BEER or CRAFT BEER?
Both are an alcoholic beverage usually made from malted cereal grain (as barley), flavored with hops, and brewed by slow fermentation. The difference between craft beer and regular macro beer are mostly the size of the brewery, cost of production and its texture, tastes ans colors.
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Beer is made by large corporations. Craft beer is brewed by people. Craft beer is brewered by craftsmen who love beer and wanted to share it with others.
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Beer tastes like beer. Craft beer tastes like: chocolate, coffee, oak, caramel, molasses, grass, floral hops, dark fruit, smoke, grapefruit, citrics, coriander, pumpkin or hazelnut. Craft beer is a completely world of aromas and tastes. Each one is different to the other.
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Beer is usually served ice cold from the can or bottle and it is drinked in massive quantities. Craft beer is lovingly poured into a special glass, at just the right temperature, and given the chance to warm and release its flavors as the color and thickness of the head, the color and clarity and the nose of the beer are all examined, analyzed and appreciated, before the beer itself is savored on the palate and the various flavors are allowed to arise and intermingle.
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Beer is marketed, on television and in print, by making you think you’ll be cool or get the girl with their product. Craft beer is marketed, mostly not on television, on its merits as a beer, with emphasis on flavor and the ingredients that went into making the product.
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Beer is usually yellow or brown. Craft beer can be anything from a hazy golden straw color to a coppery orange to a ruby brown to an inky black.
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Beer is made with cheap ingredients and adjuncts such as rice, to make the beer more bland and inexpensive, with the end result being a beer that makes you feel bloated and full. Craft beer is brewed using hand selected ingredients, specifically picked with certain flavor characteristics in mind and brewed with the end goal of flavorful, quality beer. It is more expensive but a much better value for the money.
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Beer is sometimes “shotgunned” or used for a keg stand. Craft beer is sometimes selected and served as an integral accompaniment to a fine meal in the best restaurants. Craft beer add value to your best food pairing. Craft beer is the best friend to your fine and best dished/food.
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Craft beer in its purest form is art, made by an artist for the love of art. It may be extreme or mild. It may require developing a taste, or may taste good to everyone at first sip.
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As a summary, to finish I remember a comment from a great craft beer lover:
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"When you travel, do you only eat McDonald's? I mean a burger is a burger, right? Or do you enjoy trying new burgers from local grills? That's how I think of craft beer. There's so much out there to try. Craft beer is something totally different. Those are brewed by smaller breweries than macrobrews like Budweiser, Cruz Campo, DAMM, Heineken, Kronenbourg or Carlsberg. Craft beers tend to be much tastier, but also substantially more expensive. Think McDonald's or BurgerKing versus a proper/local restaurant".
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