Sponsored content

Brewing consultant Vince Costanzo runs courses for the home brewer and also sends out a regular newsletter with useful brewing and quality information. You can subscribe through his website.

The microbrewing industry in the next decade

Why am I so passionate of the Craft Brewing Industry?

Well, the reason I’m in the microbrewing game is that I saw a need to improve the standards of the industry. I may be accused of being arrogant but those that know me know that that is not the case. It is out of a sincere desire to see the industry I’m so passionate about improve the quality and consistency of beer so that we can all become prosperous and raise the name of beer.

Let’s face it, it hasn’t had a good name in past decades but I believe things are changing. Quality is replacing quantity! And beer will be king. Beer is fast becoming the new wine. So my goal is not just to sell another product, It is to help people like you learn the right way to brew (anyone can brew beer) but not everyone can brew great beer on a consistent basis.

I feel that the microbrewing industry has passed its infancy stage and the next stage will be revolving around quality. What I mean by that is that craft brewers either get on the next wave and learn to make good, consistently produced beer or fall by the wayside. This may not be such a bad thing because it keeps the brewer honest but if we are losing brewers because of this then it gives the industry a bad name.

To give you an example, how many beers do you know that have the same flavour when you drink it at the brewery bar as to when you buy their identical bottled counterpart? I know of a handful and the rest do not do so well. What drives me is this desire to help the craft beer movement go in the right direction and I intend to make a difference in Australasia. So what makes those that have consistency different? It’s not about making tasty beer. It usually comes down to ensuring the tasty beer (without faults) is maintained for relatively long times. An understanding of how beer stales is required but more specifically having data that allows them to control and learn about their process. There needs to be a measuring step in the process (QC) and feedback to the brewer. This is paramount and I have the vision of this being more and more prevalent for all microbrewers.

When I worked at Stockade brewery that is what we did and the beer had a relatively long shelf life with flavour and haze stability far outliving many of the competitors’ beers. We even won some awards at the annual Australian International Beer Awards. I believe that it is better to teach brewers the right and accurate way to brew as it is really a science and there are far too many brewers who believe it is an art form so don’t allow science to guide them as much as it should.

Yes, beer brewing can be an art and there is definite reason to have that component in the equation but ultimately it’s the science that leads first and then the art (it’s like having the horse before the cart). So if your ultimate goal is for entering the microbrewing industry (no matter how small you are) then you really need to formulate good habits with an underlying understanding of the science of brewing. And it need not be difficult to understand, you just need to know the steps. So where do you find such Knowledge?

Well I have been running short courses since 2008. Click here to see the list of courses available.

Till next time, enjoy a beer on me.

Vincent Costanzo.