Impressive is in the eye of the beholder. Being fascinated by the brewing sciences, I find it impressive that the big brewers can put out as consistent a product as they do considering the changing malt varieties, growing conditions for malts and hops, and the fact that they are dealing with a live "creature" in the yeast.
I don't have much of an argument with you that some of the craft guys put out some amazing beers, (and I sell MANY of them), but from a technical point, they can't compete with the big boys.
Part of the "charm" in craft beers is the variety, and the fact that you can taste mistakes. In fact, many of today's styles are the direct result of "mistakes" (including champagne, thanks Dom Perignon). The big guys don't have the luxury of making any mistakes.
It would also be a mistake to assume that the big breweries cannot make beers every bit as "crafty" as some of the smaller guys. The big brewers have the absolute best and brightest in the brewing industry working for them. They do in fact sometimes make limited runs of specialty beers, but simple economics dictates that large quantities of individual brands be produced in order to achieve the operational efficiencies necessary to make a profit.
Since the industry is darn near at max capacity, there isn't a lot of production time available for the big guys to do much beyond what they are best at.
by the way, I am much less impressed by a good ale than I am by a good lager.
