A craft beer is unique in that it is handcrafted by a microbrewery using a specialized blend of traditional ingredients. There are four basic ingredients that go into a beer - water, malt, hops and yeast. Craft beers are normally not pasteurized but instead go through a filtration process which improves clarity. The two basic categories of beer are lager and ale. Lager beers will include the pilsners, bocks and helles while the ales include wheat, porters and stouts.

The careful combination of ingredients is what gives each beer it's distinctive flavor. Water quality can impact the flavor according to the adjustments that are made to either remove substances like chlorine or make adjustments to mineral content.

Malt is the primary source of fermentable sugar. Specialty roasted or toasted malted barley will lend a flavor of coffee, chocolate, or caramel depending on the adjustment. Replacing a portion of the barley with malted wheat is what makes a wheat beer.

To impact the bitterness and aroma of a beer, many different varieties of the hops flower can be added. Depending on the variety, the result can be earthy, floral, piney or citrusy.

The heart of the beer is brewers yeast. It is what consumes the sugars and expels alcohol and carbon dioxide. Specialty yeasts can give an aroma of clove, spice or banana.

With the care that goes into making a craft beer, it is no wonder the tastes are so rich. There is such a variety between the range of light and dark beers, that a small sampling of each is almost required to understand which characteristics you find appealing.

 There are a couple of different ways to go beer tasting.  One is to visit some of the local breweries in your area or check out other breweries when traveling.  Most will offer small samples of beer to try if you are unsure of what you like.  This is a fun way to experiment.  Microbreweries will also sell their beer retail while brew pubs can only sell at their establishment.

If you are buying beer retail, there are a couple of things to keep in mind.  The old thought is that you buy beer cold, store beer cold, and drink beer cold.  This isn't necessarily true anymore.  Basically, the lighter the beer, the colder it should be served.  The rules are very similar to wine.  Generally, lagers should be refrigerated like white wine and the darker ales can be cellared like a red wine.  Another thing to look for is descriptors on the label.  If you have been tasting beers already, you should have a good idea of what flavors or aromas you like, such as chocolate!

Another way to sample beer is to attend a beer festival.  This is where microbreweries gather from all over for a beer competition.  It is like taking a major beer tour but all in one location.  The biggest beer festival in the U.S. is the Great American Beer Festival.  It features 1,900 different beers from 400 breweries throughout the country.

 A gift idea that is becoming very popular is to buy your favorite beer lover a membership to a beer of the month club.

What you do is purchase a membership for pretty much any length of time you want starting at two monthes.  The recipient will receive shipments every month, every other month or every quarter, depending on how you set it up. 

Most clubs will send out twelve 12 oz bottles from a couple different microbreweries in a variety of samples including a newsletter.  You can pick from a domestic variety, international plus domestic, just international or rare varieties.  The price per month depends on the variety you choose.

This is a great gift idea for someone that you may not know what to buy for but know they love beer.  Being able to sample different varieties each month is a gift that keeps on giving.  Of course this is also something fun that you may want to join for yourself.  What a great way to sample different beers.

Michigan is making a name for itself in quality microbrews. They have been the proud recipient of several medals at the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup making them known as the Great Beer State. There are more than sixty brewpubs and microbreweries in Michigan which makes it a great place to go for a tour.

Here is a listing of just the microbreweries throughout the state:

1. Arbor Brewing Company - 114 E. Washington * Ann Arbor
2. Arcadia Brewing Company - 103 W. Michigan Ave * Battle Creek
3. Atwater Block Brewery - 237 Joseph Campau * Detroit
4. Big Buck Brewery - 550 S. Wisconsin * Gaylord
5. Black Lotus Brewing Company - 1 E. 14 Mile Rd. * Clawson
6. Dark Horse Brewing Company - 511 S. Kalamazoo Ave * Marshall
7. Dragonmead Microbrewery - 14600 E. Eleven Mile Rd. * Warren
8. Fletcher Street Brewing Company - 124 W. Fletcher St. * Alpena
9. Founders - 235 Grandville Ave SW * Grand Rapids
10. The Hideout Brewing Company - 3113 Plaza Dr. NE * Grand Rapids
11. Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales - 3115 Broad St., Suite A * Dexter
12. Keweenaw Brewing Company - 408 Shelden Ave. * Houghton
13. King Brewing Company - 895 Oakland Ave * Pontiac
14. Kuhnhenn Brewing Company - 5919 Chicago Rd. * Warren
15. Liberty Street Brewing Company - 149 W. Liberty * Plymouth
16. The Livery - 190 5th St. * Benton Harbor
17. Michigan Brewing Company - 1093 Highview Dr. * Webberville
18. Motor City Brewing Works - 470 W. Canfield * Detroit
19. New Holland Brewing Company - 690 Commerce Ct. * Holland
20. Old Hat Brewery And Grill - 114 N. Main St. * Lawton
21. Original Gravity Brewing Company - 440 County St. * Milan
22. Right Brain Brewery - 221 Garland St. * Traverse City
23. Round Barn Brewery - 10983 Hills Rd. * Baroda
24. Saugatuck Brewing Company - 2948 Blue Star Hwy. * Douglas
25. Schmohz Brewing Company - 2600 Patterson SE * Grand Rapids
26. Short's Brewing Company - 121 N. Bridge St. * Bellaire
27. Tri-City Brewing Company - 3020 N Water * Bay City