‘Craft’ redux – and when craft goes bad

What does “craft beer” mean to you?

Probably no need to start that discussion again. These links are just the tip of the iceberg.

But Charlie Papazian has a new poll and you should go vote your conscience.

Related, in my mind, are posts from Kelly Ryan and Mario Rubio.

Rubio writes about recent recalls by Goose Island, Bell’s and Avery and the fact that that Deschutes decided not to release Black Butte XXII in bottles. Quite obviously, quality control remains the elephant in the “craft beer” room. And I’m not necessarily talking about the four breweries mentioned this paragraph.

Ryan — in case you don’t know he’s one of the brewers of the perfectly lovely Thornbridge beers — begins his post with a discussion of whether size matters and goes here and there across the course of more than 1,800 words. I’d love to sit in a pub and chat about the full range with him, agreeing, disagreeing, clarifying, but as far as commenting I wouldn’t know where to start. Just go read.