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Editor's Note: We are journalists and seek to cover the entire beer industry, particularly when major brewers start adopting new responses to craft brewers.
During the fledgling days of Bell's Brewery, founder Larry Bell found himself in a bind. He needed to drive around Kalamazoo, Michigan to complete deliveries of his popular Amber Ale, but his seven-year-old daughter Laura was sick and home from school. While Bell labored to get the brewery off the ground, his wife worked a regular job to help pay the bills. So, he strapped Laura into the van with some paper and crayons and hit the road.
Shortly after driving past Laura's school, Amberly Elementary, Bell looked over and noticed his little girl had sketched a beer label called Bell's Amberly Ale. "This label included a logo and everything," he recalled. "It featured a guy with crazy eyes and hair sticking straight up. Laura called him 'Mr. Ale.' If the school ever saw this, I knew I'd be in trouble."
That morning twenty years ago helped inspire him to double his efforts to keep Bell's Brewery going in a time when craft breweries were scarce and struggling. He saw the brewery as a legacy for his daughter and son. Today, Bell's Brewery ranks as the oldest and largest craft brewery in the state of Michigan.
As the sales of flavorful beer continue to soar, there’s seemingly no end to the outpouring of affection for it by a growing cadre of beer lovers. But as a wave of dollars flows into the craft beer business, it begs a question: who is going to be making the flavorful beer -- and the money that goes along with it?
From artisan breweries to microbreweries and those in the realm of a million barrels a year – or trying to reach that milestone, three patterns emerge over the past year. Some craft breweries are finding unique paths toward growth through bank loans and private sales. Others are taking private equity investments as a path to reaping financial rewards while remaining in the brewing business. A third group has elected to reap all the rewards by selling their breweries outright.
What this means for the market segment of craft remains to be seen.
Once in a while, brewers come along who knows how to hit taste buds in a way that inspires deep appreciation and loyalty among beer drinkers and imitation by other brewers.
In this issue, Owen discusses how the approach to weissbier by Georg Schneider led to its great popularity and eventually to the complex and more modern Dunkels Weissbier, a style perhaps underappreciated by Americans.
In a familiar story that warrants some expert detail, the tale of Ken Grossman and his creation of the American Pale Ale comes to life in a technical discussion by Owen that sheds light on this beer’s ability to start a 20th Century aroma and taste bud revolution.
Surely there will be more discoveries in the future that change the consumption habits of beer drinkers around the world. But until the next moment of gonzo creativity arrives, we’re left to celebrate those discoveries we enjoy in the present.
While we debate whether "craft" beer is the right term for tasty creations from Sierra Nevada Brewing and the newly opened nanobrewery down the street, how about we discuss a different word? One that’s been doing big damage to the image of beer and beer culture for decades: “alcoholic beverage.”
Could there be a worse term for classifying the life-enhancing, health-improving, fellowship-inspiring creation that is beer? Except for maybe “junk food,” alcoholic beverage is a pejorative, worst-case-scenario/ illness descriptor unlike any in the consumer world. Nobody consumes cancer-victim smoking devices, caffeine-addict drinks and morbid-obesity doughnuts.
Yes, a number of beer drinkers quaff in excess and may be alcoholics. Obviously that’s a serious problem for those people and their families and communities. No doubt about it. But should all beer makers, sellers and drinkers get branded with the scarlet A-word and lumped in with alcoholism? Heck no. We visit breweries and ask for our AHA (American Homebrewers Association) discount, not an AA perk. Besides, the average beer holds a single-digit percent of alcohol and over 90 percent water. Wouldn’t “hydraulic beverage” be a more accurate term?
If there’s one dish that symbolizes the melting pot of Louisiana’s Creole culture, it’s gumbo. Originating from African, Native American and French cultures, gumbo has recently found a new influence. Craft beer and its higher flavor profile have joined the luscious assortment of ingredients.
With 200 years of documented history, gumbo traditionally has been made with seafood, meat, sausage, game, poultry, and vegetables. It’s thickened and flavored by a roux of flour and oil, okra or filé. The latter is flaked, dried sassafras leaves, a contribution from the Choctaws who populated the Mississippi Delta. Some gumbos use all three thickening methods.
The name gumbo is derived from an African word for okra. Since okra and filé were readily accessible and a full meal could be made by adding scraps of meat or seafood and vegetables, gumbo has long been universally popular in Louisiana across all social lines. In recent times, more upscale versions are made entirely with the French-style roux, which takes time, energy and a bit more skill to bring it to a rich chocolate brown.
Judging Process Our reviews are conducted in a single-blind tasting format. This method provides the best opportunity to rely on facts and to avoid favoritism, ensuring a level playing field for all brewers. It serves both the industry and the consumer to have unbiased and objective scores from qualified experts. To best implement this approach, the Judges Review is open to those with established experience as a Master Cicerone® from the Cicerone® Certification Program or as a judge that has accomplished the rank of National or higher from the Beer Judge Certification Program. In the single blind tasting format, judges are presented with a chilled, properly poured beer and given its style category. Scoring is then done on the following basis using a 100-point scale:
Score Breakdown
100 to 96: World Class –You need this beer in your life. 95 to 91: Exceptional –Don’t hesitate. 90 to 86: Very Good –A brew to savor. 85 to 75: Average – Somewhat unimpressive. 74 and below: Not Recommended –Just walk away.
The Society of Independent Brewers has announced that UK brewers can now become International members of the Brewers Association in America. Launching a twist of creativity, the BA had agreed to highlight UK Brewers Association members who brew collaboration beers with UK brewers at the 2015 Craft Brewers Conference in Portland, Oregon, April 14-17. Some of the heavy hitters include the Adnams, Ilkley, FourPure and Rudgate brands.
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If you’re a coffee grinder at heart, you’ll worship the intensity of a HasBean.
BrewDog adds a triple shot of java into its 17th Abstrakt concept brew, HasBean Imperial Rye Porter. Boasting a hefty 17 percent ABV, HasBean rocks the boat with espresso in the mash, coffee in the boil, and whole roast beans in the whirlpool and fermenter.
While we debate whether "craft" beer is the right term for tasty creations from Sierra Nevada Brewing and the newly opened nanobrewery down the street, how about we discuss a different word? One that’s been doing big damage to the image of beer and beer culture for decades: “alcoholic beverage.”
