When you’re in a bar, do you get your usual lager or maybe want to explore an IPA or give a sour beer a try? Well, you’re not alone, as craft beers have taken the world by storm.
Some experts anticipate the industry will reach an astronomical USD 200 billion (with a B) by 2027, so craft beers are obviously here to stay.
READ MORE: We talk all things cider with Warwick Billings from Cider Australia
To find out more about it all, we had a chance to speak to Charlie Hodgson, the Head Brewer of Helios Brewing Company about the wonderful world of craft beer. Charlie started home brewing in the late ’90s before starting his journey towards brewing for a living in the wine industry.
We tapped into his experience and his passion to give our readers a low down on everything craft beer related.
What is craft beer? How do you define the term?
Craft beer is a misnomer as a term used for beer these days. In its very nature, craft beer is a well-made beer by artisans who want to attempt new flavours. We do this by brewing beer styles that are not hugely popular or have fallen by the wayside in terms of accessibility.
People by and large are looking for something new to experience, and craft beer is a way to do just that; it’s an experience to enjoy beers that are different from brewery to brewery.
Craft beer is, and should be, independent and push the boundaries of styles and flavours that people come to expect. There is nothing better than watching someone enjoy your beer and giving you feedback directly in the taproom or festival.
It’s a proud moment to see when your beer challenges what someone is expecting and, more importantly, for them to enjoy the experience. That’s what craft beer is about. Providing quality, well-flavoured beer that offers an escape from the mundane.
Unfortunately, the large conglomerates of the brewing industry have successfully stolen the term ‘Craft Beer’ by buying small independent beers to run as their own or starting craft “brands” that hide the fact they’re made by large multinationals.
What is the difference between craft beer and your average canned brew?
As alluded to above, how much love and attention really goes into the large multinational brewers’ beers? Sure they can make a decent beer; they prove that by their sales and the ongoing marketing and consistency of flavour driving their brands.
But is that what the people want?
Independent craft brewers are excited to showcase flavours, particularly hops and grain, to bend the beer to their whim. It’s not even just about hops and grain anymore, but the addition of fruit and other adjuncts (things we add to beer for flavour) can really change your perception of what a beer is.
Sure, not everyone will like cacao nibs, or chilli, or pastry flavoured dark beers that would be better as ice cream, but that’s not what it’s about.
It’s about choice and showing the brewer’s skills; it is an art to wrangle those flavours and make them drinkable. There are extremes, of course, but by and large, the independents are making their beer for the love of it, not just to make money.
What food can you pair craft beer with?
The most amazing thing about food and craft beer is the extensive range of flavours derived from food already. A bitter chocolate stout can pair well with a nice tomahawk steak or a lamb ragu. Some sour tart berry flavour beers can go great with a salad or even a sweet dessert.
In essence, there’s really no beer that can’t be matched with something from the culinary world.
Take, for instance, a smoky oyster stout. One would think that this could be paired with seafood, but it might not work like that. You will get salty brine earthy flavours from the oysters, and the beer itself can lend itself more to an Irish stew or a venison steak, maybe even duck.
As with all craft beers in general, sometimes the flavours can surprise you when you try something different.
It’s no secret that some craft brewers borrow extensively from the food side of the kitchen, but that also doesn’t mean they have to add these actual foods into the beer.
The malts and hops that are available these days can offer brewers an army of flavours to extract. We could convince your tastebuds that we squeezed multiple citrus fruits and more into the beer, when in fact, it was just the right amount of hops at the right time.
This is how we face that challenge here at Helios. It’s a challenging and rewarding experience to find a beer that goes great with your meal.
What do you recommend someone new to craft beer should try?
As many different types of beers as possible! Everyone’s palate is so different that the beers available right now really do provide something for everyone.
Previously, you could easily say, “oh, I don’t like beer,” and you would be right. But nowadays, the beer industry has evolved to meet the market and give everyone the chance to experience a refreshing beverage that they will enjoy now and seek out in the future.
As a species, we learn by doing. The best way to learn more about what styles you like is to go to your nearest craft brewery and grab a tasting paddle. That’s what’s fascinating about small breweries; you can try as many beers as you like to educate yourself while not spending big on the hip pocket.
Then when you find one you like, give it the ‘two-pint test’: If you would drink a pint of it, would you drink another? If so, you’ve found a style you can appreciate and probably will enjoy in other breweries.
Other beers might not need you to drink two pints to know that you like it, but you don’t want another, and that’s ok as well. Some beers are single pint beers, especially when they start getting up over 7% ABV. It’s ok to have a beer and enjoy it for what it is, one glass at a time.
Please don’t ever think that you “don’t like beer”. There is a beer out there waiting for you to explore and find it!
Is there a difference between bottled and canned beers?
Many craft breweries around the world have pivoted to using cans over bottles, but not all. Some will use a combination of both, and others will only use bottles. It’s really up to the brewery itself.
When we decided how we would package our beer for the takeaway market, it would only ever be in cans. There are some excellent reasons for this, and most of them come down to cost and sustainability.
Our brewery owner Scott Shomer is an environmental engineer that has spent many years cleaning up the earth. He wanted to build a sustainable and eco-friendly brewery, and cans are just another way to do that. They are 100% recyclable, easier to package and label with noise restrictions, and are lighter to transport.
Another critical advantage of cans is that they block 100% of the light from getting to the beer. Because most craft beer is produced as fresh as possible, it’s not pasteurised and denatured.
There’s a term in brewing called light-struck or ‘skunky’; because that’s how it makes the beer taste. There’s a reason why beers are in brown and green bottles most of the time; they attempt to block the UV rays responsible for skunking a beer. As for beers in clear bottles – just think about what they had to do to that beer to get it stable in a clear bottle…
Is there a specific way or style that you recommend that people should try a craft beer?
As I mentioned above, the best way is to start by trying them all. There are over 20,000 breweries throughout the world, with over 90% of these being craft breweries. You can’t miss them! Go and visit one and give a beer a crack.
Even if you have found the beer style you like the most, challenge yourself to try something new once a week or month. Make it a new beer month or a new beer day. You will not only learn more about the beer but probably learn that you like more range than you realise.
Are there any ‘no-nos’ when it comes to drinking craft beer?
This really depends on who you ask and in what context. For me, I’m not going to go out and brew a double custard creme caramel blueberry imperial pastry gose (it’s probably been done too), but people would drink it, and they do!
In the brewery, we’re constantly blending the beers on tap and trying new flavours. What you do with your beers once you have them is up to you, but I try hard to make the beers we release be as close to how I want them received.
What is your favourite craft beer?
I obviously taste a lot of beer as my occupation, but that means I am also my own worst critic. I enjoy tasting beers from other breweries and seeing what they have been able to do.
My favourite craft beer is the one that I’m drinking at the time! That’s usually because I have a chance to relax and enjoy a beer with the people I am around. And to me, that’s what craft beer should be about.
Don’t overthink it; that’s my job. Yours is to try new beers and explore the flavours that are out there.
