| |
| EDITORIALS & LETTERS
2006 » BACK
TO EDITORIALS & LETTERS INDEX |
| |
 |
 |
August/September
2006
GABF Turns 25!
Tom
Dalldorf |
|
| |
| The Great American Beer Festival
will turn 25 years old when it opens its run September
28–30 at Denver's cavernous Colorado Convention
Center. Now recognized as the granddaddy of all beer festivals,
the GABF has had a long and circuitous path to becoming
American beerdom's mecca. Yes, all true beer lovers must
make this pilgrimage sometime in their beer-loving lives.
It all began in 1981 basically as a party thrown by
the American Homebrewers Association in Boulder, Colo.,
that invited some 20 commercial breweries (a few of
which were micros) to pour their products. As the festival
grew, a "People's Choice" award was given
for the "Best Beer in America," an award that
became somewhat solicitous and contentious and was ultimately
dropped. The judging of beers was embraced, however,
and each year seemed to see expanded categories and
subcategories of the beer styles to be evaluated by
some of the top beer judges in the world.
The GABF Blind Panel Judging is now recognized as the
preeminent beer judging in the country. This year, over
100 professional beer judges from the U.S. and around
the world will consider more than 2,300 beers entered
by over 450 domestic breweries. Truly a comprehensive
effort.
Early on in the evolution of the GABF, there was some
regional abstention from attending the festival by some
breweries because of perceived "unprofessionalism"
and sponsor-driven participation by the major players.
This situation was addressed, and as the GABF evolved,
it became all-inclusive of America's burgeoning brewing
industry. This year, 370 breweries arranged by region
will pour more than 1,600 different beers for attendees.
Many of the beers will be served on draught, creating
the largest draught beer dispenser in the world. Food
demos, educational presentations and entertainment will
keep the public sessions lively and informative.
This year, the GABF will cover 188,000 square feet
in the newly renovated Colorado Convention Center. This
will require over 2,700 volunteers from around the world,
who will put in over 40,000 hours of volunteer labor
to make the GABF happen.
Cheers to founders Charlie Papazian and Daniel Bradford
(first GABF director); to succeeding directors Marcia
Schirmer, Sharon Mowry and Nancy Johnson; and to the
thousands of volunteer workers who have made the Great
American Beer Festival the most significant beer event
in the country. But mainly, here's to America's breweries,
which give us so much to celebrate! See you at the GABF. |
 |
| LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR (Aug/Sep 2006) Dear
Editor:
I love a good draft IPA, and sometimes my only
option is to bring the kids. Twice recently at
two different Tri-Valley/East Bay [SF Bay Area]
brewpubs, I have been unable to convince the server
that a $4 pint of Thomas Kemper root beer is too
much for a 3-year-old child. One server thought
she was giving us a deal by charging only $2.50
when I stressed that the root beer was for the
children, but she still brought two full GLASS
pints for two LITTLE kids! Can you say "Cleanup
at table 6"?
Eric Heinitz
Livermore, California
Dear Eric:
Try ordering a pitcher of root beer. They
will bring smaller glasses. — Ed.
Dear Editor:
As a recent Midwest transplant living in Santa
Cruz, Calif., it was nice to see Mark Conley's
excellent article [CBN, June/July 2006] on this
area’s breweries. I would like to offer
one correction. Coastline Brewing in Santa Cruz
is not a microbrewery or brewpub. All of Coastline's
beers are contracted offsite.
Cheers,
Brady Umfleet
Dear Brady:
Good catch. We should have listed them as
a pub/restaurant until such time as they start
brewing onsite. What size T-shirt do you wear?
— Ed.
Dear Editor:
In a recent perusing of my most favorite beer
publication, I noticed that our recent offering
of North Coast Brewing's Brother Thelonious was
revealed (thank you) as being available only at
finer jazz clubs around the area. I would like
to set the record straight and proclaim that we
have no bias as to who sells our fine nectar,
and we certainly would like to offer it to any
who appreciate exceptional beer in their glasses,
regardless of where they like to hear their music.
My choice would be listening to Kenny Gross on
the drums at The Bistro [in Hayward, CA].
Josh Charlton
Pacific Libations
Castro Valley, California
Dear Josh:
Thanks for setting us straight as a T. Monk
bass line. Glad to hear of the ready availability.
The Brother Thelonious is great! — Ed. |
|
|
 |
|
|
June/July
2006
Consolidation Blues – Take My Brewery, Please!
Tom
Dalldorf |
|
| |
| The craft segment of the beer
industry is on a tear, showing the only positive growth
in overall lackluster domestic beer sales. The big breweries,
stung by falling profits and pressured by wholesalers
for higher-margin products, are looking for more profitable,
upscale brands to fill the slack in sales. The recent
gathering of beer-industry professionals in Seattle was
awash in rumors of mergers, acquisitions and distribution
deals in the works.
Of the big three, Anheuser-Busch is the most proactive,
introducing brands and styles never before offered by
the brewing giant. A-B has also been successful in past
investments/alliances with craft brewers (Widmer and
Redhook). The brewer has even targeted the niche market
with its Jack’s Pumpkin Spice Ale, Winter’s
Bourbon Cask Ale and wit-style Spring Heat Spiced Wheat.
Most recently, Grolsch and Rolling Rock have been added
to the A-B roster. We can assume there will be more
of these in the future.
Foreign-owned SABMiller and Molson Coors have made
similar arrangements. Miller's acquisition of the Czech
Republic's crown jewel, Pilsner Urquell, has resulted
in the "original" pilsner now being made in
Poland and Russia under contract. While you may hear
Czech hearts breaking, Miller hears increased sales.
Canada's Sleeman Breweries purchased famed Unibroue
in Quebec.
The consolidation on the distribution tier of the beer
industry is brutal, leaving some very large markets
with only one or two distributors wielding massive books
of beer, wine, spirits and such. Faced with diminished
access to market, some small breweries look at alliances
or acquisition as their only hope for survival.
InBev (formerly Interbrew) of Belgium is notorious
for its own role in "consolidation," buying
up struggling breweries and shutting them down to enhance
its own market share. Most recently, InBev announced
that it would shutter the famed Hoegaarden Brewery in
its namesake town and continue producing the beer at
its Jupiler Brewery. Pierre Celis, who reintroduced
the extinct wit style in his hometown and named it Hoegaarden
some 40 years ago, was understandably outraged.
Brewery consolidation in some cases may be beneficial
and necessary, but in other situations it can be a travesty
to the character and quality of the beers we so admire.
This is a time for beer lovers to pay attention to the
business side of beer appreciation. The Brewers Association
recently released statistics that indicate that nearly
every American lives within 10 miles of a brewery. Find
the breweries, frequent them and let your local brewers
know that you care about what you are drinking. Respect
for the flavors and traditions of brewing begins with
production and ends with consumption. Lack thereof can
lead to the loss of your local brewery. Let’s
keep it real in this, the age of good beer. |
|
| LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR (Jun/Jul 2006) Dear
Editor:
I recently had an unfortunate beer experience
that necessitated the addition to the beer lexicon
of a new word: beerbarian (noun), one, or more
than one, who feels free to invade another's house
and consume the craft beer found in the refrigerator,
either replacing it with Bud or not replacing
it at all. Take a lesson from the pirates and
consider burying a fridge in the back yard with
your liquid treasure safely secure from the greedy,
bony hands of the foul beerbarians. I hope to
warn others so that these marauding predators
cause no more harm than they already have.
Ken Klemm
Oxnard, California
Dear Ken:
The beauty of craft beer is that it is not
so expensive that we can’t share it with
the taste-challenged "beerbarians."
I like the concept and hope you will join us in
converting them. That way, when you go to their
house, you can return the favor. — Ed.
Dear Editor:
During my long drive back to Wyoming after the
’06 Craft Brewers Conference, I got to thinking
about the people I saw at the conference. Ralph
Woodall came to mind. You can always count on
seeing Ralph at any major event, even small ones.
He's everywhere. The GABF, the CBC, the North
American Beer Awards, the Mountain Brewers Beer
Festival, the Oregon Brewers Festival and many
others. What is amazing is that Ralph never seems
to tire. He is always smiling, jolly and full
of good jokes. I asked myself, "How does
he do it?" I am almost convinced that Hopunion
has made a scientific breakthrough and is cloning
Ralph. Let's all raise a hoppy pint of brew and
give "cheers" to Ralph… Or should
I say Ralph's?
Richard Strom
Bottoms Up Brewing Company
Pinedale, Wyoming
Dear Editor:
Thank you and John Rowling for the flattering
article on our business, the Howe Sound Inn &
Brewing Company, in “Pubbing Around B.C.,”
Celebrator Beer News, February/March 2006. We
are writing to correct an omission regarding our
brewing operation. Our brewery is actually run
primarily by two talented brewers. Fabian Specht
joined Franco Corno in our operation over a year
ago. Fabian brings a wealth of brewing knowledge
and makes a huge contribution to our facility.
Thank you again for your interest in craft brewing
in Squamish, B.C.!
Deborah Laishley & Dave Fenn, Owners
Howe Sound Inn & Brewing Company
Squamish, British Columbia, Canada
Dear Editor:
Once again, the necessity of including such far-flung
brewing scenes as Philadelphia; Washington, D.C.;
Tampa; Atlanta; and Oakland in Don Erickson's
"L.A. Scene" column conclusively proves
one thing: There is no L.A. brewing scene. It
still sucks. I remain your loyal, "half-in-the-bag
on San Diego beer" foot soldier.
Brian O'Hare
Los Angeles, California
Dear Brian:
I feel your pain, brother. I'm just back from
Seattle and Portland (Craft Brewers Conference
and Spring Beer Fest). Talk about an active beer
scene! I sure hope L.A. comes along. Also, because
of Don's real job, he gets to travel a lot and
loves to write about new beer finds. Please let
us know if you run across something that doesn't
suck in the L.A. area, and we'll include it. —
Ed.
Dear Editor:
Read with interest your article on Vietnamese
beer-making. I saw you made mention of 333 beer.
We had a beer called Ba Muy Ba 33 Bière
when I was stationed in Vietnam. We were told
it had formaldehyde in it. Secondly, do you ever
make comparisons of non-alcoholic beers? Do any
of the microbreweries make non-alcoholic beer?
George Estabrook
Livermore, California
Dear George:
Don’t know about the formaldehyde but
could believe it. A lot of older Vietnamese seem
well preserved. The NA beers are done via an industrial
process too expensive for small beer production.
Our favorite non-alcoholic beers include Erdinger
Alcohol Free and Clausthaler. — Ed. |
|
|
|
|
|
April/May
2006
Craft Brewers Conference 2005
Tom
Dalldorf |
|
| |
| America's craft brewers will
gather in Seattle this April for the annual Craft Brewers
Conference, and the mood will likely be more optimistic
and upbeat for the industry's future than at any time
in the last 10 years. Recent statistics released by the
Brewers Association in Boulder, Colo., state that the
"craft" segment of the beer business sold 9.0
percent more beer in 2005 than in 2004, making this the
fastest-growing segment of the U.S. beverage alcohol industry
for the second consecutive year!
“Craft beer volume growth far exceeded that of
large brewers, wine and spirits in 2005,” said
Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association. “And
even though imported beer grew nicely in 2005, craft
beer grew at a faster rate.” Bear in mind that
the import category consists of both all-malt beer and
adjunct beer. America's tastes are changing, and its
expectations for full-flavored beers of substance are
at an all-time high.
“Consumer enjoyment of the flavor and diversity
of craft beer continues to fuel healthy, steady growth
in this segment,” said Ray Daniels, director of
craft beer marketing for the Brewers Association. “Small
brewers lead the entire industry by offering flavorful,
interesting beers.”
Consider also that there are young beer drinkers today
who have never known a time when there weren't craft
beers widely available. The first wave of breweries,
born in the early ’80s, are now over 20 years
old, and some are transitioning to second-generation
management.
As the craft-beer segment matures, have no doubt that
the major brewers are taking note. Brewing giant Anheuser-Busch
introduced a variety of beers at last year's Great American
Beer Festival in Denver, including a fresh-hop ale,
a pumpkin beer and Michelob Celebrate — a 10%
abv monster made with imported whole vanilla beans and
aged on heavily toasted bourbon oak barrel wood. Definitely
not your father's Budweiser.
Should small breweries fear this intrusion into their
brewing bailiwick? Consider that Gallo Winery, still
the largest winery in the world, has replaced much of
its jug wine business with premium varietal wines, and
it prospers side by side with the thousands of small
artisanal wineries that continue to blossom across the
country. Indeed, it could be suggested that A-B's entry
(or reentry, considering its earlier efforts in this
category) will be a positive force in bringing flavorful
beers to an increasingly curious beer drinker.
The result can be even more consumers brought around
to the "savor the flavor" category of beer
drinking. Building on this momentum, we could have many
years of continued positive growth ahead with even more
demand for exotic, richly flavored beer. Truly, this
is a great time to be a beer drinker! Spread the word
and create more demand for honest beer. |
|
| LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR (Apr/May 2006) Dear
Celebrator:
Congratulations on 18 years of publishing the
Celebrator Beer News! You and your staff do a
great job of putting together a publication that
truly "celebrates" the enjoyment of
beer. Here at Briess, we're happy to be part of
your publication and wish you continued success
for many more years. Cheers!
Bernadette Wasdovitch
Marketing Communications Manager
Briess Malt & Ingredients Company |
|
|
|
|
|
February/March
2006
18 Years of Cheers and Beers!
Tom
Dalldorf |
|
| |
| When the first issue of the
California Celebrator hit the pubs, we were covering
an industry of some 20 brewpubs and microbreweries and
a few "enlightened" beer-savvy pubs and restaurants.
Distribution of the nation's first "brewspaper"
took about three weeks of driving all over the state in
a Jeep Cherokee and visiting all these great beer destinations.
Today, the Celebrator Beer News covers key
beer true believers around the country and internationally,
with our corps of regional beer-evangelist reporters
keeping us abreast of beery developments where and when
they find them. The beer industry continues to grow
but in a curious new direction. The growth of craft
beer hit a wall around 1997 while the imports and large
domestic brewers continued to expand.
In our new century, the beer "pie" seems
to have hit its own wall, and indeed it shrank slightly
in 2004. The craft segment, however, showed positive
growth, hitting an impressive 7 percent for both 2003
and 2004, posting the only positive numbers for all
the categories! The good-beer movement is real and healthy
as the American beer scene continues to evolve. Good
food, good wine and, increasingly, good beer are on
the average consumer's radar. Things "artisanal"
are valued for their uniqueness and honesty, and those
who make them are revered for their dedication and sometimes
lack of commercial remuneration.
Life is about choices. We chose to cover the good-beer
scene in 1988 and are humbled by the support and continued
interest we have received. Your choice of good beer
keeps us on the job, expanding our collective knowledge
of and appreciation for those who make the good beer
we love. Onward towards 20. |
|
| LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR (Feb/Mar 2006) Dear
Editor:
Great article on Bas and Hildegard from Urthel
(CBN December 2005/January 2006). I was excited
to see the word "Urthel" on the cover,
and the nice little account of your conversation
with them was a great read. They are two truly
unique and wonderful people and a credit to the
beer business.
One clarification I would offer is that of the
importer. Artisanal Imports, Inc., formerly affiliated
with Manneken-Brussel Imports, is actually the
exclusive importer for Urthel in the United States.
A few weeks ago, we split off from MBI entirely,
and Bob Leggett (the former MBI head) is now working
full time as president of Artisanal Imports and
overseeing our national structure. As always,
I am directing sales in the east, and another
MBI-alum, Sean Knoll, is doing the same for the
area west of the Mississippi.
Keep up the great coverage on all things beer!
Lanny Hoff
Artisanal Imports, Inc.
Minneapolis, Minn.
Dear Editor:
Longtime reader, first-time writer. I love and
value your publication. I try not to travel without
a copy for the invaluable resources of the regional
writers and the Hop Spots listings. I look forward
to being able to find the Hop Spots on your Web
site for those times when I'm traveling too light.
Accordingly, I feel it's my duty to warn you of
a serious faux-pas.
I am glad to see you've made it possible for
fans of great beer and cycling to get their hands
on those Duvel cycling jerseys. They're really
great. I own one myself, and aside from its undeniable
style, it is a technically excellent piece of
cycling equipment. Alas, there's the rub. It's
a riding jersey. Yes, armchair quarterbacks love
their official NFL gear (and it may suit their
armchair physique quite well), but a cycling jersey
is meant to have a certain fit toward a specific
purpose.
While the now-ubiquitous NASCAR casual gear shouts
out our nation's love for great drivers and left
turns, even NASCAR fans instinctively know not
to hang out in NOMEX suits. My point (and straight
to it) is: Will the esteemed Mr. Dalldorf please
refrain from "rocking" the Duvel jersey
everywhere but on a bicycle? Thank you in advance
for your continuing commitment to the highest
quality in all things beer.
Jesse McCann
Portland, Ore.
Dear Jesse:
Thanks for the great photos of you and your
friends biking down to the Boonville Beer Fest
in your Duvel jerseys. We are delighted to be
able to sell them to our readers and would assume
that most people buy them for riding. The Duvel
tech vest that the "esteemed" Mr. Dalldorf
was wearing during a Rolling Boil Blues Band gig
at Falling Rock in Denver was actually a gift
from a fan in Boulder. Since our publisher rides
his Trek mountain bike regularly and his Cannondale
road bike less often, we feel he's entitled to
it. Hope to see you at this year's event in Boonville.
— Ed. |
|
|
|
| Tom Dalldorf is publisher
and editor of the Celebrator Beer News. |
|
|
Advertisement |
|
