A press release just received from the folks who represent Newcastle Brown Ale — which curiously omits any mention of the “Brown Ale” part of the beer’s moniker” — touts a new five litre mini-keg they’re calling the DraughtKeg, or possibly the Draughtkeg, it being spelled both ways in the email.
But that’s not the interesting part. No, what caught my eye was the reference to Newcastle being “America’s No.1 import craft beer,” which echoes the “domestic and imported craft beer” category I have been touting for the last year or two. Outside of my own writing, this is the first mention of imported or “import” craft beer I have seen anywhere, which begs the question posed in the title of this post.
Just wondering…
Newcastle Brown Ale and craft beer, is that not an oxymoron…?
Hmmm, a beer no longer brewed in the city whose name it bears and owned by one of the largest brewing companies in the world might not be what one immediately considers to be “craft”? Perish the thought…
Would we not still be sympathetic to Newkie Brun if they still sour or at least aged a portion and were blending new with old? Mild and stale? If that were still part of the production, I can call it craft. If it is now only the addition of a powder, however, that is based on the sweat glands of molluscs I think not.
This wouldn’t mean you didn’t start it, but look closely at the cover here . . .
http://allaboutbeer.com/the-magazine/current-issue/
Greg Kitsock’s story is sub-titled “A look at craft imports”