What is the difference between a micro brewery and a brewery?

Posted by Chelsea Finnigan on 18 July,

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A lot of people ask us what the difference is between a craft brewery, a microbrewery, and a macrobrewery, and whether or not brewing non-alcoholic beer changes the definition.

To answer the latter question, no matter what you&#;re brewing - be it kombucha, wine, beer, or even non-alcoholic beer, the definitions and answers are all the same (at least in Canada, where we&#;re from) - but let&#;s focus on beer for the purpose of this post.

To reiterate, the difference between a non-alcoholic craft brewery and a non-alcoholic microbrewery is the same as the difference between an alcoholic craft brewery and an alcoholic microbrewery.

So what is the difference? A traditional brewery, or &#;Macrobrewery&#; produces millions of barrels of beer a year, while a microbrewery can produce no more than 15,000 barrels of beer a year. Microbreweries make &#;specialty beers&#;, the majority of which are usually consumed at the site of production. Lastly, we have craft breweries. Craft breweries fall somewhere between microbreweries and macrobreweries by the definition of having to produce less than 6 million gallons of beer a year. The regulations around craft breweries are also a little more strict than those of both macrobreweries and microbreweries, in that craft breweries must use traditional ingredients such as malts, barely, water, hops, and yeast. If a craft brewery wants to use other ingredients, it must be for the purpose of taste and not for the purpose of cost cutting, whereas both micro and macro breweries can use additional ingredients to cut costs.

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As the term &#;micro&#; might suggest, the difference between microbreweries and breweries is a matter of scale. A &#;traditional&#; brewery like MillerCoors produce millions of barrels of beer a year. According to U.S regulations, a microbrewery can make no more than 15,000 barrels of beer a year. There are exceptions to this law, but those microbrewers have been grandfathered in.

Microbreweries 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. Microbrewers 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 microbrewery.

A microbrewery doesn&#;t get taxed as heavily as bigger breweries, so the character of microbreweries we know and love is preserved. A microbrewery has limited, if any, distribution, generally only though regional distributorships like Hop & Wine. When a microbrewery gets popular and in high demand, they are sometimes picked up by national distributorships, but when that happens they lose their microbrewery classification. If they maintain their tradition of specialty beers, however, they are sometimes known as &#;craft brewers&#;.

Because microbreweries are so small, their options for getting their names out there are limited. Most microbreweries have a tasting room. If they are ambitious, they are attached to a &#;brew pub,&#; a pub or restaurant that&#;s attached to the brewery so that patrons can get to know and appreciate their craft. The other option is beer festivals. Beer festivals allow microbreweries to seek recognition and set themselves apart. Beer aficionados love beer festivals for the sheer scope and variety of their favorite beverage, all in one convenient location.

Microbreweries have a character and craft that regular breweries just can&#;t compete with. What&#;s your favorite microbrew? Or can&#;t you pick only one?

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