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April/May
2003
Still Crazy After All These Beers
Tom Dalldorf |
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A lot has happened in the
15 years that the Celebrator Beer News has been
covering the good beer beat. Bret and Julie Nickels's
inspired effort got us going at a time when there were
only 20 breweries operating in California. The original
quarter-fold tabloid, now the standard "brewspaper"
format, chronicled the development of an industry still
defining itself.
A rash of openings in the mid-1990s and the Celebrator's
expansion to the Northwest and Rocky Mountain states increased
our page count and coverage.
By 1996, the industry, like the brewing process itself,
was at "a rolling boil" — brewpubs and
microbreweries were opening at a rate of several per
week! The Celebrator had evolved into a magazine
format with a four-color cover, better quality paper
and a family of advertisers supporting our continued
enhancements. Our mission remained the same: to bring
the story of the good-beer movement to an ever-expanding
readership, spreading what Michael Jackson called "beer
culture."
A year later, the industry statistics as compiled by
the Institute for Brewing Studies in Boulder, Colo.,
showed a marked cooling-off period. The 40–50
percent growth rate of the previous years had slowed
to single-digit figures. Business writers decried the
end of the microbrewing "fad."
Today we have more artesian breweries in America than
the former champ, Germany. You can venture into brewpubs
and restaurants across the country and find interesting
local beers available. Big grocery stores and small
mom-and-pop outlets have quality craft beer for sale
throughout the country. And the Celebrator
can now be found in every state as well.
The industry has reached a level of maturity and is
sustained by an increasingly knowledgeable customer
base that is aware of what constitutes a good beer.
Our mission has changed from "cheerleader"
for the good-beer movement and documenter of openings
and closings to a journal of the good life that includes
good beer, good food and places where both can be found.
We are fortunate indeed to be covering such an interesting
and flavorful subject. And we owe our good fortune to
our loyal readers who nurture us through their suggestions
and subscriptions, along with the life-giving support
of our advertisers. We are indebted to the support and
counsel of industry leaders and are inspired by the
hard work and dedication of the men and women who make
the great beer we enjoy so much.
We are particularly grateful to our far-flung corps
of beer writers who make each issue the thoughtful and
compelling read we strive to create. We are blessed
with the dedicated efforts of our beer news staff, including
our resident "beer geek" Jay R. Brooks,
G.M.; our ever-watchful guardian of the sanctity of
the printed word, Copy Editor Pamela Evans; and the
artistry of graphics guru Ken "Spig" Hickmott.
Ultimately, it's about the beer. So we give thanks
to Ninkasi, the Sumerian goddess of beer. We've come
a long way since her day, when people sat around communal
earthenware pots drinking their beer through straws.
But it's still the communal quality of beer shared with
friends and family that fills our days with passion
and makes the "job" of spreading the culture
of great beer a labor of love.
Thanks for indulging us for 15 years. Shall we go for
15 more? |
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| LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR (Apr/May 2003) Dear
CBN:
You are not the only good brewspaper, but you
are certainly the Best! I am Bill Sand —
Brew Man. I am not a Certified Beer Judge or a
brewmaster. I am simply a man who loves great
beer.
I recently went brewpub-hopping. I was gone for
three months and visited 67 brewpubs. I was armed
with several issues of the Celebrator.
I put 10,300 miles on my car. More recently, I
left my home in Hurleyville, N.Y., to attend an
IPA festival at Lucky Baldwin’s in Pasadena,
Calif. It was fantastic! I learned of this event
in the Celebrator. David [Farnsworth]
of Lucky Baldwin’s really knows how to throw
a great beer blast!
Since then I’ve attended a Fresh Hop Ale
Tasting at the famous Brickskeller in D.C. Again,
thank you, Celebrator, for bringing this
event to my attention. It was great to meet a
beer god like Vinnie [Cilurzo] of Russian River
Brewing. He made terrific contributions to the
event. It was also great to meet the legendary
Dave Alexander of the Brickskeller. Thank you,
Tom Dalldorf, for hosting this great event. My
only regret is that I didn’t bring my bass
guitar. I would have enjoyed adding some bass
runs to the Rolling Boil Blues Band.
Thank you, Celebrator, for helping make
this the greatest time in human history to be
a person who loves beer.
Bill Sand
Hurleyville, N.Y.
Dear Bill:
The Rolling Boil Blues Band could certainly
use the runs (as you suggested). Hope we can hook
up at the Celebrator anniversary party in February.
— Ed.
Dear Editor:
Reading the December/January editorial brought
to mind what a fine example you are. Thanks to
you, Bret, Judy, Bill Owens, Bob Atkinson and
all your beer cronies, my eyes and taste buds
were opened to the delectable world of fine brews.
No longer do I take a bottle of wine to Christmas,
but a magnum of Anchor Special Ale.
I found it surprising that we drink more beer
than the Chinese. I recently returned from China,
where each meal (after 11 a.m.) was served
with your choice of water, soda or beer! Mmmm,
let me decide. Now it wasn't the best beer, but
it was beer. I too will try to share with others
as you have shared with me. Thanks for the Celebrator
Beer News!
Susie Calhoune
Lodi, Calif.
Dear Susie:
Should we contemplate a Chinese edition of
the Celebrator? — Ed. |
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February/March
2003
15 Years of Cheers and Beers!
Tom
Dalldorf |
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| It was quite a gathering of
industry mavens, conscientious consumers and, most especially,
Celebrator writers when the beer moon aligned with bars
in San Francisco in mid-February for our little beer rag's
15 anniversary party at the Great American Music Hall.
Who would've thunk it! A 12-page quarter-fold tabloid
"brewspaper" dedicated to writing about the
good beer in California in the late ’80s (such
that it was) has grown to be our proud, colorful multipage
bearer of good beer news throughout the country and
beyond. What a long, strange sip indeed!
We sadly had to turn down many offers of great beer
from exceptional breweries because of limited space
at the hallowed music venue down the block from the
notorious Mitchell Brothers sex emporium. Class all
the way: Our sponsoring breweries were all veterans
of the beer renaissance, some of whom were also celebrating
15-year anniversaries with us. Pouring were Alaskan,
Anchor, Anderson Valley, BridgePort, Full Sail, Portland/MacTarnahan's,
Pyramid, Samuel Adams, Tied House, Unibroue and Widmer.
Many thanks to these fine breweries for the generous
support.
A large contingent of homebrewers from QUAFF in San
Diego attended, as they were in town to accept the Homebrew
Club of the Year award at Anchor Brewery. Many attendees
traveled even greater distances to make the event truly
special. Notably, we had the largest gathering of Celebrator
writers at any event in our history! Check out the group
photo on our party poster in this issue.
We are honored by the enthusiasm and support given
us by beer lovers and producers alike. Moreover, the
spirit of the beer community that seems to grow and
develop every year in depth, breadth and sophistication
encourages us to renew our commitment to sourcing the
best news, views and information from the most informed
writers for today's beer-loving fans.
Turn on a friend to the joys of craft-brewed beer this
week and spread the love. Your local brewers depend
on it. |
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| LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR (Feb/Mar 2003) Dear
Editor:
I really like your current picture on the Notes
from the Publisher bit. You look great with your
hair and beard dyed black and tan like that, and
you've never been more handsome. But who's the
mopey-looking guy to your left?
Cheers,
Tim Vandergrift
Vancouver, B.C.
Dear Tim:
That, my friend, is my handler. You should
get one… or two. — Ed.
Dear Editor:
Here’s the check to renew my subscription.
Don’t make fun of my pink checks; my wife
ordered them. Yes, sometimes she makes me hold
her purse. Have a good one.
Cheers,
Dean Gillespie
Oceanside, Calif.
Dear Dean:
We never make fun of a man’s beer OR
his purse. — Ed.
Dear Editor:
After reading Bob Barnes’s column on Vegas
in your last issue, I was really looking forward
to my weekend at the Rio. But, Vegas let me down
again. The sign on the door of JW's said "Closed
for remodeling." I guess not enough people
in Vegas appreciate real beer. I checked out a
couple of the other microbreweries in town and
was amazed at how many of their patrons were drinking
that yellow fizzy stuff. Anyway, I thought you
might want to pass on the bad news about JW's.
Dave Wolf
Temecula, Calif.
Dear Dave:
Bob Barnes is on the case. The people (tourists)
in Vegas may prefer the fizzy yellow stuff, but
be assured that good beer is to be found. —
Ed.
Dear Don Erickson:
First off, I love your column. In each new issue,
I desperately seek viable proof that there is
indeed good beer in the nation's second-largest
city. With each issue, my soul is once again crushed.
I'm forced to ask the eternal question: Why does
beer in L.A. suck so bad?
Don't get me wrong, the world was a much darker
place while the Stuffed Sandwich in San Gabriel
was moving; the Sheraton Four Points by LAX is
nice, and My Father's Office is fine and dandy
sometimes. BJ's is fine, but why should we have
to travel a treacherous distance over inhospitable
freeways just to enjoy a decent pint? I could
get better beer at the Texaco station when I lived
in Seattle. The Elysian Brewing Co. was a scant
two blocks away. It's maddening. So with each
column, the inclusion of Paso Robles, Salinas,
Oxnard and Costa Mesa as being part of the L.A.
scene is just damn depressing. That's a long ride
home.
Just venting,
Brian O'Hare
Los Angeles, Calif.
Dear Brian:
Check out Don's latest column in this issue
on just this topic. Then go on a Beer Safari! —
Ed. |
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| Tom Dalldorf is publisher
and editor of the Celebrator Beer News. |
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