After all, traditional ales have been brewed in the UK for centuries and it's at least forty years since the Campaign for Real Ale was founded to rescue beer drinkers from the might of the big national brewers. All well and good until about twenty five years ago when small independent breweries began to increase in number. Then some bright spark decided to label these 'micro-breweries'. What ? Aren't these just smaller versions of what's been around for decades ? Why the special name ? However it was far more recently that the term 'craft beer' was coined and it really makes me wince. Somehow referring to one of the oldest alcoholic drinks on the planet as a craft product just doesn't suit. If CAMRA conjures up images of beardy-weirdy sages earnestly discussing the pros and cons of individual brews then 'craft' makes me think of lifestyle fashion slaves eagerly sampling the newest beer from the craft movement.
I can't get my head round it. I love proper British beer, can't stand lager and otherwise applaud the traditional ale scene. But if I was a small scale brewer and my business was labelled as 'craft' I would want the labeller to get over themselves as quickly as possible. I'm hoping it's just a fashionable term that will go away as quickly as it appeared.