With the rapid growth of the craft brewing industry on both sides of the  Atlantic and the plethora of new entrants  onto the market I have three words of advice – quality, quality and quality.  

This means working in the lab to understand microbiology at your brewery and ensuring quality control in all areas of production and distribution.  Do not take short cuts, one slip will affect the drinking enjoyment of many and create negative experiences in the long term.

As part of our commitment towards consistent quality this year the Brewers Association appointed a Quality Ambassador – Dick Cantwell – to instil the culture of quality in beer and business and achieve the vision of a membership that consistently produces beer of the highest quality. 

We have also appointed a new Craft Beer Ambassador for Europe – Sylvia Kopp – who will support export growth to the region by promoting and educating about the diverse and innovative craft beers produced by small and independent American brewers.

A good example of the Brewers Association’s focus on quality is our recommendations for how draught beer should be delivered to beer drinkers, ie:   

Stored cold from brewery to bar

Tapped fresh with well-rotated stock

Maintained with  clean beer lines

Served in the right glass that’s clean (see www.craftBeer.com, a dedicated resource to help you find the right glass

Remember the four golden rules:  cold beer, clean lines, beer-clean glassware, properly poured by knowledgeable barstaff.

The Brewers Association works to educate and inform international trade and media about the quality and diversity of U.S. craft beers through events, seminars,  trade shows, exhibitions, publications and much more.

Much is being made about the definition of a craft beer in the UK.  We define the craft brewer in the United States, as the following:

Small: Annual production of 6 million barrels of beer or less (approximately 3% of U.S. annual sales). Beer production is attributed to the rules of alternating proprietorships. Independent: Less than 25% of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by an alcoholic beverage industry member that is not itself a craft brewer.

Traditional: A brewer that has a majority of its total beverage alcohol volume in beers whose flavour derives from traditional or innovative brewing ingredients and their fermentation. Flavoured malt beverages (FMBs) are not considered beers.

We welcome UK breweries as members of the Brewers Association and can offer a wealth of resources.   Go to www.brewersassociation.org for more details.