All About Beer Breweries

The distinction between different types of breweries revolves around the amount of beer produced and rules that allow certain products to be made. Discover these definitions of Macro-Brewery, Craft-Brewery and Micro-Brewery below and learn what you’re really drinking.

Macro Brewery or Mega Brewery:

This refers to mainly commercial and large national or international brewery that produces and distributes a sizable amount of beer. Macrobrewery is made for a large market and they “mainstream” the taste of their beer so that it appeals to all kind of people. They produce more than 6 million barrels per year and are also known as Large Brewery or Mega Brewery.
Some examples of macro-breweries are Anheuser-Busch Inc and MillerCoors

Micro Brewery or Nano Brewery:

 As the term ‘micro’ might suggest, the difference between Micro breweries and Macro breweries is a matter of scale. A ‘traditional’ brewery produce millions of barrels of beer a year. According to U.S regulations, a Micro brewery can make no more than 15,000 barrels of beer a year and at least 75 percent of that beer must be sold outside of the brewery. There are no strict guidelines set on the techniques or ingredients a Micro brewery uses to produce their beer. A Micro brewery is classified as such according to the amount of beer it produces annually.
Micro breweries are primarily known for their “specialty beers.” They are typically small-batch “boutique” beers which might be made only for a certain season or theme or designed to showcase special ingredients. Micro brewers also love to experiment with different styles of beer, different ingredient proportions or different fermentation processes. Every day is a delicious science experiment at a Micro brewery.
A Micro brewery doesn’t get taxed as heavily as bigger breweries. So the character of Micro breweries we know and love is preserved. A Micro brewery has been limited if any distribution channel and generally distributes only though regional distributorships. A Nano brewery is a downsized version of a microbrewery.
When a Micro brewery gets popular and in high demand, they sometimes get picked up by national distributors. But when this happens, they lose their Micro brewery classification. If they however maintain their tradition of specialty beers, then they are known as ‘Craft Brewers’.

Craft Brewery Or Regional Brewery:

According to the American Brewers Association, a Craft brewery is any brew house that produces less than 6 million barrels of beer and is owned independently. Unlike a Micro brewery, a Craft brewery has set limitations on the techniques of their beer production. Beer produced by a Craft brewery must contain at least 50 percent traditional Malt rather than adjuncts such as Oats, Barley and Wheat and there lies the main distinction. These ingredients add flavor to the beer. Most craft beers are of a European style like Ales, Stouts and Porters.
Some examples of Craft-breweries are Samuel Adams: The Boston Brewing Company.
The fad of calling low production breweries as Craft breweries instead of Micro breweries is just a common error. The term is used erroneously. The terms that should stand are Micro brewery and Macro brewery to differentiate a Brewery based on the amount of beer produced. Craft beer is a product, a good one at that and not a measure of size. This misconception also happens because some beer drinkers automatically assume that a Micro brewery uses craft ingredients and this as we know is not always the case.
So, a Craft brewery is not always a Micro brewery and a Micro brewery is only a Craft brewery if it follows craft brewing standards. Craft beer is a beer that is brewed in batches with the finest quality ingredients and is done on a limited basis or seasonally. Many Craft breweries take pride in not only the ingredients used to make their beer but also in the equipment used to produce it.
Macro Brewery – Greater than 6 million barrels per yearCraft Brewery – Greater than 15,000 & Less than 6 million barrels per yearMicro Brewery – Less than 15,000 barrels per year
Now that the differences between a Macro-Brewery, a Micro- Brewery and a Craft  Brewery has been defined, you are now allowed to sit back and enjoy a favourite beer of your choice.

Thanks – Sid