American Craft Beer Fest 2014

   A few weeks back more than 140 Breweries from around the US and an estimated fifteen thousand people including myself made the trip up to the Seaport World Trade Center for Beer Advocate's 7th annual American Craft Beer Fest to sample from over six hundred and forty craft brewed beers. At $47.50/ticket it was both a great opportunity for a craft beer enthusiast to sample many hard to find beers in one place and an "all you can drink buffet" for the "enthusiast" who just enjoys many beers in one place.While many of the Breweries represented were local craft and micro breweries, larger nationally distributed craft breweries such as Stone, Lagunitas, and Rogue were also on hand. The crowd proved to be just as diverse as the vast selection of beers with attendees of all ages and experience, many of whom made it very easy to distinguish the "craft beer drinkers" from the "beer drinkers" as the crowd became a little more lively and rowdy about halfway through the sessions. In all fairness to the crowd though, I encountered more than a few brewery tables in which representatives were intoxicated, unapproachable, and impolite. The common theme; none of those tables were local or micro breweries in which brewery personnel were doing the pouring. Instead they tended to be larger craft beer breweries with tables manned by regional reps or hired help.
   While many of the attendees made their way down the aisles visiting one table after the other and trying as many beers as possible, I decided to take my time strategically making sure to visit the brewery tables I had a strong interest in while having the time to interact with brewery personnel at each. This was made easy with Beer Advocate's program each attendee received on their way through the door. Composed half of brewery and beer offerings and half advertisements, the program offered a list of breweries in attendance along with the beers each had on hand for the public to sample. I began with Lawson's Finest Liquids, Maine Beer Co, and a personal favorite Tree House. Other notable brewery tables I made sure to visit were Nighshift, Trillium, Wormtown, Jack's Abby, and Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project. While all of these are Northeast regional craft and micro brews, I also sampled specialty beers from larger breweries like Oskar Blues, Dogfish Head, and Stone. Personal Favorites were Maine Beer Co.'s Lunch and Mean Old Tom; An ultra clean and fresh IPA and a stellar Stout aged on a vanilla beans. Trillium, Lawson's, and Tree House all offered some of the freshest, cleanest IPA's I've ever tried, including Tree House's renowned "Julius" and the Tree House/Lawson's Finest special collaboration IPA "YAHHHRRRGGG!". Jack's Abby offered what I believed to be the best lager beers there, and Wormtown had a couple of excellent Hop Bombs for the hop heads.
    It was a great time for me personally as I had the opportunity to hang with Dean and the guys from Tree House, the guys from Jack's Abby, and finally meet and spend time with  Dan and Martha Paquette of Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project. I was able to form what I hope to be long lasting network connections with other great people in the craft beer industry from small breweries all over the Northeast before ending  the night with my "neighbors" and the guys from one of Queen's newest breweries, Finback.
   Aside from the amazing beers, what stood out to me was the sense of community that has made the craft beer community envied by other professions. It was refreshing to see brewers and personnel making their way to other tables to talk brewing and sample offerings from other brewers. The mutual respect and camaraderie that exists in this profession of brewers was on display throughout and in between the sessions as brewers spent time in and outside the venue throughout the weekend.
   In Dick Cantwell's Starting Your Own Brewery he writes "Brewing was a club, and everyone belonged. Information was shared - with willingness, and with beer. The collegiality and conviviality of our industry is in fact envied by those in other artisanal industries who value individual over collective success. Coffee? They don't trust each other. Chocolate? Forget about it. If we have a legacy, this is it. It is something to be preserved and cherished, passed along as strongly and as often as can be managed". This generation of brewers continues to carry on these traditions and legacies at events such as this one and others across the country.

Don't Judge a Beer by its Cover

"Don't judge a book by it's cover". We've all heard the saying. But doesn't it apply to beer too with all the gimmicks and superficial selling points influencing us to buy certain types or brands of beers? God help us if we really need a bottle or can with blue and white mountains to let us know if it is cold or not. As if the past few hours it spent in the fridge or cooler, or the sensation to your hand as you picked it up didn't already tell you that. Does the rate of speed your beer comes out of the can or bottle make it less enjoyable? Great news, a certain brewery makes beers with a "vortex" design in the head of the bottle and a small "punch hole" in cans. Now you can guzzle that beer and enjoy it even less than you would have if you had drank it like you normally would. Not to be outdone, "The King of Beers" has introduced their own line of gimmicks as well. Including a bow tie shaped can and a bottle with a white area on the label for you to write on. Thus providing....a better grip and a way to express yourself to others I guess? And it seems the aluminum bottle is the cool thing to do nowadays as all 3 of these macro breweries have introduced their beers to the market in this vessel. 

With all gimmicks, these companies must be having a hard time keeping up with the demand right? Wrong. According to MSN Money:

"U.S. beer sales have declined in recent years and aren't showing many signs of improving, according to a new report by consumer research firm Mintel. 

There were 2.79 million cases of beer sold in 2013, broadly flat compared with the 2.78 million cases sold in 2012 and down from 2.9 million cases sold five years ago. And, worse, beer sales are expected to rise by just 4 percent to 2.89 million cases within the next four years. "

The exception? Craft Beer. Sales for craft beer is predicted jump from $83 billion in 2013 to $95 billion in 2018. Why? Because craft brewers have made the decision that it's what inside their can or bottle that matters more than what they put on the outside. It's why a brewery like Dogfish Head with what some have called their "plain, boring, bad marketing" 12 oz bottle labels saw a 17% growth in 2013. (The previous comment does not apply to their larger bottles which feature some of the most detailed art labels on beer bottles). 

After all, it's whats on the inside that really counts right? True beauty is within?

Cheers.

Not so "Craft" Craft Beers

With the growth and success that craft beer has had in recent years, "Big Beer" companies have been trying to find a way to compete in the craft beer market. While Craft Beer makes up just 6% of total annual beer sales, the other 94% is made up of  "Big Beer" companies, 90% of that 94%  by Anheuser-Busch InBev and Miller Coors. By masking the labels and buying out smaller craft breweries, they have been able to infiltrate into the market and into the hands of the less informed craft beer drinker.

First its important to properly define Craft Beer. According to the Brewers Association, a Craft brewer is Small, Independent, and Traditional.
Small - annual production is 6 million barrels or less.
Independent - Less than 25% of the craft brewery owned or controlled by an alcoholic beverage industry member who is not themselves a craft brewer.
Traditional - A brewer who has either an all malt flagship or has at least 50% of its volume in either all malt beers or in beers which use adjuncts to enhance rather than lighten flavor.

Craft beer has become somewhat of a "luxury item" or "splurge" during what has been a time of economic hardship. The craft beer industry despite the economy has continued to see growth. Therefore, if the consumer is going to indulge in craft beer, it's important they know what they are investing their hard earned cash in. Listed are a few "not so craft, craft beers".

Blue Moon
Probably the most common. Introduced in 1995, this beer is owned and operated by Miller Coors.
Shock Top
Owned and operated by Anheuser Busch.
Goose Island
"The Craft Beer of Chicago" this brand was bought in 2010 by Anheuser Busch.
Kona 
The "Craft Beer of Hawaii"? Owned partly by the Craft Brew Alliance and you guessed it, Anheuser Busch.
Leinenkugel's
Bought by Miller Coors in 1988.
Widmer Brothers
Part Craft Brew Alliance, Part Anheuser Busch.

This is in no way an effort to sway your decision one way or the other. We drink what we like; be it an Arrogant Bastard or a Natty Ice. It is however important that you know what you are getting when making the decision to support craft breweries. Just because it's next to the Stone, Lagunitas, or Smuttynose doesn't make it a craft beer.

Cheers.
 

On Tap: Big Alice Brewing

On a little street in Long Island City, NY lies a little brewery with big beers. Overlooking the east river power plant that inspired their name (Big Allis), Big Alice has been brewing "an ever evolving line of unique and interesting" beers since conception in 2013. At that time they were New York City's second smallest brewery. Operating as a nano brewery producing 1/3 barrel per batch, this brewery has created beers including a Purple Potato Tripel, a banana habanero multigrain ale, and a dandelion and fennel bulb IPA to name a few. Each beer comes in a wine bottle size corked bottle and can be cellared for up to 10 years (the life of the cork). Average ABV usually ranges anywhere between 9%-up as high as 15.3% (Single Malt with Cardamom). The brewery is open to the public Friday evenings from 5-7:30 pm. During this time Brewers/Founders Robby Crafton, Kyle Hurst, and founder Scott Berger are usually on hand to show you around and tell you about their beers. Stop in, meet the team, and enjoy some of the most "unique and interesting beers" New York City has to offer.

CNN Money.com recently featured Big Alice and covered their Community Shared Beer Program. To learn about Big Alice's Community Shared Beer program follow this link:

http://money.cnn.com/2013/09/23/smallbusiness/community-supported-beer/

Drink Local

Well, Let me be the first to congratulate you. You Sir, Madame, or fellow human being if you're not into the whole brevity thing, live in a place in time where the average american lives within 10 miles of a Brewery. There are more than 2,500 breweries in the United States and that number continues to grow. Since pre-prohibition when the number of breweries reached as high as 3,200, you have not had this much access to locally brewed beer. 98% of these are small independently owned breweries and " are known for being passionate and innovative makers of fuller flavored beer". The other 2%.....well, they're the guys that make that yellow fizzy carbonated water you used to drink before you became the classy, intellectual, and down right awesome person you are today. So get out and take a tour damn't. Meet your local brewers. Drink local beer. You'll see firsthand how its made, meet the brewers who craft it, and it tastes better. Trust me on this one, it does.

Check out this page for a breakdown of these facts and some other awesome facts that you may not have known:

http://www.brewersassociation.org/pages/media/Craft-Beer-Backgrounder

So you want to be a Home Brewer?

Recently I've had a few people reach out to me through social media and ask me how I got started and any tips or advice I could give them. 4 years ago I received my first "Brew Your Own Beer Kit" for Christmas from a family member. It was a Mr. Beer Kit and my first batch thickened up to the consistency of molasses and caramel forcing me to throw away the batch along with the pot I was boiling it in. I realized I had burned off too much water and did not add more to balance it out. Where a lot of people might have chalked it up as a failure and quit there, I couldn't wait to try again and within a couple days had purchased another ingredient kit and moved forward, this time successful. I even went to my local home brew store to pick up some additional cascade hops to add to the boil to give it a little more character. An old friend of mine who shared the same interests made himself available to me to help answer any questions I had and steer me in the right direction as I began my journey as a Home Brewer.

Which leads me to the advice that I normally give out to anyone looking to explore home brewing themselves.

#1. Bigger isn't always Better. If this is your first time, Start with a 1 gallon kit. You can pick one up through a few different online retailers or sometimes your local Whole Foods or other retailer. Brooklyn Brew Shop has a great 1 gallon all grain kit and Northern Brewer offers 1 gallon liquid malt kits. It will normally include everything you need to brew you first batch with the exception of your kettles or pots to boil in. If you try it and realize you hate it (which you probably won't) you just lost $40 instead of the $100-200 you're going to pay for a 5 gallon kit (not including the larger pots you will need to purchase since you probably don't have at home). You're welcome, you can thank me later.

#2 Everything you need is Online. No really, there isn't a question you will need an answer to that you won't be able to find online. There are literally thousands of websites and forums by Home Brewers that have been doing this for years posting answers and advice to anything you might be unsure about. If you're not tech savvy, you're in luck, because there's thousands of books too. Highly recommended is How to Brew by John Palmer. This book is practically referred to as the Bible of Home Brewing and is highly referred to as a reference on many sites.

#3 Don't give up. You're going to mess up a batch at some point. Everyone does. Stick with it and remember why you started.

Additionally I normally advise to start with an all grain kit if possible instead of a liquid malt kit. My first brew kit was a liquid malt kit and they're generally a little easier. Granted an all grain kit takes a little more time, But It's the real deal. It's how beer is brewed at your favorite breweries.

Cheers.