It seems whenever you turn around these days, there’s some media outlet hyping the mainstream impact of craft beer…

• “Beer sales starting to foam up“
• “Craft beer movement comes to a head“
• “Craft Beer’s Renaissance Continues to Grow“

Among the phrases to consistently draw ire from beer nerds such as myself is the “winification of beer,” more commonly seen as a headline posing the question: “Is beer the new wine?”

No, beer is not wine, nor is it the “new” wine. Most often, these pieces will focus on aesthetic aspects of craft beer purchasing, like the size of a bottle (22-ounce bombers becoming more prominent) or pricing (those large bottles can be compared to the price of a bottle of wine).

These are simply easily-spotted visual cues that could allow consumers to compare and contrast between wine and beer. No, the real…