A funny thing happened to me in Salt Lake City. I was ordering room service and the menu said they had "domestic, craft and imported" beers, so I asked the guy on the phone what kind of craft beers they had. One might have thought I'd said, "a;lkhseuj'e;ai;k?" He asked me 3 or 4 times to repeat my question, and then said, "I don't drink beer so I'll connect you to our food and drink guru (or whatever). Then I asked her what kind of craft beer they had; it was on their menu, after all, and she was the supervisor in that department. There was a long silence, and she said, "What do you mean? How do you spell it? Kraft?" Now, in the U.S. a well-known cheese company is Kraft. She must have thought I wanted some cheesy beer! I responded by saying that I meant micro-brews. Then she got it. She said, "I've never heard them called 'craft' beers before." I said, "But it says 'craft beer' on your menu!" She said that she'd have to review her menu.

There's never a dull moment.

[edited to replace duplicative "domestic" with "imported.]

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kalleh,

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I was ordering room service and the menu said they had "domestic, craft and domestic" beers, so I asked the guy on the phone what kind of craft beers they had.

If the menu said "domestic" twice I'm not surprised they were confused!

We don't use the term "craft beer" over here. As far as I can see it's roughly equivalent to our "real ale". Is there a difference?

Now you know how I've felt on more than one occasion in the United States when I've said something that has resulted in blank stares and utter incomprehension.

No, Guy, the duplicative "domestic" was my fault; I had meant "imported" with the second one, and I have changed it.

Guy, I think real ale is all cask beer, correct? If so, some craft beers are cask conditioned, but others are tap beers. So I think there is a difference.

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Originally posted by Kalleh:
Guy, I think real ale is all cask beer, correct?

You're correct. From the site of the Campaign for Real Ale, which invented the term:

"Real ale is a natural product brewed using traditional ingredients and left to mature in the cask (container) from which it is served in the pub through a process called secondary fermentation."

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If so, some craft beers are cask conditioned, but others are tap beers. So I think there is a difference.

What's the definition of "craft beer", then? I did a quick search and it seems to refer to any beer produced by a small independent brewery. Is that right?

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Originally posted by Guy Barry:
What's the definition of "craft beer", then? I did a quick search and it seems to refer to any beer produced by a small independent brewery. Is that right?

Yes.

You were in SALT LAKE CITY asking for a comprehensive definition of an alcoholic beverage?
That's like asking the Pope to write a sex amnaual.

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Originally posted by Proofreader:
You were in SALT LAKE CITY asking for a comprehensive definition of an alcoholic beverage?
That's like asking the Pope to write a sex amnaual.

Or Proofreader to write an... er... proofreading manual.

Good catch, Bob (though relatively easy). Unfortunately the computer I'm using for some reason won't show the "edit" icon, so I couldn't fix it.

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Originally posted by BobHale:
Now you know how I've felt on more than one occasion in the United States when I've said something that has resulted in blank stares and utter incomprehension.

Bob, I was born in the USA and have lived here for sixty-six years, but I get the same blank stares most any time I speak.

PS: Beer thread alert! Everybody put on their flameproof underwear!

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You were in SALT LAKE CITY asking for a comprehensive definition of an alcoholic beverage?

I know. Weird, huh? The thing is, they have some great beers and a wonderful brewery, Squatters. And look at all of these: Link