Craft beer has been getting a bigger and bigger share of the United States beer market in recent years.
As of 2022, it now has nearly 25% of the US market in the overall beer industry. On top of this, sales of craft beer increased by 5% in the United States from 2021 to 2022.
If you are someone new to craft beer, you may be wondering what makes it tick.
Are there any commonalities that you can look for? Do you know how to drink craft beer? Do you know how to taste craft beer? What does craft beer taste like?
This guide will answer all of those questions and more.
What Does Craft Beer Taste Like?
If you are reading this article and you are a novice to craft beer, you may be curious as to what craft beer tastes like. Truthfully, it depends on what type of craft beer you have.
By definition, craft beers are made by independent breweries. As a result, each brewery uses its own ingredients and targets different niche audiences when it comes to its beer.
For example, somebody that lives in the mountains may prefer a smoky craft beer, while somebody that lives in the northeast may prefer a lager.
Breweries have to know what kind of audience they are trying to reach. This can be difficult to keep track of as a beer drinker because there are more than 9,500 breweries in the United States alone.
With that in mind, what’s the best way to narrow down these choices? Well, to start with, let’s take a look at some of the most common ingredients breweries use:
Coffee
Depending on the ingredients used, craft beer could end up tasting a little bit like coffee. Sometimes a brewery will literally put a hint of coffee into its beer.
Other ingredients that can impart a coffee flavor are malt and chocolate. Craft beer that tastes like coffee is typically a stout.
Stouts tend to be fermented. That means that certain sugars and other ingredients are broken down into alcohol. So, if you think your craft beer tastes like coffee, these are probably some of the reasons why.
Fruit
Another thing your craft beer can taste like is fruit. Most of the time, this is intentional. That is because breweries will mix heavy amounts of fruit into their beer.
This can include strawberries, blueberries, bananas, apples, and more. Apple ciders are a common form of this. Breweries that like to make sour beers also tend to put strong fruit flavors in to mix with that.
Sour
One type of craft beer that seems to be getting more popular is sour beer. Some people equate this to tasting sour candy.
It tends to be a mix of bacteria and yeast that breweries break down and turn into alcohol. These beers can be so dry that it enhances the effects when it first hits your mouth.
Sweet
Another sensation people may find in craft beer is that it can taste sweet. This tends to happen when breweries put extra sugar into their beer. It can also happen if there are a lot of malts in a beer.
Hoppy
One thing that people sometimes look for in beer is if it has any hops in it. This is a type of ingredient that makes the beer taste a little more bitter and it can help enhance other flavors that are already in the beer.
Hops are something most commonly found in pale ales and IPAs. Depending on its usage, this can have very strong effects.
Other Factors
We discussed what craft beers taste like and some of the different tastes you can get from them.
However, you also need to understand the outside factors that go into making a craft beer unique.
The main thing is the difference in the size of the breweries. There are certain beer brands that you have likely seen in every liquor store and every legal gas station in the country. You know what you are expecting from those brands.
Because of their wide distribution, they have to appeal to a much bigger audience and those brewers tend to care more about the volume of beer that they are selling versus the quality.
On the other hand, a craft brewery owner is more likely to use fresh ingredients to enhance the tastes that you may experience above.
On top of this, they are most likely catering to a much more niche audience, so they can make beer that will more closely match those taste preferences.
Get Your Craft Beer
So, what does craft beer taste like? Truthfully, you may get a different answer depending on what brewery you go to and even what beer you have from that brewery.
It can vary in taste, from coffee and fruity, to sour, sweet, hoppy, and more.
When you’re ready to enjoy craft beer alongside a delicious meal make a reservation today online or call 402-344-0200!