[weithman5]

Again why i don't like the idea of "craft beer" monicker. and yes i think american light lagers are good beers and can be brewed with great "craftmanship"  i think some people drink crap beer just because it is from a "craft brewery"  and i still think large breweries can make good beers. 

[bluesman]

So, any beer that isn't an American Light Lager is craft?

I'm not saying that "small, independent, traditional" is the perfect definition of craft beer, but this makes even less sense to me.  Craft beer is not a style of beer.

How about this. Keebler elves can NOT make home-made cookies. They can make very good cookies and by contrast many home-made cookies SUCK. So just because Ernie the elf makes a great cookie, does not make it home-made

Now, if Yellowhammer made BMC-ish beers  - is that craft?I say it is - someone will think it's a great beer, made by a small, independent, traditional, low volume brewer. The same beer, made by BMC - is not craft beer.

Wikipedia - A craft is a skill, especially involving practical arts. It may refer to a trade or particular art.

By definition, I agree in that the intent of the process at the end of the day is to acheive a product that was targeted for it's quality as the main focus utilizing the skills of talented brewers and not for the sole purpose of financial gain however large or small the brewery may be.

In the case of Magic Hat that remains to be seen as the direction or focus of the business may be redirected. 

Can craft beer be bad?   sure it can...

Is all craft beer good beer?   ...you be the judge

It's the act of creating a product with the use of sound brewing skills, brewing knowledge and an artful spirit that are all incorporated into the creation of craft beer.

[akr71]

In my part of the world Unibroue was bought by Sleemans, which was bought by Sapporo.  IMO, you don't buy a brewery like Unibroue (or Magic Hat) and start monkeying with their product to push out fizzy yellow water.  There's enough of that on the shelves already.  A big brewery buys an established small 'craft' brewery to get their foot in the door of the fastest growing segment of the industry.

I would expect NAB to take a hands-off approach when it comes to daily operations.

That's what you'd hope, but look at all the historic breweries in Europe that closed once they were purchased by InBev, and how the beers aren't the same anymore.  I'm not saying it's a matter of time for Unibroue, but... well, maybe it is?

Well then, we can hope that Europe starts experiencing a craft beer revolution like is going on in North America...   Love 'em or hate 'em Brewdog seems to be trying to start one in the UK.