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Craft Brewery
The Evolution of Craft Beer
By: Erik Lars Myers
W hen the “craft beer revolution” began, beers lacked. Those people returned from their
there was a purpose. The craft beer
promised land as evangelists, priests of a new order
industry was built by people who had
insulated, naïve market. Craft beer was born.
been to the promised land and seen the built to spread the gospel of those beers to a new,
light. That promised land was usually somewhere in
Europe, and the light was not all that light. It was a The roots of what we learned to see as normal
revelatory moment in which a drinker found them- craft beer offerings came through the lens of one
selves confronted with beers that were not the book. It is so ubiquitous in the craft beer industry
light, bland, American-style macro lager they knew that some older beer veterans have referred to it
at home, but rather beers that were dark, moody, as “the Bible”. The reverence with which Charlie
and hoppy. They were beers bursting with flavor Papazian’s book The Complete Joy of Homebrewing
and individuality, something that those American has been treated, as well as Papazian himself, who
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