What is Craft Beer? Definitions and Explanation : The Definition of Craft Beer Around The World
At the time of writing, there is no single organisation pushing to support breweries in Japan like the Brewers’ Association, known as BA for the rest of this article, in the USA or Society of Independent Brewers, known as SIBA for the rest of this article, in the UK, or the Independent Brewers’ Association, known as IBA, in Australia. All of these organisations have pushed back against the full scale invasion of macro breweries with their definitions of what is, and what isn’t, craft beer.
Each of the organisations listed above have stated their own rules for a brewery to be considered craft in their respective countries:
Definition of craft beer in the USA
The Brewers Association have provided guidelines for what makes a craft brewery ‘craft’ in the USA.
- Their annual production should not exceed 704 million litres
- The majority of their beers should have flavours that derive from traditional or innovative brewing ingredients and their fermentation
- Less than 25% of the brewery should be owned by an alcohol industry member who is not a “craft brewery”
Definition of craft beer in the UK
The Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) currently provides a definition for what a craft brewery is in the UK.
- Produces less than 20 million litres annually
- Is a truly independent brewer and not a subsidiary of a larger firm with other attendant or subsidiary brewing interests
- Meets and abides by SIBA’s Food Safety and Quality standards
Definition of craft beer in Australia
The Independent Brewers Association (IBA) guidelines are similar to that of the USA.
- Annual production should be less than 40 million litres per annum
- Less than 20% of the brewery can be owned by a large brewer
- The craft brewery owns less than 20% of a large brewery
Roundup and Japan
Looking at these definitions, it’s safe to say that one common goal between all these is independence and size. While the size varies from country to country, independence is a mitigating factor. However, in Japan, that idea of independence is a grey area in Japan due to how some of the breweries came about.
Moreover, at the time of writing, there has been no definite idea from anyone in Japan about what craft beer is, and what isn’t. The Brewers’ Association of Japan is an organisation set up by Asahi, Kirin, Orion, Sapporo, and Suntory for their interests alone. The only organisation to have some semblance of setting up some ideas is the Japan Brewer’s Association, known as JBA, (getting confusing now isn’t it) which is as follows:
- The company is making beer independent of the large-volume, large-volume beer that has been built before the liquor tax law revision (April 1994).
- Feeding units (production of wort) are carried out on a small scale with less than 20 kiloliters, and brewers (brewers) are making visible production.
- Manufactured by traditional methods, or producing distinctive beers from regional specialties. And it is rooted in the area.
