One of the questions that I get asked often while working at the brewery is what is the difference between the different kinds of breweries that our great state has to offer. The short answer is mainly the size of the brewery and how much beer they produce. But, I will go through and explain the differences between them and try to give examples of Michigan breweries that fit the description of each size of brewery. I will start with the biggest and work my way down to the smallest.
Macro Brewery- This is the biggest of all the breweries. They produce millions of barrels of beer a year, which is distributed all over the world for off-site consumption. Seen at bars, restaurants, convenience stores, and various other outlets. This will be the beer that 99% of the world is more familiar with. By definition craft breweries are not Macro breweries, and vice-versa. Examples of Macro breweries- None in Michigan unfortunately, but Anheuser-Busch and Molson-Coors fit this category.
Craft Brewery-A Craft Brewery is a small, independent brewery characterized by a production size of 6 million barrels of beer each year or less, and less than 25% of the brewery is owned by a beverage alcohol industry member that is not itself a craft brewer. Regional breweries, Contract Breweries, Microbreweries, Taprooms, Brewpubs, Nano Breweries, and Pico Breweries all fit under the category of Craft Breweries. Examples-99% of Michigan breweries fit into this category.
Regional Brewery- A regional brewery is one that falls between the definition of a micro and macro brewery. They produce between 15,000 and 6 million barrels of beer a year both for off-site and on-site sales and consumption. Examples of regional breweries in Michigan- Bell’s, Founders.
Contract Brewery- A contract brewery, does exactly what it sounds like, a brewery hires a different brewery to help them produce more product than their systems can maintain or keep up with. They also do it as a means to expand their production and offerings without having to add more equipment to their current facilities. Example- Brew Detroit.
Microbreweries- Microbreweries is the term that I hear misused more than any other term on this list. Most people label any craft brewery they come across as a microbrewery or the beer as “micro-brewed” beer. When in most cases, not too many breweries actually fit the true definition of a Microbrewery. A microbrewery produces less than 15,000 barrels of beer a year (most breweries in Michigan), and while some offer restaurants and taprooms on site, most of their beer, 75% or more, is sold off site (Not too many breweries in Michigan). Examples- Saugatuck Brewing, Odd Side Ales, Blackrocks Brewing.
Brewpub- A brewpub is a combination brewery and pub or public house. Brewpubs are full service restaurants that also offer a selection of beers brewed on-site. Brewpubs must sell at least 25% of their beer on site, in order to fit the definition of a Brewpub. Examples- Great White Buffalo, Heights Brewing.
Taproom- Taprooms and brewpubs are very similar by definition. At least 25% of their beer must be sold on-site. With the major difference being that taprooms do not serve food, but instead encourage their guests to bring in food or will offer food trucks. Examples- Bearded Lamb Brewing Company, BAD Brewing Company.
Nanobrewery- A nanobrewery is a very small brewery that produces 2,000 barrels of beer a year or less. Think of a nanobrewery as a start-up brewery before they start producing a lot of beer and move up into one of the other categories listed above. Example- Someday Brewing Company.
Pico Brewery- Now to be honest until I started researching for this post, I was unaware of the term pico brewery. But if nanobreweries are small, these would be classified as tiny. A pico brewery usually only uses a 1-3 barrel brew system and will produce under 500 barrels of beer in a year. One for All might be an example, but I am not sure if he would be a pico brewery or not, I don’t know how much he will produce this year.
So there you have it, the various different breweries that you will encounter in your travels across our great beer state, and what qualifies them as such. So the next brewery you visit, you will be armed with the knowledge to identify what type of brewery it is. I hope this has been informative and helps to teach the difference between the breweries you will encounter in the wild on your beer trips. Cheers!
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