The Audacity of Hops

by Tom Acitelli

  “63 in ‘93” Kallman.

  Koch arranged for consumers Floyd Norris, “Boston Beer Has an Unusual Public Offering Gimmick,” New York Times, November 2, 1995, D12.

  Boston Beer shares “As IPO Looms, a Look at Boston Beer Company,” Modern Brewery Age, August 21, 1995.

  Koch versus Busch worth James E. Causey, “Brewer Has Intoxicating Rise in Value,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, December 5, 1995, Business, 1.

  Trading 37 times higher Andrew Leckey, “Beer Stock Froth Sometimes Chased with Bitter Earnings,” Chicago Tribune, February 4, 1996, C3.

  “Craft beer has become the ‘in thing’ “Hart Brewing Co. Joins the IPO Boom.”

  Last Call for the Old Days

  Lindenbusch biography Ron Lindenbusch, interview with the author, March 22, 2012.

  Vijay Mallya yacht interview Shailaja Neelakantan, “Here Comes the Kingfisher,” Forbes, July 28, 1997, 50.

  Then things went from bad to worse Mike Francis, “Nor’wester Hopes for Best,” Oregonian (Portland), May 2, 1997, B01.

  Brewery in Saratoga Springs Lew Bryson, New York Breweries (Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2003), 114.

  Kingfisher ubiquity Peter Sinton, “Beer Baron Adds to His Suds Empire,” San Francisco Chronicle, May 8, 1997, B1.

  UB also controlled the venerable Cliff Feltham, “Mallya Gets Bitter Taste at Wiltshire,” Daily Mail (UK), April 9, 1994, 69.

  Pumped $1.75 million into Humboldt Brewing Sinton, “Beer Baron Adds to His Suds Empire.”

  UB group was estimated Ibid.

  “I’ll have a lot more clout” Neelakantan, “Here Comes the Kingfisher.”

  Ponzi’s decision making regarding BridgePort sale “BridgePort Brewery Sold to Gambrinus,” Modern Brewery Age, October 16, 1995; Ponzi.

  BridgePort versus competitors in production Gerry Khermouch, “Microbreweries More Amenable to Majors,” Brandweek, October 16, 1995, 3.

  Embarrassing death Gerry Khermouch, “Miller: Reserves Waning, Micros Ahoy,” Brandweek, November 13, 1995, 12.

  Shipyard-Miller deal and “lifelong wish list” Jeff Smith, “Shipyard Brewery: It’s Time for Miller,” Portland (ME) Press Herald, November 10, 1995, 1A.

  Celis stake Ibid.

  “I don’t think anything” Jeff Smith, “Geary’s Not Paling from Shipyard’s Big News,” Portland (ME) Press Herald, November 14, 1995, 2C.

  Big Beer’s Biggest Weapon

  “Each of you [must]” Maxim Lenderman, “Anheuser-Busch Wants Its Wholesalers’ Whole Attention,” Beverage World, September 1, 1996, 70.

  “Go home and hug” “Fritz Maytag Addresses National Beer Wholesalers Association Convention,” Modern Brewery Age, October 12, 1998.

  In the early days of their New Belgium Jordan.

  Kansas alcohol and Free State Brewery details Tom Gress, “If You Want a Beer with Character, Home Brewing Can Give It Your Own,” Kansas City Business Journal, September 12, 1988, 1.

  One skunky batch Jim McDonald, interview with the author, May 22, 2012.

  McDonald biography and Boulevard Brewery start-up details “Cradle of Entrepreneurs Re-Cap: John McDonald of Boulevard Brewing Goes for Regionalism, Sustainability,” Kansas City Public Library website, August 4, 2011, www.kclibrary.org/blog/kc-unbound/cradle-entrepreneurs-re-cap-john-mcdonald-boulevard-brewing-goes-regionalism-sustain; “Kansas City Gets First Brewery in 16 Years,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 10, 1989, 3C; “Our Story,” Boulevard Brewing Company website, accessed April 16, 2012, http://www.boulevard.com/brewery/our-story/.

  ”Financial incentive is called Budweiser and Bud Light” Max Lenderman, “Mind Games,” Beverage World, September 1996, 70-74.

  Flying Monkey versus Anheuser-Busch Lorene Yue, “King of Beers Tries to Swat Down Flying Monkey, Other Small Brews,” Stuart (FL) News, September 3, 1996, B6.

  Anheuser-Busch sales “Anheuser-Busch Announces Record Sales, Earnings and Beer Volume for the Full Year 1996,” Business Wire, February 5, 1997.

  Considering launching a new ad campaign Gerry Khermouch, “Positioning: A-B to recast Bud as Classic Lager’” Brandweek, March 10, 1997.

  150,000 barrels annually Gavin Power, “Brewers Chastise Their Own,” San Francisco Chronicle, August 16, 1994, B1.

  Pacific Ridge marketing, including billboards and locavore pitch Max Lenderman, “In Northern California, A-B Takes on the Locals,” Beverage World Periscope Edition, January 31, 1997, 1.

  The French Lieutenant’s Coat

  Hindy and Potter, Beer School, 196–97; 165.

  Hindy-Oliver meeting Ibid., 28–31.

  Oliver biography Amy Laskowski, “Changing Lanes: Filmmaker to Beer Brewer,” BU Today, March 2, 2011; Rachel Wharton, “Garrett Oliver, Brewmaster for Brooklyn Brewery,” Edible Manhattan, July 7, 2010.

  Everyone again insisted Hindy and Potter, Beer School, 30–31.

  Oliver joined in 1994 Ibid., 30–31.

  List of New York brewpubs Florence Fabricant, “Finally, New York Takes to Brew Pubs,” New York Times, April 17, 1996, C1.

  New York City Brewpub Crawl Marathon Ron Givens, “Relying on Brewed Strength,” New York Daily News, August 2, 1996, 62.

  To the Extreme

  Dogfish Head sign incident Calagione, Brewing Up a Business, 18.

  A clause he sensed the owner Ibid., 12.

  Became a bible Ibid., 25.

  Artisan breads and coffees Sam Calagione, interview with the author, April 16, 2012.

  “The next food craze” Jack Hayes, “On the Rise: Café-Bakeries,” Nation’s Restaurant News, November 7, 1994, 57.

  Even chains … and consolidations “Company Overview,” Panera Bread website, accessed April 17, 2012, www.panerabread.com/about/company/history.php.

  Chicory stout ingredients “Chicory Stout,” Dogfish Head website, accessed April 17, 2012, www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/seasonal-brews/chicory-stout.htm.

  “If you only want to have” “Dogfish Head Chicory Stout,” The Beer Guide, edited by Josh Oakes (Fort Worth, TX: Savory House Press, 2006).

  Beginning in the late 1980s Samuel Adams Double Bock was introduced in 1988, Samuel Adams website, accessed August 31, 2012, www.samueladams.com/enjoy-our-beer/beer-detail.aspx?name=double-bock.

  “The world doesn’t need” “New Brews on Tap from Sam Adams,” Alameda (CA) Times- Star, May 21, 2003.

  Dogfish Head expansion “Company Profile,” Dogfish Head website, accessed April 17, 2012, www.dogfish.com/company/dogfish-way/company-profile.htm.

  Calagione hunting for distributors Calagione.

  Calagione’s Delaware Bay trip Ibid.; “Holy Tort! Rev. Schuller Sued by Flight Attendant,” Philadelphia Inquirer, August 21, 1997, D02; Melanie Wells, “Entrepreneur as Stunt Man,” Forbes, November 1, 1999, 228.

  The Total Package

  Magee’s thinking behind labels, including the Oktoberfest excerpt and consumer reaction Magee memoir.

  “In putrid tones” and Lagunitas expansion Ibid.

  Magee decided Lagunitas Ibid.

  Boos

  Geary’s comments and crowd reaction Geary; “Craft & Specialty Beer Report: Taking the Pulse of the Specialty Segment at the National Craftbrewers Conference and Trade Show,” Modern Brewery Age, May 20, 1996, 7.

  Boston Beer’s contract brewing Michael Saunders, “Brewing Up a Storm,” Boston Globe Magazine, November 10, 1996, 24.

  961,000 barrels and $151.3 million “The Boston Beer Company Inc. Announces Record Results for 1995,” PR Newswire, February 26, 1996.

  “Ridiculous!” and more boos Geary; “Craft & Specialty Beer Report.”

  “Contract brewing is the cocaine” Saunders, “Brewing Up a Storm.”

  “He’s just an extremely aggressive salesman” Bill Virgin, “Brewmaster Mixes Personality with Beer,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, September 5, 1994, B3.

  Oregon brewers’ reaction to Oregon Ale Mike Francis, “Brewers Flip Lids at Role of Oregon Ale,” Oregonian (Portland), April 30, 1995
, F01.

  Samuel Adams Cranberry Lambic reaction Saunders, “Brewing Up a Storm.”

  Boston Beer Works dispute Ibid.; Joe Slesar, e-mail exchange with the author, December 19, 2012.

  “The Best Beer in America” trademark effort and rejection US Department of Commerce Patent and Trademark Office, “In re Boston Beer Company Limited Partnership,” July 31, 1997; US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, 198 F.3d 1370, December 7, 1999.

  “The chance of finding a new job” “North Carolina in the Global Economy,” Center on Globalization, Governance, and Competitiveness at Duke University, accessed April 24, 2012, www.soc.duke.edu/NC_GlobalEconomy/furniture/workers.shtml.

  American manufacturing and went over the cliff Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Employment, Hours and Earnings from the Current Employment Statistics Survey (National),” accessed April 24, 2012, http://data.bls.gov/pdq/SurveyOutputServlet.

  As many as 115 craft operations “Specialty Brewers Gather in Atlanta for Annual Conference and Trade Show,” Modern Brewery Age, April 20, 1998.

  “Now we have a category” Geary.

  “There is a controversy now” “Craft & Specialty Beer Report.”

  Medals controversy Ibid.; Geary.

  The Movement’s Biggest Setback

  Around eight million American homes “Weekly Nielsen Ratings,” Stuart (FL) News, April 28, 1996, 10.

  Dateline segment details and excerpts “Brew-Haha,” Dateline transcript, October 13, 1996. The author would like to thank NBC for providing the transcript.

  Federal tax credit Ibid.; “Present Law and Historical Overview of the Federal Tax System,” report prepared by the Joint Committee on Taxation for the Committee on Ways and Means, January 18, 2011, 38.

  Hansen-Fish conversation “Brew-Haha.”

  Jim Koch watched the episode J. Koch.

  175 commercials for the Olympics Andrew Gottesman, “Betting on 5 Golden Rings,” Chicago Tribune, July 14, 1996, C1.

  “It’s not going to be malicious” J. Koch.

  ATF petitions and reactions Jerry Ackerman, “Brewers Foaming over Labels,” Boston Globe, January 26, 1996, 38.

  Was working on an official definition Lisa Jennings, “‘Craft’ Beer Craze Crams Store Shelves, Tests Connoisseurs,” Memphis Commercial Appeal, May 24, 1996, 1C.

  Anheuser-Busch launched a television, radio, and print campaign Chris Reidy, “Anheuser-Busch Agrees to Modify Ads Targeting Sam Adams,” Boston Globe, April 1, 1997, C2.

  Miller’s response “Miller Brewing Company’s Response to Anheuser-Busch’s BATF Filing,” PR Newswire, January 26, 1996.

  Which it introduced in 1984 Scott Hume, “Bud’s Spud Plugging Suds,” Advertising Age, March 6, 1986, 2.

  Anheuser-Busch threatened legal action and lured away the ad agency Slosberg, Beer for Pete’s Sake, 135, 137.

  Dan Kenary … knew he would never forget Doyle and Kenary interview.

  Hickenlooper pulled all Anheuser-Busch brands and “It’s been maybe ten years” Don Russell, “No Bud of Mine,” Philadelphia Daily News, February 14, 1997, 79.

  Anheuser-Busch could continue to tell consumers Reidy, “Anheuser-Busch Agrees to Modify Ads.”

  Lucky Bastards

  Greg Koch certainly remembered G. Koch.

  Greg Koch biography, including frequenting Al’s Ibid.; Greg Koch and Steve Wagner with Randy Clemens, The Craft of Stone Brewing Co. (Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 2011), 29–30.

  San Diego beer history Ernie Liwag, “Craft Beer in San Diego Society,” Journal of San Diego History, vol. 53, no. 4 (Fall 2007): 1–5.

  Chris Cramer and Matt Rattner biographies and Karl Strauss start-up details “Our Beer” and “Our Namesake,” Karl Strauss Brewing Company website, accessed May 4, 2012, www.karlstrauss.com.

  Bolt Brewery details Gordon Smith, “This Home Beer Maker May Be a Trend,” San Diego Union-Tribune, December 15, 1987, C1.

  Holborn would go on to be Jack Erickson, California Brewin’: The Exciting Story of California’s Microbrewing Revolution (Reston, VA: Red Brick Press, 1993), 124.

  Several more entrepreneurs let it be known Greg Johnson, “Brew Pubs Tapping Into Trend of Designer Suds,” Los Angeles Times, December 10, 1989, B1.

  Alpine Village details George Hatch, “Torrance Brewery’s Cup Runneth Over During Soccer Championship,” Los Angeles Times, July 8, 1990, 5.

  Several operations … were firsts Erickson, California Brewin’, 109–126.

  Angeles Brewing detail and Richard Belliveau biography Ibid., 109; John Medearis, “Tiny Brewery Is Braving Some Stout Competition,” Los Angeles Times, September 5, 1989, 9A.

  Gorky’s and Manhattan Beach Erickson, California Brewin’, 122, 166.

  Koch-Wagner meeting and brewery-location decision G. Koch; Koch and Wagner, The Craft of Stone Brewing Co., 30–32.

  Wolfgang Puck details and quote Richard Martin, “Eureka! Puck Unveils Brewery,” Nation’s Restaurant News, June 11, 1990, 1.

  A plan to reopen with Boston Beer and “It just hurts so bad” Kathie Jenkins, “Eureka Won’t Be Ale-ing Anymore,” Los Angeles Times, May 2, 1993, 82.

  Koch went to Solana Beach G. Koch.

  Stone Brewing start-up details G. Koch; Koch and Wagner, The Craft of Stone Brewing Co., 39–41.

  This is an aggressive ale Ibid., 44.

  The company was losing money; then, March came G. Koch.

  A Tale of Two Breweries

  Sales-and-marketing operation remained basically a one-man show and left the brewery in frustration Rifka Rosenwein, “Despite Ale’s Success, Brewery Loses Out,” Inc., October 1, 2000.

  Windsor expansion and expenditures Ibid.; “Catamount Looks at Windsor Industrial Park for Expansion,” Modern Brewery Age, May 13, 1996.

  It was all over and “in a state of minor disrepair” “Catamount Closure Leaves Debts, Co-Founder Says Mistakes Were Made,” Modern Brewery Age, April 24, 2000.

  The company’s official launch; might go for $5.25 “Mayor Ed Rendell Joins Red Bell Brewing Company at First Annual ‘Taste of Philadelphia’ Celebration,” PR Newswire, January 16, 1995; Frank Dougherty, “At $2.75 Apiece, They’re a Strikeout,” Philadelphia Daily News, April 13, 1999, 7.

  Bell told the local press and “If you deliver a good product” Tom Hals, “Red Bell Foams Over with Big Brewing Plans,” Philadelphia Business Journal, May 10, 1996, 3.

  “A sea of first-time buyers” “Top 100 Philadelphia Moments #50 to #26,” Philadelphia magazine website, www.phillymag.com/home/display/Top_100_Philadelphia_Moments_50_to_26/.

  The answers were all yes Jack Curtin, “Stockbrokers Gone Wild,” American Brewer, Summer 2006.

  Red Bell might net Peter Van Allen, “Red Bell’s Hangover Continues,” Philadelphia Business Journal, January 20, 2003, 1.

  IPO and stock-price decline Ibid.; “Red Bell Brewing Company Responds to Recent Stock Price Decline,” Business Wire, July 9, 2001.

  Pennsylvania revoked the company’s brewing license Van Allen, “Red Bell’s Hangover Continues.”

  Too broke to go bankrupt Ibid.

  The Great Shakeout

  Would be the first year Julie Flaherty, “Now, the Glass Is Half Empty; Microbreweries in the Slow Lane,” New York Times, May 30, 2000, C1.

  “Milli Vanilli” entrants, “shitty beer,” and “crappy beer” Shared with the author by movement members wishing to remain anonymous.

  650 bottles a minute and 200-barrel brewhouse Burton, Hops and Dreams; “Sierra Nevada Installs $2 Million Packaging Plant,” Erickson Report, March 1996, http://www.realbeer.com/redbrickpress/erickrpt.html. The brewhouse was installed in 1997.

  Numbers of breweries Flaherty, “Now, the Glass Is Half Empty.”

  Victory Abroad, Defeat at Home

  Bozzini change and Production and sales dropped, too “Pete’s Announces Year-End Numbers,” Modern Brewery Age, March 2, 1998.

  Lost thirteen cents per share Scott Herhold, “California Microbreweries Are Over a Barre
l,” San Jose Mercury News, March 15, 1998.

  Share prices Ibid. Historical perspectives on share prices can also be tracked through Yahoo Finance at finance.yahoo.com.

  First real off-year Kallman.

  New Frederick Brewing facility and capacity details “1998: Brave New World of Beer,” Modern Brewery Age, March 22, 1999.

  Gordon Biersch deal Kenneth Howe, “Brew Pub Selling Big Stake,” San Francisco Chronicle, November 21, 1995, B1.

  Yakima deal and Grant’s quotes Bill Virgin, “International Wine’s Latest Vintage: Washington’s Oldest Microbrewery,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, January 4, 1996, B4.

  A particular bugbear of Michael Jackson’s Gunningham.

  Offered $69 million in cash “Importer Gambrinus to Buy Struggling Pete’s Brewing Company,” Bloomberg News, May 23, 1998.

  Two years as pitchman Pete Slosberg, e-mail message to the author, August 18, 2012.

  Had taken a lot of fun out Kallman.

  Nomura as the biggest owner and fewer than 10 percent Alistair Osborne, “Nomura’s £625m Gets Bass Chain of Pubs,” Telegraph (UK), February 15, 2001; Peter Bartram, Living It Lager, Director, April 2001, 48–52.

  There were twelve to fourteen examples Nicola Byrne, “Dublin Calls Time on Traditional Irish Pub as Theme Bars Pull in Crowds,” Scotland on Sunday, April 29, 2001, 22.

  Thirty closed in the United Kingdom “Real Ale Campaign in Ferment over Closures,” Western Daily Press (Bristol, UK), February 27, 2001, 15.

  Blind taste test for seventy-five people Dick Kreck, “Micros Hurt by Imports; US Brewers Uniting to Boost Beers,” Denver Post, October 27, 1999, E04.

  Part IV

  Plotting a Comeback

  Traders literally popped champagne “Dow Jones Reclaims 10,000 Milestone,” CBS News, October 15, 2009.

  ”We’re trying not to grow” “Specialty Craft Brewers Gather in Atlanta for Annual Conference and Trade Show,” Modern Brewery Age, April 20, 1998.

  Sales would total $10 million Funding Universe website, accessed May 14, 2012, www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Anchor-Brewing-company-company-History.html.

  “Most of the wine in the world” “Specialty Craft Brewers Gather in Atlanta.”

  To honor the twentieth anniversary “Mendocino Brewing Company Celebrates the 20th Anniversary of New Albion Brewing Company,” Business Wire, October 23, 1997.