traditional brewing

Traditional brewing is a category of brewing types based on national or at least regional tastes, ingredients, history and brewing practices. The most established brewing traditions have developed their own beer styles and often their own unique yeast strains.


The most developed of these traditions are the Belgian, English and German. An American brewing tradition can be said to be exemplified by a number of older regional breweries that grew out of the German industrial or German traditional brewing type and have long incorporated New World ingredients and distinct practices to create distinct beer styles.


Traditional brewing is distinct from German industrial brewing in that the former was not focused on foreign markets and incorporated a wide range of styles. Traditional brewing is distinct from craft brewing in that the latter grew out of the former and incorporates styles from multiple brewing traditions. Craft brewing is also identified by a number of other features.