brewers as uptight, snobbish and competitive.  Yes, the craft beer business is super competitive, the most competitive it has ever been due to the recent explosion of craft breweries all across the country.  With all the new breweries popping up trying to be successful, there is also a mutual respect for one another.  The entire craft beer business takes care of each other.  Craft breweries don't take cheap shot each other or put down another brewery just to sell a few more bottles of their beer.  There is one thing they all have in common and that is to see the growth of craft beer as a whole.  I "Like" a lot of breweries on Facebook and every day I see craft breweries promoting the beers of another brewey.  For example, today Tenaya Creek Brewery promoted the fact that they now have Pallete Wrecker by Green Flash Brewing Co. on tap at their brewery on their Facebook and Stone Brewing Co. last week were not shy in making it known they are now have Pliney The Elder by Russian River Brewing Co. on tap at their brewery.  Almost every microbrewery I have been to has guest beers on tap, which are beers from other breweries, along with their own.  It shows they are not concerned about their own success per say, but getting consumers familiar with the art of craft beer all together.  When have you ever seen Budweiser serve Miller or Coors in their establishment?  How many commercials have you seen from Miller putting down Budweiser and Coors?  I've seen so many it makes my head explode.  These companies only care about the mighty dollar and will do whatever it takes to take down Miller and Coors. I don't see any craft breweries doing that.  Every commercial from Samuel Adams talks ONLY about what makes their beer good and the qualities of a good beer.  They have never once put down the BMC companies on a commercial or on the internet.  Samuel Adams can also make it harder for smaller breweries to grow.  But instead they encourage the growth of new breweries by giving money every year to the best amateur brewers in the country so that they can start their own breweries and by lobbying congress to lower the tax rate that smaller breweries get hit with in order for them to survive.  Brewers could easily put down another brewery just to make a few more bucks, but they are not interested in that at all.  Their sole mission is the create awareness of craft beer in this country.  By trying to cheap shot other craft brewers, it only slows down that goal and destroys what a lot of people love about craft beer, which is variety, originality and integrity.  Sorry if this is cheesy, but this is why I love the craft beer business.