That understood, is “contract brewing” really such a bad
practice? And if not, why is the term drawing disdain from industry insiders
and craft beer connoisseurs?
It seems to be a bit more complicated, in large part due to
the nuances associated with “contract brewing.” The term is without a solid
definition, and each company may take a different approach to the process. Some
might even handle it differently between each of their varietals. For instance,
certain contract beers might be created entirely by the third party, with the
contracted brewer doing everything from recipe development, to manufacturing,
to marketing and sales. Other times, the contracted brewer could only oversee
the manufacturing phase, with recipe development and all sales and marketing
being handled by the contracting company.
Differences in the labor contracted aside, utilizing a
contracted brewer for manufacturing provides several benefits to the craft
brewer. First, it allows companies to handle an increase in demand, as their production
facilities may not be large enough or they may have a lack in resources and
manpower available. Additionally, the larger brewer handling the production may
have superior equipment, such as boilers and bottling devices, providing
efficiencies in the manufacturing process and a more consistent product. This,
in turn, leads to higher profits for the craft brewer, either by eliminating
the need to make a substantial capital expenditure or by meeting the level of
demand (or a combination of both). So long as the craft brewery has a strong
commitment to quality control procedures, the consumer should not see any
difference in quality regardless of where it was manufactured.
The stigma associated with contract brewing might stem from
companies who outsource the entire development process, allowing them to simply
kick back, cash in and enjoy a cold one created entirely by another company. Is
it really fair to the consumer to slap a misguided label on the bottle and
charge the higher price most commonly fixed to “craft beers?” Is it fair to
even call it a craft beer if Anheuser-Busch developed the recipe, manufactured,
marketed and sold it with the microbreweries label attached? Maybe contract
brewing is muddying the definition of craft beer because the definition of
craft beer is inherently muddy.
Photo courtesy of happeningmag.com
Photo courtesy of happeningmag.com
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