The Difference: Craft Beer & Beer

The 5 most important differences between "craft beers" and "artisanal beers.

The craft brewing craze is far-reaching. With incredible commercial successes in the US over the last 20 years, it has expanded worldwide. So, Europe was a natural to become the next explosive market. In Switzerland alone, there are more than 1,200 craft breweries.

Passion and love of beer are usually the driving force. Whether the goal is to open a small production brewery selling to local businesses or an entirely new career path with bigger dreams, passion and love of beer are usually the shared motivation.

There is no “written in stone” rule or requirement to be recognized as a craft brewery. That said, The Brewers Association, located in America, does have listed qualifications for American breweries. However, these have not been adopted internationally yet.

What are the main differences between a craft brewery and a commercial brewery?

Ownership: Craft breweries are independent. Less than 25 percent of a craft brewery may be owned or controlled by a large alcohol industry company; craft brewers must be independent of corporations. They are therefore not traded on stock markets and are separate from corporate ethics and economic rules.

Size: Craft breweries are significantly smaller than corporate breweries. They generally should not exceed 95’000 Hl or 6 million barrels to be called a craft brewery. Craft breweries are usually limited to serving local, regional, or national markets based on their production capacity and limitations. Very few craft brewers can export their beer abroad.

Innovation: Craft brewers create tasty new beers. They revisit the traditional beer styles and experiment with unconventional ingredients like fruits, coffee, spices, and herbs. They are interpreting historical types and experimenting with unique twists to develop new unprecedented craft beer.

Taste: The result of combining innovation with the revival of traditional beer techniques is an endless variety of craft beer options. Historically, the big breweries focused on refreshing beers with a neutral taste. However, recently some have introduced new, more exciting beer styles. Often because they have acquired craft brewers, and therefore are expanding their brands’ offerings.

Price: Craft beer tends to be more expensive than mass-produced beers due to the effort put into brewing innovative beers. The wide variety of costly ingredients used and the focus on taste rather than neutrality. Size plays a significant role in the price of a beer. Since beer produced by huge corporate breweries, using reduced price ingredients acquired in mass quantities and utilizing less expensive factory labor can achieve much cheaper production costs, which results in a lower cost per unit.

We at Fermento are an authentic craft brewery. We concentrate on innovative beers with a focus on taste and balance. For this reason, we have coined the new term “Tastefully Balanced.” The heart of our philosophy is that each ingredient will be distinguished and distinguishable when drinking a Fermento beer. We currently serve local Swiss markets. Additionally, we are fully independent.