A German native who often vacationed in the states, Stefan Gastager admired the “positive take on life” Americans had. But he noticed something America lacked, even in replica-rich Las Vegas, where Paris is a stone’s throw from Giza. A real taste of Bavaria was missing. 

There were schnitzel stands and decent wurst peddlers, but Gastager would only settle for the best of authentic German food and drink. 

He dreamed of replicating the iconic Munich Hofbräuhaus in Vegas, a feat that would require great ambition and rigorous attention to detail. 

“There were replicas of the Eiffel Tower, the Grand Canal and the Empire State Building, but no authentic German restaurant,” Gastager recalled. “So why not recreate a true copy of the Hofbräuhaus in Munich and bring a piece of Bavarian culture and tradition to Las Vegas,” Gastager said.

Gastager’s work began in 1999, when he pitched his dream to the owners of Munich’s Hofbräuhaus along with the help of his brother Klaus. Their point of contact was the German finance minister, since the Hofbräuhaus is owned by the German government. The minister must have been impressed, as he awarded the first-ever licensing agreement for the venerable institution.

“There were other requests for licenses in the past, but none of the other applicants were willing to go abroad themselves,” said Gastager.

Leaving Germany wasn’t too much of a problem for Gastager, because he planned on taking it with him.

The two sessions of the event were spread out over six and a half hours, and by the time I arrived at the start of the second session, a crowd of passionate beer connoisseurs, industry insiders and enthusiastic brewers was already on hand to discuss trends at the event and some of the coolest creations on tap.

So much beer was available at the Prado in Atlanta that the event spilled over into two establishments and three locations. This arrangement, while unorthodox, served as a delineating factor between brewers and styles. Also the first stop was a fair trot from the other two venues, which helped to walk off some of those heady ABVs!

My first stop was 5 Seasons Brewing, which co-hosted the event and had a delicious barrel-aged Scotch ale on tap – The Whole Shebang.

I started my sampling with the first beer I saw upon entering (what better place to start?), Boulevard Brewing Company’s Za-Tart Spiced Sour Ale. A refreshing and thirst-quenching low-ABV sour ale, this palate-livening brew served as a perfect appetizer for the beefy barrel-aged concoctions that would follow.

Next up was Ballast Point Brewing’s Rum Barrel-Aged Victory at Sea. According to Ballast Point’s Southeast Sales Manager Chris Marin, the rum barrels employed were quite special.

Marty Jones, who is one of our regular contributors, occasionally had the pleasure of hanging out with the late Michael Jackson when the beloved and slightly quirky authority on beer styles and all things beer came to Denver. “Visiting breweries with Michael was like hitting blues clubs with Muddy Waters or going to working class rock bars with Bruce Springsteen,” said Jones. 

Like others, Jones found Jackson to be a humble, engaging and funny man in addition to his thoughtful and encyclopedic approach to beer. I never had the pleasure of meeting Jackson, so I asked Jones if he would venture a guess at what the “Beer Hunter” might say about the current state of craft beer and brewing seven or so years after his seminal blog went dark.

“That’s a real toughie,” said Jones. “Perhaps something right to the point of it all: ‘It has certainly come a long way, hasn’t it? It’s quite delightful, isn’t it?’”

Marty Jones

An acclaimed beer journalist, publicist and "Brewbadour", Marty Jones is one of Colorado's most ardent promoters of craft beer and its culture. The Complete Joy of Homebrewing, an English degree and a few basic guitar chords changed his life for the better. Learn about his brewery-helping efforts at www.martyjones.com and hear his beer-blessed music at www.martyjones.net.

Nora McGunnigle

Nora is a freelance food and beer writer who lives in New Orleans. Her work can be found in Louisiana Kitchen and Culture, among other magazines, and she is a regular contributor to Southern Brew News, Alcohol Professor, Eater NOLA, the Gambit and NOLAbeerblog.com. Follow her on Twitter @noradeirdre. 

Brewery Openings Continue To Rise

Using data from Symphony IRI, Nielsen and in-house information, the Brewers Association reported that 2014 was another positive year for the expansion of beer brewed by smaller, independent breweries. Overall volume was up due to the BA’s change in its definition of craft brewer, but other signs confirmed a boom in the small brewer segment.

The U.S. brewery count surpassed 3,200 and the number of brewery licenses is above 4,500, indicating many new breweries are in planning. Thirteen states now boast more than 100 breweries. "Consumers are making a conscious choice to buy and try the plethora of options produced by small and independent craft brewers," said Bart Watson, chief economist of the BA.

The BA statistics are in contrast to the annual data released by the Beer Institute, whose figures indicate over-all growth in beer sales are flat. Using a domestic tax paid estimate, the BI reported a decrease in over-all beer sales of 0.8 percent through the first 11 months of 2014. The number of barrels being taxed during that period dropped by 1.4 million barrels.