What Is a Microbrewery?

Microbrewery, craft brewery, macrobrewery, brewery, brew pub – we throw all of these terms around, or we hear them from all angles, and we never really stop to ask what any of these terms actually mean.

Particularly for a brewer, it is helpful to understand these terms so you know where your brewery might fit in.

So, what is a microbrewery?

What Is a Microbrewery?

A microbrewery is defined by the Brewer’s Association as a brewery that produces less than 15,000 barrels of beer per year and sells 75 percent or more of its beer off-site.

Basically, it is much smaller than a traditional brewery, also known as a macrobrewery, but it is also not a traditional taproom or beer pub, where beer is sold on site for clients who come and sit regularly to enjoy beer and grub.

Microbreweries make beer to sell to the public through retailers, and they do so either directly or through a wholesaler.

In addition, a smaller portion, 25% or less, of the microbrewery sales will be conducted onsite, either through carry out or to be enjoyed at the location if the space allows.

History of Microbrewery

Now, you might be wondering about the distinction. Why the need to differentiate between microbreweries and macrobreweries?

Isn’t it all just beer?

Well, the microbrewery trend rose in response to a reclamation of smaller, more “craft” driven brews.

In the free love, back to the land, communal movements of the 1960s, more and more people starting brewing beer and kombucha and making wine at home.

It was a kind of rejection of large corporations that had hidden ingredients, high costs, and perhaps messages the consumer did not agree with.

So, they made their own beer.

From there, the small, anti-corporate breweries began to rise in local regions and neighborhoods, spreading messages of community, buying local, and wholesome ingredients and practices the public could get behind.

The movement started in the UK, with the first microbrewery opening in the UK in 1972, called Selby Brewery and founded and owned by Martin Sykes.

It was the first independent brewing company in 50 years.

Five years later, the first microbrewery in the US was opened, New Albion in Sonoma, California.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Today, the US has almost 10,000 microbreweries operating, and microbrewing brings in a whopping $7.7 billion in sales each year.

The UK is fast approaching 2,000 microbreweries in its much smaller geographic space.

Microbrewery vs. Craft Brewery

But wait, what is a microbrewery when compared to a craft brewery?

Well, a microbrewery and a craft brewery can actually be one in the same.

A craft brewery is defined as a small, independent brewery by the Brewer’s Association.

Typically, a craft brewer is significantly smaller than a classic microbrewery, producing fewer than 6 million gallons of beer each year. Also, for newer, smaller, craft brewers, the regulations are often much tighter.

Craft brewers must use only traditional ingredients in beer production – grain, water, hops, and yeast. Any other ingredients included in the beer must be for the purposes of flavor, texture, aroma, etc, and not to cut costs.

It is interesting that the much larger breweries are not held to such high standards, but the consumer certainly benefits from this knowledge and the practice.

It is a point of pride for many craft brewers that they use only the finest ingredients and cater to a much more selective crowd of beer drinkers.

It is the craft brewer who has allowed for the rise of the beer snob, the beer aficionado, and for the beer mug to be put on the same level of class and distinction as the glass of wine.

We now talk about beer in terms of esters, mouthfeel, notes, and subtleties thanks to the craft brewer.

Still, a craft brewer is usually also a microbrewery, as long as it meets that definition of fewer than 15,000 barrels per year, and less than 25% of its sales made on-site.

Taproom Brewery

These distinctions are where taproom breweries and brew pubs come into play.

Sometimes, you will have a microbrewery that sells much more than 25% of its beer onsite but does not sell a significant amount of food.

Some brewers will brew beer onsite and sell it for consumers to drink at a bar top or even outside under umbrella tables but will only offer small plates or appetizers to eat.

Others will invite food trucks to the location to sell food to shared consumers.

These brewers would all be considered taproom brewers.

Brew Pub

Finally, there is the brew pub – the brewer who sells both beer and food onsite, as a traditional brew pub has done for millennia.

What was once the weary traveler seeking a beer, some grub, and maybe even a bed for the night is now the discerning beer lover out for the evening with friends or even on a casual date, seeking a great craft beer and food to pair it with.

The brew pub makes its beer with the intention of selling it onsite, usually along with food. But it can often also sell its beer to go for customers who would like to take home a growler, a six pack, or even a case.

In the end, the most obvious, and likely easiest, path as a new brewer starting out is the one that begins in craft brewing and works its way up from there.

You can start by simply offering your small beers to friends and family, spreading out to your neighborhood, even engaging in gypsy brewing by renting out the facilities of another more established craft brewer.

Then, you can either grow into a larger microbrewery or even start offering food. Or both!

From there, the sky is the limit.

Cheers!

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Sources:

1. https://www.brewersassociation.org/statistics-and-data/craft-beer-industry-market-segments/
2. https://drinkpartake.com/blogs/news/what-is-the-difference-between-a-craft-brewery-a-microbrewery-and-a-macrobrewery-2

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