What “Craft” Really Means to Us

Jesse Pittman

While there’s a lot of debate on what is or isn’t craft beer, to me it’s pretty simple. Craft is doing the right thing when it comes to your beer. What “the right thing” is can vary depending on the beer or the brewer, but when your motivation is to make your product the best it can be, as opposed to only being concerned by the bottom line, you’re participating in craft. Craft is not cutting corners, being objective and open to advice, constantly learning, accepting that failures happen, and continually trying to improve. Craft means following your inspiration, trying weird stuff, challenging accepted wisdom, and making people think about something in a new way. Craft is also about sharing with the world, generating excitement or passion, and building a community of people who have equally high standards who support each other.