The Audacity of Hops

by Tom Acitelli

  New York press conference Florence Fabricant, “A Faintly Amused Answer to Fast Food,” New York Times, November 18, 1989, C10.

  Coming off a decade-long fitness craze Noel Zavoral, “Rating the Exercise Videos: All the Views That Are Fit to Rent,” Minneapolis Star Tribune, February 23, 1992, 16C.

  Home-gym suppliers did tens of thousands Cathy Hindaugh, “Home Bodies Bumping Up Sales of Fitness Equipment Retailers,” Warfield’s Business Journal, January 31, 1992.

  An “earlier, slower” time Fabricant, “Slow Food Congress Fights for Culinary Culture.”

  The Value of Gold

  It was a precarious time Gleason, “Miller, Bud to Boost Production”; Matt interview.

  Brewery’s gold medal and decision to focus on Saranac Matt interview.

  “The Tyranny of Fast Growth”

  Baghdad bombing details Kim Murphy and David Lauter, “Bush Vow: Wipe Out Missiles,” Los Angeles Times, January 19, 1991, A1.

  Magee biography and “I went from earning in the strong six figures” Tony Magee, unpublished, unpaginated memoir, shared with the author in late 2011; Tony Magee, e-mail message to the author, March 30, 2012. The memoir would be published by Charles Pinot in November 2012 as The Lagunitas Story by Tony Magee.

  Marin Brewing details Brett Ainsworth, “Marin Brewing Co. Has Anchored Country Mart Through Center’s Rough Times,” Patch.com, December 28, 2010, http://larkspurcortemadera.patch.com/articles/marin-brewing-co-has-anchored-country-mart-through-centers-rough-times.

  “That is not a question” and Magee’s big break Magee memoir.

  Grundy tank descriptions Archive Grundy Tank Page website, accessed March 12, 2012, www.soundbrew.com/grundy.html.

  Cross-Magee deal and early Lagunitas details Magee memoir; Magee.

  Decision to lead with an I.P.A. Magee memoir.

  “Tyranny of fast growth” Ibid.

  Finding Role Models, Defying Labels

  Red Bell startup details and Bell quotes Marilyn Joyce, “Bond Trader Whets His Appetite with His Own Phila.-based Brew,” Philadelphia Business Journal, October 29, 1993, 3.

  Jumping by double-digit percentages annually Sheryll Poe, “Crowded Market Leaves Some Microbrew Makers Tapped Out,” Austin American-Statesman, May 30, 2000.

  “Heady as prom queens” Julie Flaherty, “Now, the Glass Is Half-Empty,” New York Times, May 30, 2000, C1, column 2.

  Jersey Premium Lager details Donald Janson, “New Beer Makes a Pitch for the Upscale Market,” New York Times, October 30, 1988, section 12NJ, page 1, column 3.

  Had proven extraordinarily popular Kim Tschudy, “Sales Rosy for New Glarus Brewery’s Cherry Beer,” Madison (WI) Capital Times, December 8, 1994, 6B.

  Dan and Deb Carey biographies “Brew Crew,” New Glarus Brewing Company website, accessed March 14, 2012, www.newglarusbrewing.com/index.cfm/brewery/brewcrew.

  “It’s like eating fast food” Mike Ivey, “New Glarus Brewmaster a Purist with Credentials,” Madison (WI) Capital Times, October 6, 1994, B1.

  Shipyard start-up details Pugsley; “Our Team,” Shipyard website, accessed March 14, 2012, www.shipyard.com/sub/aboutus/team.html.

  George Stranahan biography and Flying Dog start-up details Roger Fillion, “Rebel with a Cause,” Rocky Mountain News (Denver), September 22, 2007.

  Victory Brewing start-up details “About Victory,” Victory Brewing Company website, accessed June 16, 2012, www.victorybeer.com/about-victory.

  Magic Hat start-up details “Vermont’s Small Breweries Are Big Business,” Modern Brewery Age, March 31, 1997.

  Kim Jordan was passing her Fridays and $60,000 in start-up costs Kim Jordan, interview with the author, May 17, 2012. New Belgium was incorporated with Colorado on March 11, 1993.

  Idea sprang from trips to Belgium Ibid.

  Odell Brewing and what the Anheuser-Busch plant just north Dick Kreck, “Fort Collins Breweries Friendly Rivals,” Denver Post, December 21, 1994, E01.

  Pregnant with their second child Jordan interview.

  Buccaneer Gold Leslie J. Allen, “Brewing the Better Business Plan,” Philadelphia Inquirer, November 8, 1993.

  “If we can get people” Joyce, “Bond Trader Whets His Appetite.”

  Ghosts Around the Machines

  “Center of attention” Douglas Jehl, “President Begins a Lobbying Blitz for Trade Accord,” New York Times, November 9, 1993, A1.

  NAFTA debate “NAFTA: Ross Perot and Al Gore Debate 1993 (1/8),” YouTube video, 9:00, from a televised 1993 CNN debate, posted by “Mike Hansel,” November 7, 2008, www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yww5Z3PJIs&list=PL90122AE3819C3C13&index=1&feature=plpp_video.

  Details on manufacturing jobs Barnaby J. Feder, “A Surprise: Blue-Collar Jobs Rebound,” New York Times, December 6, 1993, D1.

  Cherry Brew and Naked Hockey

  Calagione biography and first homebrew Sam Calagione, Brewing Up a Business: Adventures in Beer from a Founder of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2011), 1-10.

  His father … was not amused Bilger, “A Better Brew.”

  “The beer was the hit of the party” and beer epiphany Calagione, Brewing Up a Business, 10; Sam Calagione, e-mail message to the author, July 2012.

  In Prime Time

  Pete Slosberg had not counted on the cop Slosberg, Beer for Pete’s Sake, 135-37.

  Commercial details Slosberg 137; “Pete’s Wicked Ale -TV Ad For Beer – Pete Signing Autographs, City Cop Asks for Permit,” YouTube video, 0:33, posted by “lordielordie,” September 15, 2009, www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7yJteNmryU&feature=related.

  Aired in 1994 in major markets John Flinn, “Pete’s Aims to Be Mega-Microbrewer,” Denver Post, August 28, 1994, I4.

  Sell 2.5 million cases of beer in forty-one states Robert Emproto, “Thumping the Tub for Microbrews, Pete’s Ale Grows at Wicked Rates,” Beverage World, vol. 113, September 30, 1994, 1; “Specialty Beer Market Increases 60 Percent in 1994,” Business Wire, February 16, 1995.

  Were growing exponentially compared to Dick Kreck, “Festival to Pour 1,200 Beers,” Denver Post, October. 19, 1994, E1; Gene Sloan, “Tapping Micros’ Success,” USA Today, October 21, 1994, A1. The production share is an estimate and comes from the figure 1.67 million barrels for all craft brewers and brewpubs in 1993. Boston Beer’s share was 450,000.

  “Industry writers can’t get”; “It’s the judgment of your peers” Kreck, “Festival to Pour 1,200 Beers.”

  The youthful new president Karen Ball, “Doting Father, Card Player, Crossword Fan—Bill Clinton at Ease,” Associated Press, July 8, 1992.

  “Skip the fattening deserts” “Valentine’s Day Anxiety? A Beer Lover’s Survival Guide to February 14,” PR Newswire, January 26, 1995.

  “I resent it” Bill Atkinson, “Has Spuds Met His Match?,” Business Journal San Jose, May 11, 1987, 2.

  Opened a brewery in early 1989 Bob MacDonald, “Now Brewing in Jamaica Plain,” Boston Globe, February 23, 1989, 10.

  He placed inside the cornerstone J. Koch; Papazian.

  Was given to killing cats J. Koch.

  The company would talk about plans Charlie McCollum, “Texas Beer Importer Buys Pete’s Brewing Co. of Belmont, Calif.,” San Jose Mercury News, May 3, 1998.

  Critical Mass

  CD-ROM details “CD-ROM Gives a Taste of Best in Beers,” San Francisco Examiner, July 17, 1995.

  Julie Johnson biography Julie Johnson, interview with the author, April 7, 2010.

  Bradford leaving Association of Brewers and All About Beer acquisition Bradford.

  Advice they got from beer writers like Randy Mosher Randy Mosher, interview with the author, September 30, 2011.

  He did his research in the pre-Internet way Ibid.

  Hieronymus and Labinsky biography Stan Hieronymus, interview with the author, September 30, 2011.

  Brand biography Kevin Fagan, “Bay Area Reporter Bill Brand Dies,” The San Francisco Chronicle, February 25, 2009.

  Erickson biography Jack Erickson, “A
Writer’s Life,” accessed March 29, 2012, www.jackerickson.com/Site/Jack_Erickson.html. The Erickson Report lasted until 1997.

  Don Russell biography Mark Lisheron, “The Column That Became a Franchise,” American Journalism Review, February/March 2008.

  Worked as a librarian “Lew Bryson,” Amazon.com, accessed June 3, 2012, www.amazon.com/Lew-Bryson/e/B001JS7L22.

  Only to discover his ignorance Tim Webb, Good Beer Guide Belgium, 6th ed. (Saint Albans, UK: Campaign for Real Ale, 2009), 8.

  Exercised immense influence Geary interview.

  Alan Eames biography Douglas Martin, “Alan D. Eames, 59, Scholar of Beers Around the World, Dies,” New York Times, February 27, 2007, section A, 17; “Alan Eames,” Brattleboro Reformer, February 12-14, 2007, accessed March 28, 2012, http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/brattleboro/obituary.aspx?n=alan-eames&pid=86436273 &fhid=4763.

  New Beer Rules Stan Hieronymus, “New Beer Rules,” Appellation Beer website, accessed June 4, 2012, http://appellationbeer.com/.

  “Ultimate Beer Run” excerpt and details Don Russell, “Super Suds Put a Head on Sunday’s Big Game,” Philadelphia Daily News, January 26, 1996, 31. Russell eventually turned his column writing for the Daily News into a franchise called Joe Sixpack.

  Details on beer magazines Stan Hieronymus, “Beer Magazines Circa 1994,” Appellation Beer website, accessed March 27, 2012, http://appellationbeer.com/blog/beer-magazines-circa-1994/.

  Details on the “Home Brew Digest” Patrick Babcock, e-mail message to the author, March 2012. Babcock and Karl Lutzen acquired the subscription list and Gardener’s original programming scripts in 1997.

  Digest posts Home Brew Digest archives, accessed March 28, 2012, http://hbd.org/archives.shtml.

  The Potato-Chip Epiphany

  Charlie Papazian asked the ballroom Greg Koch, interview with the author, September 30, 2011.

  When it came to technology “Bill Healy; Built Mount Bachelor Ski Resort,” Associated Press, October 29, 1993.

  Cameron Healy biography Cameron Healy, interview with the author, August 2011.

  One of the most successful natural-food brands Suzanne Marta, “Kettle Foods Brings ‘Natureal’ Foods to the Mainstream,” Salem (OR) Statesman-Journal, August 15, 1999, 1E.

  The largest potato-chips producer PepsiCo, “Quick Facts,” February, 2011, www.pepsico.com/Download/Frito-Lay_Quick_Facts.pdf.

  ”If I could create a distinctive enough product” Healy.

  Revenues beat those of his father Marta, “Kettle Foods Brings ‘Natureal’ Foods to the Mainstream.”

  A 1987 trip through northern Europe and Healy started assembling a business plan Healy.

  Hawaiian brewing history Robert C. Schmitt, “Hawaii’s Beers and Brewers,” University of Hawaii at Manoa publication, accessed April 2, 2012, http://evols.library.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/handle/10524/604/JL31149.pdf?sequence=1.

  Healy saw opportunity Healy.

  The Brewpubs Boom

  Launched operations in an old newspaper pressroom “History,” Kona Brewing website, accessed April 2, 2012, http://konabrewingco.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/2/files/2011/05/PressKit.pdf.

  3,000 barrels produced “Kona Brewing Company President to Keynote Brewbound’s Craft Beer Session on December 5, 2011,” Kona Brewing website, accessed April 2, 2012, http://konabrewingco.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/5/files/2012/02/Mattson-Davis-to-keynote-Brewbound-session.pdf.

  Hawaii charged brewers Paula Gillingham, “Brewers Want State to Let Beer Flow More Freely,” Pacific Business News, July 27, 1997, 14.

  Brewpub statistics Gerry Khermouch, “Tapping Into the Ethos,” Brandweek, May 22, 1995, 34.

  Legal changes in big states Ron Ruggless, “Texans Jump on the Brewpub Bandwagon,” Nation’s Restaurant News, April 18, 1994, 3.

  Triple Rock details “Pub,” Triple Rock website, accessed April 2, 2012, http://triplerock.com/?page_id=7.

  Hickenlooper biography and Wynkoop start-up details William Porter, “LoDo Pioneer John Hickenlooper’s Next Challenge May Be a Run for the Mayor’s Office,” Denver Post, July 21, 2002, L01.

  Frank Day biography and businesses Penny Parker, “Rock Bottom Sees Light of Day,” Denver Post, September 13, 1999, F01.

  Boulder Brewing ownership and name changes Alicia Wallace, “Boulder Beer Co. Brews Up 30 Years of History,” Boulder (CO) Daily Camera, September 14, 2009.

  Quickly became a major hangout Christopher Wood, “Pru Plaza Rejects Some Tenants Despite High Vacancy Rate,” Denver Business Journal, November 15, 1991, 5.

  Red ale was a particular hit Jon Van Housen, “Rock-Bottom Business: Downtown’s New Brew Pub Is the Place to See and Be Seen,” Colorado Business, 44.

  Details on new Rock Bottoms Alan Liddle, “Rock Bottom Accelerates ‘Brew-n-Chew’ Growth,” Nation’s Restaurant News, October 3, 1994.

  Heartland Brewery details “New Yorkers and Co.,” New York Times, January 1, 1995, section 13, page 4.

  Hops Bistro & Brewery and Hops Grill & Bar details Jack Hayes, “Hops and Harper’s Heat Up Casual Dining in Southeast,” Nation’s Restaurant News, May 17, 1993; Khermouch, “Tapping Into the Ethos.”

  Hickenlooper was said to be involved Khermouch, “Tapping Into the Ethos.”

  Gordon and Biersch biographies “Dan Gordon” and “Dean Biersch,” Gordon Biersch website, accessed April 3, 2012, www.gordonbiersch.com/.

  With expectations of as much as $7 million Steve Jefferson, “Beer Business Boom Brewing,” Pacific Business News, November 21, 1994, 1.

  Could be made in the back for 20 cents Becky Beyers, “Microbrewer Taps into Beer Market,” USA Today, March 24, 1995, 3B.

  Criticism of brewpub chains Khermouch, “Tapping Into the Ethos.”

  Suds and the City

  And that’s what the papers wrote about Bob Liff and Austin Evans Fenner, “Sud Rise a Lift to W’Burg,” New York Daily News, May 29, 1996, 1. Such articles were indicative of the coverage of Brooklyn Brewery then.

  Details of the brewery construction and union sit-down Hindy and Potter, Beer School, 164-172.

  Attack of the Phantom Crafts

  Less than 3 percent of US beer sales Ron Givens, “Big Brewers Notice Success of Small Guys,” New York Daily News, April 21, 1994, 7A.

  “I don’t know why the industry doesn’t” Peter V. K. Reid, “Fighting the Seventh Beer War,” Modern Brewery Age, May 20, 1996.

  “This one is his” and head-to-head in national advertising campaigns Jim Kirk with Cathy Taylor, “A-B Joins Elks,” Adweek, March 28, 1994.

  “Subtle, sweet taste” “Anheuser-Busch to Introduce Red Beer in Florida,” New York Times, September 30, 1994, D3.

  Even a Rolling Rock Bock Givens, “Big Brewers Notice Success of Small Guys.”

  Craft brewers’ reactions Peter Rowe, “Trouble Brewing: Big Companies Tap Into Craft-Beer Market,” San Diego Union-Tribune, October 29, 1997.

  Blue Moon background Donald Breed, “Blue Moon Brewers Full of Ideas,” Providence (RI) Journal-Bulletin, December 3, 1997, 3F.

  States and virtually overnight “Coors Unveils Microbrews,” Marketing News TM, October 9, 1995, 14.

  Guide notes Seamus Campbell and Robin Goldstein, The Beer Trials (New York: Fearless Critic Media, 2010), 91, 125.

  “Budhook” and the Bull Beer Market

  Redhook IPO background and if it weren’t for capacity constraints M. Sharon Baker, “Redhook IPO Won’t Slake Anheuser-Busch’s Thirst,” Puget Sound Business Journal, July 14, 1995, 14.

  “A screaming winner” Ibid.

  Koch’s reaction George Gendron, “Brewed Awakening,” Inc., October 1, 1994.

  Portsmouth Brewery background “A History of Beer, As We See It,” Portsmouth Brewery website, accessed April 8, 2012, http://portsmouthbrewery.com/our_beers_brewery/a_history_of_beer_as_we_see.html.

  Smuttynose start-up details “Peter Egelston,” Smuttynose Brewery website, accessed April 8, 2012, http://smuttynose.com/staff/peter_egelston_company_pres.html.<
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  “The future is in your hands” Andrea Foote and Maxim Lenderman, “Of Two Minds,” Beverage World Periscope Edition, May 31, 1996.

  Were starting to question the basic premise Andrew Leckey, “Trendy Suds Could Just Be Duds,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, February 12, 1996, 2D.

  Thomas Kemper-Hart deal “A Little Background About Thomas Kemper Soda Co.,” Thomas Kemper website, accessed April 9, 2012, www.tksoda.com/files/press/Company_Background.pdf.

  Pyramid IPO details “Hart Brewing Co. Joins the IPO Boom,” Modern Brewery Age, December 25, 1995.

  “Primary phase” “Leading Microbrewer Breaks Ground in California,” Business Wire, January 26, 1996.

  Wine IPO details “Mondavi Winery Sells 2.5 Million Shares in IPO,” Associated Press, June 11, 1993.

  Bernau’s endgame J. L. Sullivan, “Portland’s Bernau to Try His Suds, Stock in OC,” Orange County Business Journal, September 26, 1994, 12.

  To endow a fermentation science “Nor’wester Brewing Co. Endows Fermentation Studies Professorship at OSU,” Modern Brewery Age, February 26, 1996.

  Frederick Brewing start-up details Dan Moreau, “Personal Finances,” Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, February 1994, 140.

  Frederick Brewing expansion Dan Moreau, “Microbrewery Is Still Hopping,” Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, August 1996, 10; “A Brewery in Turn-around,” Modern Brewery Age, September 10, 2001.

  Biggest craft brewery by sales Ralph Berrier Jr., “Head Brewer Crafts Ales,” Roanoke (VA) Times, July 11, 1998, 1.

  Pete’s Brewing and Boston Beer production numbers “Crowd Hops on IPO Shares of Nation’s Top Craft Brewer,” Bloomberg Business News, November 22, 1995.

  Didn’t want to leave any heirs Bronder.

  An undeclared price war Doyle and Kenary interview. Various media reports at the time tell of price wars, particularly in larger markets like Chicago and New York.

  Pete’s Brewing as an IPO prospect, including Northern California brewery plans “New Issues—Pete’s Brewing Company (WIKD, 25, NASDAQ) Avoid,” Standard & Poor’s Emerging & Special Situations, November 13, 1995.

  “At the expense of some of our competitors” Steve Dwyer, “Hail to the Ale,” Prepared Foods, October 1996, 28.