Taste: Craft Beer

Pronunciation: /teɪst/

noun

1. the sensation of flavour perceived in the mouth and throat on contact with a substance
2. a person’s liking for particular flavours
3. the ability to discern what is of good quality or of a high aesthetic standard

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/taste?q=taste

To me, taste is the most essential sense when it comes to Beer. “Well…obviously” you’re probably saying, and you’re absolutely right, it is obvious. So why guzzle watered-down ales, cheaply produced branded lagers, or even beers with incredible aromas but when consumed leave an overpowering aftertaste of anti-climax?

Because they’re cheap or on promotion? Because they have a higher alcohol content? Because they have pretty packaging?

This may sound ironic being in marketing, and I apologise if I sound preachy, but I’m fed up with the vast amounts of fizzy yellow tasteless crap sold and marketed as Beer. The alcoholic drinks market is saturated and very competitive, so I wholeheartedly respect the marketing genius required by the big players to differentiate their brands. The only problem is: their brands are marketed as lifestyle choices rather than high quality tasty beverages. 

The closest we get to “taste” is when horrendous ciders are marketed as “refreshing” or Beers are marketed in cold-activated bottles as being tastier at a sub-zero temperature. Surely if you want something refreshing you should drink some water.

So why is this? Because all of their brands are cheaply produced and taste practically the same.

Several months ago, I told two Beer manufacturer Senior Sales Managers at an interview for a Placement that “Carling tastes like toilet water”. Needless it is to say that I wasn’t offered the position - apparently they didn’t appreciate my abuse of a competitor’s product. Well for one, I always thought honesty was the best policy, but it’s clear now that brownnosing is still the best route up the hierarchical ladder to success. And yes, that’s the Simcoe hand-jiving on your taste buds, not my bitterness…

I digress: I do realise that Carling holds the UK’s largest market share in not only the domestic lager category but the overall beer category, but does that say more about the quality of Coors’ branding activities or the sophistication of our nation’s palate. I’d argue both.

Taste is a unique phenomenon tailored to the individual. The problem I’ve found is that each domestic or “premium” lager or ale produced by the big players is cultivated to satisfy a broad range of tastes. These lagers and ales are then heavily advertised through various media, and then sold cheaply to pubs, bars, clubs and restaurants (on-trade), well-known retailers (off-trade) and wholesalers to enable them to make a profit. The better known the brand, the more shelf or fridge space that particular brand will occupy, consequently leaving very little opportunity for consumers to opt for a less “popular” brand.

So came the Craft Beer Revolution in the United States where hundreds of small and micro-breweries challenged the status quo of characterless Beer with a revamp of traditional styles and boundary pushing flavours. There are now approximately 2,500 craft breweries in the US, all working together to wrestle market share away from the domineering big players.

This is what incited the UK’s very own Craft Beer Revolution which has seen the import of US hops and the recreation of archived recipes. Over the last few months I have had the honour of tasting some of the most sensational tongue-teasing brews ranging from ridiculously fruity and floral IPAs to rich, indulgent Stouts.

“It doesn't taste like anything else. People who are willing to push themselves are going to get more out of it.” – Neil Taylor, Brewdog

The issue, as mentioned above, is where to find them?

The Big Four supermarkets (+ M&S) have a relatively eclectic range of ales on show, usually on promotion at 4 for £6, but I’m still yet to find many which can truly classify themselves as “Craft” (see my blog on Craft’s definition, coming soon). Brewdog’s Punk IPA, Dead Pony Club and 5am Saint can usually be found in a Tesco or Sainsbury’s, while Goose Island IPA and 312 are available in most. The former’s brands are only really available because their marketing activities and growth could not be ignored, while the latter sold themselves into AB InBev slavery in a bid to acquire greater shelf and fridge visibility.

There are specialist beer retailers such as the Beer Boutique, Utobeer, Craft Beer Company and Drink of Fulham, and those with an online presence such as Beer Hawk, Beer Ritz, and other less specialist retailers with an extensive Beer range. However, due to their specialist nature there are usually price premiums placed on their products e.g. a bottle of Dead Pony Club will retail at £1.89 at Sainsbury’s but RRP at £2.50 at Beer Boutique.

My advice is to go directly to the breweries.

Partizan and The Kernel both have their breweries and brewery shops available to the public in East London from 11am-5pm and 9am-3pm respectively, while Sambrook’s in Battersea and By The Horns in Wandsworth are open every day but Sunday. Meantime meanwhile have online shopping, but you’ll find a host of their Beers in Well’s pubs across the City.

Other breweries have their comprehensive portfolios of beers available in their own bars and restaurants such as Zero Degrees, who have their enormous vats put into their restaurants, one of which is located in Blackheath or Beavertown’s Duke’s Brew & Que located in Hackney or CamdenTown’s Brewery Bar which teams up with an assortment of street food vendors. Not to mention Brewdog’s excellent bars in Shepherd’s Bush and Camden.

The point is that the Craft Beer landscape is exciting; there’s much more depth to it than our traditional gastro pubs and those cheap watered down ales and lagers we’ve been lulled into liking.

“There is such an incredible variety that if you think you don’t like beer, you just haven’t found the right one yet.” – Peter Brown, Shortlist

Drop the crap. Embrace Craft.