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2008 » BACK
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June/July
2008
Craft Brewers Conference 2008
Tom
Dalldorf |
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| The brewing industry recently
gathered in San Diego for its annual group hug (a.k.a.
Craft Brewers Conference). Part industry learning experience,
part high school reunion, the vibe this year was upbeat,
the weather was great, and the hospitality from the local
brewing community was unbelievable. This is an industry
that believes in its future.
Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association in Boulder, Colo., and the
man with the stats, gave an impressive presentation
at the conference, citing data that showed that in 2007
the craft segment grew by 12 percent in volume and an
astounding 16 percent in dollars! The craft beer segment
exceeded eight million barrels of production. The annual
dollar volume for craft beer was $5.7 billion. Not your
father’s microbrewery.
But, given concerns about the future availability of
brewing resources (hops and barley malt), increased
packaging and transportation costs, a domestic economy
reeling from high energy costs, a collapsing housing
market and continued strife in the Middle East, the
future remains somewhat cloudy for those investing heavily
in craft beer’s future.
There were an amazing number of newcomers to the craft
beer industry at this year’s conference. We can
expect significant start-ups in the coming year or two.
Couple that with a continued consolidation of breweries
(Magic Hat in Burlington, Vt., recently acquired the
assets of publicly traded Pyramid Breweries in Seattle,
Wash., which recently bought Portland Brewing in Portland,
Ore.), and we’re in for some interesting times
in the craft beer business.
Major players like Anheuser-Busch and Molson Coors
will continue to offer craft-inspired beers as everyone
looks to a rapidly consolidating distribution segment
for mind share and shelf space. Confusing? You bet.
Bottom line for beer lovers is continued expansion of
choice and flavors. And, quality beer is still the best
value in adult beverages. A great time to be a beer
fan indeed… but you’ll have to pay attention. |
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April/May
2008
The Next 20 Years
Tom
Dalldorf |
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| The Celebrator Beer News
20th anniversary party (see story in this issue) was an
amazing assemblage of Celebrator readers, our
faithful writing corps, brewers and beer industry professionals.
The beer industry that provided the inspiration for the
founding of the Celebrator back in January 1988
is stronger than at any point in the last 20 years. The
outpouring of affection and support for our publishing
efforts was as amazing as it was humbling. Clearly, there
would be no Celebrator without a healthy beer
industry, and some suggest that the Celebrator’s
efforts over the last 20 years have given support to the
growth of the burgeoning beer business.
Recent sales data suggest that 2007 was yet another
great year for beer. The Brewers Association estimates
that sales of what it defines as craft breweries rose
12 percent by volume in 2007 and 16 percent in actual
dollars. Craft brewers' share of the entire beer category
in the U.S. is 3.8 percent of production and an amazing
5.9 percent of retail sales.
"Since 2004, dollar sales by craft brewers have
increased 58 percent," said Paul Gatza, director
of the Brewers Association, in a press release. "The
strength of this correlates with the American [consumer’s]
trend toward buying local products and [showing] a preference
for more flavorful foods and beers." The BA estimates
the actual dollar sales figures from craft brewers to
be more than $5.74 billion, up from $4.95 billion in
2006. Our little brewery that could actually has.
So, are craft brewers making record profits to go with
these record sales figures? Some regional breweries
are doing well, to be sure. However, most are facing
increased costs at every level, from vital ingredients
like malt and hops to packaging, cooperage, transportation
and other factors that eat away at slim profit margins.
We have editorialized in the past about beer consumers
stepping up to help offset some of these increases in
costs by paying more for the beery objects of their
affection. It’s starting to get more serious,
with costs on every level hitting record highs. The
production of hop-intensive beers like double IPAs and
barley wines is being curtailed, as evidenced by the
reduced number of beers available at recent festivals,
such as the Double IPA Fest at The Bistro in Hayward,
Calif., and the Barleywine Festival at the Toronado
in San Francisco.
Don’t be surprised if you find fewer available
“big beers” in the coming year and see higher
prices for the ones that do make it to market. Once
again, this is the price we must and will pay for the
great beers we have come to love and respect. And, to
put it in some beverage perspective, we are still getting
the best beers in the world for less than “cork
dorks” pay for mediocre Chardonnay. Step up and
pass the word to your beer-loving friends that paying
a little more assures us of continued great beer and
the survival of our cherished small brewers struggling
to keep pace in a dynamic marketplace.
It should be a very interesting next 20 years! |
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| LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR (April/May 2008) Dear
Editor:
I wanted to add my voice to the chorus of people
congratulating you on 20 years of the Celebrator.
It's a great publication, and I know that you
and your staff put a lot of VERY hard work into
every issue.
Don Erickson's report that there are phonies
who pretend to be Celebrator writers
so they can get free beer bothers me. Don't these
fakers know that beer journalists call for appointments
and present business cards showing they're affiliated
with a magazine? Or do they think beer journalists
just wander into bars and spend all day guzzling
before they write anything?
Yours,
Martin Morse Wooster
Washington, D.C.
Dear Martin:
Thanks so much for the kind words on the Celebrator
and the tips on beer journalism. Henceforth, I
promise to stop guzzling all day before I write
anything. (Burp) — Ed.
Dear Editor:
The Bay Area is such a beautiful place, seemingly
stuffed with great brewers producing better and
better beer, noticeable even since my last trip.
Experiencing such great beers, be they hoppy as
hell or the most impressive beers of the trip
— the sour ales from Valley, Schooner’s
and Russian River — has been nothing short
of a hedonist’s dream. The doors were opened
to me and, despite trying to kill my liver, I
made it to events [Beerapalooza] that I probably
will never see the likes of again. Thanks to all,
and here’s to the next 20 years!
Phil Lowry
Walmer, Kent, England
Dear Phil:
Glad you had a chance to do the full beer
emersion on your trip to the Bay Area. And, you
will get a chance to “see the likes of it
again” if you attend Beerapalooza 2009 and
the Celebrator party next February. We’ll
leave a light on for you. — Ed.
Dear Editor:
I really miss the Openings/Closings section in
the back of the Celebrator. Why did you
guys terminate those excellent and informative
listings? Please bring them back.
Cheers,
James Jarvis
San Francisco, Calif.
Dear James:
It was both an issue of space and one of lengthy
verification. Openings sometimes turned into “vaporware,”
as projects never got off the ground. We found
some seeking a listing in the Celebrator as a
means of getting start-up capital. Very few operations
bother to let us know when they close, so we still
have to call and verify as soon as we hear of
a closing. We then note the closing in our Hop
Spots. Look for NEW and CLOSED in the Hop Spots
for openings and closings. Thanks for your support!
— Ed. |
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February/March
2008
What a Long, Strange Sip It's Been
Tom Dalldorf |
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| Twenty years ago, the beer
scene was a lot simpler. The first issue of the California
Celebrator (all 12 pages of it) listed 24 micro (craft)
breweries in the state. We had nine pubs and restaurants
on the good-beer list, along with some homebrew shops
and a few retail stores specializing in better beer. Imagine
the concept of an entire "brewspaper" (our founding
publishers coined the term) dedicated to covering such
a small specialty interest. But beer people are passionate.
And the early issues of the Celebrator were scooped
up and devoured by beer lovers hungry for news and information
about every new beer, brewery and good-beer place we could
find.
Today, your Celebrator Beer News is distributed
throughout the country and has a healthy group of international
subscribers as well. Our advertisers, the lifeblood
of any such venture, have allowed us to grow to over
50 pages, including some slick color pages to show off
beer's natural allure. This has provided us with the
space to print articles and news from a great gaggle
of beer writers and authors, ensuring beer fans a "great
read" every time they get a new copy of the rag.
Yes, "rag" is a term of endearment in the
publishing world, and ever so much more so for the beer
world, as the Celebrator, thanks to its absorbent
newsprint (from recycled paper), is also useful for
soaking up spilled beer.
Our beer news coverage is truly international, thanks
to our far-flung corps of writers. But our best work
is in telling the story of America's beer reawakening
in the early ’80s. Read longtime correspondent
Don Erickson's piece in this issue on his early exploits
getting beer for a festival in Central California (before
this paper started), and how he came to write for the
Celebrator. Check out Toronto-based beer writer,
author and food maven Steve Beaumont's meditation on
his long tenure writing for this publication. The end
of this year will see his 100th article in the Celebrator.
Another longtime Celebrator writer Rich Link
checks in with his thoughts on our mash rake's progress.
We anticipate even more changes in the coming years.
Your editor will no doubt turn over production duties
to a new generation of beer journalists while ensuring
that the dedication to real beer remains, and that its
story is told with authenticity and passion —
the same motives that inspired the creation of the Celebrator
some 20 years ago. We will depend on you, our loyal
readers and astute beer enthusiasts, to keep us honest
in bringing the story of tomorrow's ever-evolving beer
scene to our audience.
Here's to our talented writing staff, our dedicated
production crew, our loyal readership and the wonderful
breweries that produce the objects of our affection.
We are looking forward to seeing what the next 20 years
will bring. Camaraderie and flavorful beer in interesting
locals, no doubt. Same as it ever was.
Cheers! |
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| LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR (February/March 2008) Dear
Editor:
I was really disappointed in your editorial [CBN,
December 2007/January 2008]. Instead of bracing
your readers for higher prices, you should be
urging the local brewpubs to hold the line. In
the Bay Area, most of them are overpriced, ranging
from $4.50 to $6.00 a pint. At those prices, they
are extremely difficult to patronize. If the prices
continue to climb, most people will be forced
to visit bars that carry micros at a more reasonable
price. I know the breweries will quibble, but
everybody knows that the markup on beer is well
over 100 percent. It would really be refreshing
to see this magazine be on the side of the consumer.
Thank you for letting me vent.
Craig Ferry
San Ramon, Calif.
Dear Craig:
Vent away, my friend. Remember when oil was
$7 a barrel? Try telling the producers to charge
less for their oil. Let's hope the markup on beer
is over 100 percent! How else would any of the
breweries survive? We are on the side of the consumer,
and we hope that you will appreciate the situation
we now find ourselves in and be willing to indeed
"pony up" for the great beer to which
we’ve become accustomed. — Ed.
Dear Editor:
Congratulations on 20 years of successful publishing
— no mean achievement in today's highly
competitive specialty magazine field. The Celebrator
Beer News was the first North American beer
newspaper that was available to CAMRA B.C. members.
It has always been a must-read before traveling
to the U.S. from Canada. Because of the Celebrator’s
rarity in B.C., well-thumbed copies would be passed
along to each other. The Hop Spots were the most-read
section. They are the most up-to-date source for
some good bar-hopping.
Gerry Hieter, executive director of the Craft
Brewers Association of B.C. and president of the
GCBF, says, "The Celebrator Beer News
has been the only consistent beer magazine for
beer drinkers. Many others have come and gone.
You could always count on the Celebrator.
It whetted our appetite for any trip in the Pacific
Northwest."
Cheers,
John and Carol Rowling
Victoria, B.C.
Dear Editor:
Congratulations on 20 years of excellent beer
writing. Each issue of the Celebrator
is complex, deeply malty and quenching, with a
satisfying finish. Whether it is important beer
news, a toast to Michael Jackson, a succinct beer
description, a story on one of the world's fine
breweries or even news of a particularly incendiary
Rolling Boil Blues Band minor seventh chord, if
it's in the Celebrator, the coverage
is great. But probably my favorite part of the
CBN is the real delight — sincere
and honest — in great beer that I find in
each issue. Keep up the great work!
Craig Hartinger
Merchant du Vin
Seattle, Wash.
Dear Editor:
I've been reading the Celebrator since
1989 (my local hang is Pacific Coast Brewing Company).
I've kept pretty much every issue, and it's time
I must unload them (so my wife tells me). I've
got a large box of back issues and am curious
if anyone in your office would like them.
Steve Middleton
Alameda, Calif.
Dear Steve:
Thanks for trying to hang on to your old Celebrators.
We have an archive here. Maybe you could give
them to a nearby brewpub or put them on eBay?
Getting a new wife can be expensive. — Ed. |
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| Tom Dalldorf is publisher
and editor of the Celebrator Beer News. |
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