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| EDITORIALS & LETTERS
2009 » BACK
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December
2009/January 2010
'Tis the Season!
Tom
Dalldorf |
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| Over 40 percent of all alcoholic
beverage sales take place in the months of November and
December. Colder, damper weather invites warming elixirs,
and the holidays are a natural time for welcoming beverages
of all sorts. This is a spectacular time for beer lovers
as the brewers step up to provide highly flavored and
curiously inventive winter beers of all descriptions.
American brewers have taken the great traditions of
Europe’s finest breweries and, in their usual
fashion, have done remarkable jazz riffs on styles,
processes and ingredients. The results are often spectacular
and every so often, well, challenging. But if the brewer
likes something, there is a good chance that there will
be a following for just about every new expression of
the brewer’s art and ingenuity.
In this issue, don’t miss the results and write-ups
of our annual Blind Panel Tasting of winter and holiday
beers. Be sure to have a good selection on hand for
guests and, just as important, your own enjoyment. Beer
is still the affordable luxury, so indulge yourself
and share the experience with friends. ’Tis the
season, ya know.
Heavy Medal at GABF
The 2009 Great American Beer Festival was the biggest
yet. The hall was expanded to present even more great
beer from America’s brewing community. This issue
features regional reports of industry recognition from
some of the world’s top beer judges. Most interesting
are the various reporters’ background essays on
the beers and the brewers who made them. Congratulations
to all those who won medals at America’s most
prestigious beer competition. |
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| LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR (December 2009/January 2010)
Dear Editor:
I have been a loyal subscriber to the Celebrator
for several years and just wanted to pass along
a highly recommended beer app for the iPhone:
Beer Master. It was previously a software tool
for the Palm system; I have used it religiously
to catalog and rate my tasting notes (currently
a bit over 2,200) and have now updated it for
the Apple products. (Full disclosure: I was a
volunteer beta tester for the iPhone version but
do not make a cent off of the sale of the product
and do not even know the name of the designer.)
Anyway, feel free to check it out and, if you
like it, pass along the news to your readers who
might also appreciate such a product. Looking
forward to many more years of enjoying your newspaper.
Bruce Wollman
Rockville, Md.
Dear Bruce:
Most beer geeks are gear-heads and will love
the concept of this new app. Thanks for passing
it along, and thanks for your support of good
beer! — Ed.
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October/November
2009
A Thousand Pints of Lite
Tom
Dalldorf |
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| Our young and assertively
articulate President got himself into quite a brew-ha-ha
when he jumped to the defense of his friend Henry Louis
Gates, Jr., the Harvard professor who was caught trying
to break into his own house by Cambridge, Mass., Police
Sgt. James Crowley. The professor was black and objected
strongly to the police response; the police sergeant was
white and arrested him for disorderly conduct. Our usually
restrained and tactful President said the police “acted
stupidly.” Oops. Given the slow news cycle at the
time, the press had a field day with that comment. The
result? President Obama offered to host the fractious
parties at the White House over a beer. Sound simple enough
so far? You don’t know Washington. Or the press
corps on a slow news day.
The idea of having people over for a conciliatory beer
is a great idea (opposed only by the temperance ladies,
MADD and a few other antialcohol malcontents). In most
similar situations, the host would provide the beer.
How many times have you had friends over and done the
same? In Rahm Emanuel’s White House, things got
complicated. Staffers asked the participants what beer
they would like. Things started to get ugly. Suddenly
it was about how cool/appropriate/politically correct
your choice in beer could be, rather than simply what
you’d like to drink. It was a major chumming of
the waters for a media feeding frenzy.
The professor first asked for a Red Stripe lager from
Jamaica (ya, mon!). The sergeant requested Blue Moon
(a white beer? Really?). Our President bowed to his
populist roots by first requesting a Budweiser and then,
no doubt after a focus group session, switched to a
Bud Light. Then came the nationalistic outrage that
all three beers were foreign-owned: British, South African/Canadian
and Belgian/Brazilian, respectively. Some conciliatory
beer, eh?
A Boston area congressman “convinced” the
professor to switch to a more patriotic Samuel Adams
Light (made by the Boston Beer Company). Vice President
Joe Biden joined the fray (and mudded the mash) by requesting
a Buckler nonalcoholic beer (from the Netherlands).
Biden is off the sauce, so to speak. The press was having
a great time with all of this.
The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza solicited
suggestions for a name for the gathering, as “The
Beer Summit” wasn’t really a summit. The
results: “Yes, Three Cans,” “Ménage
à Stella Artois,” “Beerastroika,”
“A Thousand Points of Bud Light” and “The
Audacity of Hops” floated to the top.
Helpful beer geeks stepped in with domestic craft beer
suggestions such as San Quentin’s Breakout Stout
from Marin Brewing, Instigator Doppelbock from Pennsylvania’s
Sly Fox, Ale to the Chief from Colorado’s Avery
Brewing, and the quintessential Arrogant Bastard from
Stone Brewing. Now we’re talking, er, drinking!
Obama was hoping for a “teachable moment”
on improving relations between police and minority communities.
We could have had a teachable moment on craft beer creativity
too.
It was over almost as quickly as it had started. Beer
was in the Bud Lime-light for a short time. What we
learned perhaps is that beer IS a social lubricant …
but leave the choice to the host and focus on the conversation.
As the great beery philosopher Don Younger once observed,
“It’s not about the beer. It’s about
the beer!” |
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| LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR (October/November 2009) Dear
Editor:
Thanks so much for sending the current copy of
the Celebrator to us! We used your listing
of brewpubs extensively last month. We traveled
from Tucson, Ariz., to Park City, Utah (we do
it every year!), and we used your listings in
Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado as a guide.
We started at High Desert in Las Cruces and kept
on going. We met the best people, ate the best
food and, of course, enjoyed all the different
brews. We imbibed in Albuquerque, Taos, Colorado
Springs, Denver and Steamboat Springs. We will
definitely use your guide again and are looking
forward to trying several new brewpubs in Las
Vegas. Thanks again!
Nancy Kelly
Tucson, Ariz.
Hey Now,
By now, everyone has heard about the “Beer
Summit” hosted by President Obama in the
White House Rose Garden. I expect that most Celebrator
readers found the choice of brews to be somewhat
disappointing.
With this in mind, I would like to suggest some
great San Francisco Bay Area craft beers in the
event they should choose to meet again. President
Obama would do well to chose a beer that fits
his stature; a Speakeasy Big Daddy seems appropriate.
Police Officer Crowley should proudly raise a
Russian River Blind Pig (no explanation necessary).
Then there’s good ol’ Professor Gates.
Seems obvious to me that a Stone Arrogant Bastard
would fit the bill nicely.
Jim Safer
Hayward, Calif. |
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August/September
2009
Shed a Tear for the Three-Tier System?
Tom Dalldorf |
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| The three-tier system (brewing’s
distinction between production, distribution and retail)
in America is both sacred and profane. A product of post-Prohibition
government unease about breweries being able to produce
and distribute their own products and sell them at retail,
the three-tier system has been a fundamental guard against
market monopoly and the excesses of organized crime rampant
in early American alcohol production and not uncommon
in some other Western countries as well. But, like post-Depression
banking regulation, things change with time and circumstance.
Wealthy brewers with well-funded lobbyists can and do
change the way the laws governing how business is done
are enforced — ultimately to their financial benefit.
Over the years, some brewers have bought distributors
for better control of their products. Anheuser-Busch
owns some 7 percent of its distributors, while MillerCoors
also has ownership in some of its distribution system.
Some retailers, most famously Costco in Washington state,
have moved to buy directly from producers, skipping
that pesky distributor slice of the pie in order to
pocket a bigger chunk of profit on sale, and they have
sued to make it happen. Some distributors have taken
to contract-brewing their own products to get a bigger
share of profits.
Craft brewers have major access to market issues that
the Big Two don’t have. Brands are bought and
sold, and in some cases dropped, when distributor consolidation
results in little competition in a given market. They
are not big enough to command the interest of huge distributors
and lack the resources or legal ability (in some states)
to self-distribute, and they are far too small to consider
buying a distributor.
Recent news reports suggest that the world’s
largest brewer, Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI), may seek
to control as much as 50 percent of its distribution
through increased ownership of U.S. wholesalers. This
was based on a series of meetings between UBS analysts
and ABI Chief Executive Carlos Brito, according to Modern
Brewery Age. It will be interesting to see if the highly
leveraged brewing entity will have the capital to take
on such an expensive expansion and whether the current
administration will have any desire to confront the
world’s largest brewery with statutory and monopolistic
antitrust issues. Meanwhile, shed a tear for the three-tier
system as we know it. And support your local breweries.
They will need it. |
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| LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR (August/September 2009) Dear
Editor:
A few years ago, I bumped into you at the Stumptown
Cafe in downtown Portland. I was curious if you
would be making it that way again in the near
future. Secondly, I wanted to ask if you are interested
in my continued onslaught into the foray of beer
writing (aka blogging, scribing, etc.) with the
reintroduction of my website, the Northwest Beer
Guide. I have included a comprehensive calendar
for Oregon Craft Beer Month.
Cheers,
Paul “Fruit Trees” Orchard
Northwest Beer Guide (aka The Pickled Liver)
Dear Paul:
Great to hear from you. Yes, you will be added
to our growing list of beer bloggers at celebrator.com.
Thanks for all you do to support the good-beer
movement. I will miss OBF this year but hope to
be back in Portland or Seattle soon. — Ed.
Dear Editor:
Last year you ran a photo taken by Brook Ostrom
at Sudwerk in Davis of Jay Prahl (Sudwerk), Roland
Bittl (visiting brewmaster from Augustiner in
Munich) and me. Is it possible to get a copy of
the issue, or at least of the photo with the caption?
Herr Bittl has requested a copy.
Thanks,
Scott Ungermann
Brewmaster, Fairfield Brewery
Anheuser-Busch
Dear Scott:
Yes indeed, we’ll send copies to Herr
Bittl and to you straightaway. I pass the Fairfield
Brewery about once a week on my way to Nevada
City. Hope to visit soon. (Readers can get back
issues of the Celebrator for $5 each. Just let
us know what issues you need.) — Ed.
Dear Editor:
Thank you for putting your heart into a truly
great publication. My wife and I appreciate the
Celebrator being available in all of
our favorite Bay Area beer digs! However, on a
recent trip to our hometown of Columbus, Ohio,
we realized your beer rag was not available at
the Barley’s Smokehouse there. Does anyone
cover Ohio for the Celebrator? Would
you be interested in our taking samples of the
Celebrator into some of the local brewpubs
and homebrew supply stores that may not carry
it?
Cheers!
Christopher Evans
Via e-mail
Dear Christopher:
Thanks for the kind words. Yes, we’d
love to get the Celebrator around to more good-beer
places. I’d be delighted to hook you (and
other interested readers) up with copies to spread
around in hopes of getting more coverage. We give
establishments a free listing in our Hop Spots
directory if they pay the shipping costs. — Ed.
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June/July
2009
It's the Beer Economy, Stupid!
Tom
Dalldorf |
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| A recent economic impact study
suggests that America’s beer industry (brewers,
beer importers, beer distributors, brewer suppliers and
retailers) directly and indirectly contribute more than
$198 billion annually to the U.S. economy. With money
like that, you could bail out a couple of banks! The study
(commissioned by the Beer Institute and the National Beer
Wholesalers Association) also documents some 1.9 million
jobs related to beer and brewing, generating nearly $62
billion in wages and benefits. The beer industry also
paid some $41 billion in business, personal and consumption
taxes in 2008. Good citizens, good business.
We see this significant monetary marker as testament
to Americans’ appreciation of, and dedication
to, beer and brewing. City, state and federal governments
see it as fertile grounds for additional revenue to
plug the ever-widening budget holes created by financial
greed, bureaucratic ineptitude and lack of administrative
foresight. They are, and will continue to be, plundering
any potential new revenue sources to shore up the faltering
tax base that is essentially of their making. This directly
affects you, the good-beer consumer.
Although craft beer is a small sliver of the whole
beer pie, our nearly 4 percent slice represents nearly
$8 billion, according to the above-cited data. Craft
brewers must be rich! Right? This seemingly large sum
of money does, however, represent the sweat and blood,
dreams and equity of nearly 1,500 small beer producers
and related businesses in America. If even this relatively
small amount were bloated excess profits (hello, Chevron;
hello, Exxon), we might say “Pay up!” But
it really represents a lot of small businesses struggling
for survival in historically bad economic times. Our
government’s insistence on squeezing every last
“nickel a drink” from this industry is sure
to kill it. And then what? No more good beer?
With summer upon us and good beer-drinking weather
ahead, we hate to think about such unpleasantness. Meanwhile,
your city, state and federal representatives are trying
to wring every last penny from your pint. As politicians,
they instinctively respond to pressure from interest
groups. Good beer drinkers, unite! Let your local, state
and federal reps hear YOUR voice about YOUR interests.
The beer you save may be your own. |
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| LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR (June/July 2009) Dear
Editor:
I just read your review of Around Bruges in
80 Beers, and I’m interested in getting
a copy. We’re planning a beer tour of Belgium
for early next year, and this book sounds like
a great way to plan for Bruges. Trouble is, I
can’t find a copy available on Amazon, at
Barnes & Noble or even through the CAMRA website.
Any tips on where I might pick up a copy?
Thanks,
Chris DeSoto
Martinez, Calif.
Dear Chris:
Glad you got your copy (as we suggested) through
the publisher, Cogan & Mater (producers of
fine-quality Belgian beer publishing). Others
can check out the website at booksaboutbeer.com.
And tell Tim Webb we said hey! — Ed.
Dear Editor:
I like your April–May cover because it is
not monopolized by old farts. Maybe I am getting
a bit self-conscious about this (I turned 60 on
March 16), but it seemed for a while there
that the Celebrator’s nice color
cover was reserved for men over 60. It is great
that craft brewers seem to eschew Just for Men,
but all that silver (I prefer silver to gray)
sends the wrong message about the face of craft
beer. I hope you will make an effort to more prominently
showcase the younger generation that clearly is
turned on to craft beer, as shown on page 3.
Cheers,
Steve Hindy
Brooklyn Brewery
Dear Steve:
Momentary lapse of young people. Yes, we did
have a string of older (shall we say “properly
aged”?) beer industry veterans. Please ask
Donald Trump to send Miss California over for
a cover shoot. That should correct the situation.
We won’t ask her about same-sex brewers. — Ed.
Dear Editor:
Are the Hop Spots directories somewhere on your
website? I can't seem to find them. If not, I'd
like to suggest that they be added. I like your
magazine, but once I've read an issue I'd like
to be able to toss it. I hoard too much as it
is.
Thanks,
Francis Robert
Via e-mail
Dear Francis:
Google “beer maps” and see what
you get. With the beermapping.com
project and others out there, you have an awesome
Web opportunity to find beer spots. Be sure to
pass your old copies of the Celebrator along to
deserving newbies. — Ed.
Dear Editor:
I felt sorry for you guys during this recession,
so I decided to get a two-year subscription. I
paid via PayPal today. Do I get a signed copy?
Just kidding. Can't wait for the first issue to
arrive. See you at the next Bay Area beer dinner.
Regards,
Ron Corselli
Antioch, Calif.
Dear Ron:
Your signed copy is in the mail. And we at
the Celebrator can now afford one more lunch.
Thanks for thinking of us. What’s for dinner? — Ed.
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April/May
2009
It's the Beer Economy, Stupid!
Tom
Dalldorf |
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| Wall Street is in shambles,
banks are on life support, bankers have surpassed even
lawyers and used-car salesmen as the most despised professionals
in America. Credit is the new dust bowl, and the housing
market is a disaster. Discretionary spending is indiscreet
with China and Saudi Arabia holding our debt notes. What’s
a beer lover to do?
Good beer (craft beer) sales continue to climb in the
face of challenging economic times. Brewpubs report
declining food tickets, but beer sales remain strong.
Pubs and restaurants continue to see growth in craft
beer sales. Some microbreweries struggle with difficult
distribution issues, but many cite record sales. Is
good beer really recession-proof? Is the mantra of beer
as the “affordable luxury” really true?
We think so.
Members of our “back to basics” society
are increasingly reestablishing contact with each other
in pubs and alehouses, brewpubs and restaurants, or
at home over a good beer. A recent New York Times article
focused on pubs that eschew TV screens in favor of convivial
conversation and real social interaction. The “greening
of America” is manifested in the trend toward
organic foods and beverages and sustainable agricultural
practices. There is every indication that the future
will be toasted with quality craft beer. Buy a stranger
a good beer and spread the love.
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
This may be the last issue of the Celebrator Beer
News published at our world headquarters in Hayward,
Calif. The Sierra foothills historic mining town of
Nevada City is the new location for the Celebrator.
The transition should be painless, as your publisher
is living in both places. Watch our masthead and website
for address change announcements.
The Sierra foothills are chock-a-block with good-beer
venues and knowledgeable beer fans as well. This year’s
Anchor Brewing Company Homebrew Club of the Year hails
from Placerville, in the heart of the historic mining
region. Readers can always reach us on the Internet
or via U.S. Mail at P.O. Box 844, Nevada City, CA 95959.
Yes, the zip code is a palindrome. Things are looking
up. |
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| LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR (April/May 2009) Dear
Editor:
Regarding Hop Spots, I have an addition: Mehana
Brewing, a microbrewery in Hilo, Hawaii. With
so many great breweries to keep track of, it's
understandable that one might get overlooked.
That's what we legions of beer fans are for, right?
Thanks for your efforts publishing an informative
and entertaining magazine…
Cheers,
Art Milburn
Santa Cruz, Calif.
Dear Art:
D’oh! How could we have missed that?
We did a story on them years ago. We’ll
get that fixed, and thanks for checking up on
us. — Ed.
On the passing of beer
columnist, Bill Brand
I was really sad to hear of William Brand’s
death. Carol and I sat at the same table with
him at last year’s beer and cheese tasting
at Rogue Ales in San Francisco. He was a quiet,
gentle man whose vast knowledge of beer was apparent.
John Rowling
Victoria, B.C.
I never met Bill, but I read many of his columns,
and I exchanged e-mails about Belgian beer–related
things with him as recently as a few weeks ago.
He seemed like a very congenial guy and a real
promoter of good beer.
Chuck Cook
Baltimore, Md.
Bill Brand was the kind of guy you never forgot.
He reminded me of a character actor in a movie
— an energetic, wiry man with a lean crop
of gray hair and a mustache that sat like a brush
across his upper lip. I imagined he was the original
Inspector Clouseau, the bumbling investigator
who always got it right despite the chaos that
surrounded him. As a fellow beer journalist, I
checked on him often, reading his perspective
on the beer world in “What’s on Tap”
and occasionally checking out his “Bottoms
Up” beer blog. He would have been surprised
to know of the mentoring role he played in my
life.
Carolyn Smagalski
Philadelphia, Pa. |
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February/March
2009
Twenty-One Years and Counting...
Tom Dalldorf |
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| With this issue, the Celebrator
Beer News turns 21. We’re now old enough to
drink the fine beverages we’ve been writing about
all these years. And how odd it is that there is even
a government-mandated legal drinking age of 21 throughout
the country. Remember when states could determine the
appropriate age for legally buying and consuming beer,
our beverage of moderation? The federal government, using
threats of withdrawing highway construction money, coerced
noncompliant states to bring the legal drinking age up
to 21. Change is in the air, and we may soon see a revision
in this policy. Your now-21-year-old beer rag will continue
to editorialize (see CBN, October/November 2008)
and to push for open dialogue on this subject in the coming
years.
With this issue we welcome our Toronto-based Associate
Editor Stephen Beaumont to the Century Club —
writers who have written over 100 columns for the Celebrator,
like Associate Editor Don Erickson. Steve has carved
out a niche in drinks writing, bringing his considerable
knowledge and experience to the gustatory relationship
of beer, wine and spirits to food and ambiance. Check
out this issue’s installment of “Beaumont’s
Journal” as Steve takes a look back and tries
to give some perspective to his lengthy trek through
the beer scene.
This issue also includes coverage of San Francisco
Beer Week — a weeklong series of events, tastings,
dinners and much more — celebrating craft beer
in the San Francisco Bay Area. You will want to be involved!
Be sure to check out SFBeerWeek.org frequently for the
latest beery activities in America’s Original
Craft Beer City.
There will be many changes ahead for the Celebrator
in the coming years. Advertising, the lifeblood of publications
such as ours, continues to be challenging. You may notice
the absence of some longtime advertisers. Times are
indeed tough, and budgets continue to be tightened.
We are, of course, honored and delighted with the number
of continuing advertisers supporting our editorial efforts.
We sincerely hope that you, our knowledgeable and passionate
craft beer drinker, will continue to support those who
support us. Onward to a new era of great beer journalism
and hopefully another 21 years of coverage of the craft
beer scene. |
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| LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR (February/March 2009) Dear
Editor:
I have an addition to your Hop Spots: Mehana Brewing
Company in Hilo, Hawaii. With so many great breweries
to keep track of, it’s understandable that
one might get overlooked. That’s what we
legions of beer fans are for, right? I always
grab some Mehana Mauna Kea Pale Ale when I’m
in Hilo. Thanks for your efforts publishing an
informative and entertaining magazine… and
for your blazing-fast response!
Cheers,
Art Milburn
Santa Cruz, Calif.
Dear Art:
I’ve been to Mehana several times and
didn’t know it was missing from the CBN
Hop Spots. Thanks for setting us straight. I wrote
the section on Hawaii for the CAMRA Good Beer
Guide to West Coast U.S.A. and did manage to get
Mehana included. Duh! — Ed.
Dear Editor:
I am a new reader (my son gave me a subscription
AND a membership to AHA for our "virgin"
trip to the GABF this year!), and I read the article
by Tomm Carroll on the Verdugo bar in L.A. I would
like to submit a request from my son, who lives
in L.A. He frequents a place called "Good"
in Silver Lake, just down the road from his apartment.
Dozens of international, local and regional beers
are available there with knowledgeable waitstaff.
I don’t think Tomm will be disappointed.
Thomas Ryan
(Via e-mail)
Dear Thomas:
Thanks for the tip. We’ll have Tomm
check it out. — Ed.
Dear Editor:
Thanks for the address change. Not too often do
you get a reply from the publisher. I’ve
been reading the Celebrator for a long
time. I found it way back in 1993 when, as a college
student at Southern Oregon State College in Ashland,
I stumbled into the tiny original Rogue brewery.
That brewery and your magazine changed my beer-drinking
habits forever. Thanks for the excellent publication.
Adam Duerfeldt
Camas, Wash.
Dear Adam:
We are really small and family-run, so no
worries. Hope you have discovered Rogue Ales Issaquah
Brewhouse in your adopted state of Washington.
— Ed.
Dear Editor:
My beer-drinking friends and I really miss the
Openings and Closings section in the back of the
Celebrator or, as we call it, the “Beer-a-lator.”
This handy guide used to keep us up-to-date on
the comings and goings of breweries.
Also, Wunder Brewing closed six months ago.
Cheers,
James Jarvis
San Francisco, Calif.
Dear James:
In the “golden era” of brewing,
with new breweries opening literally every week,
the Openings and Closings section was pretty handy.
As things settled down in the new century, such
information became less important to most readers.
Thanks for the correction! We depend on our
readers for closings, as no one notifies you when
they leave town. With literally thousands of entries
in the Hop Spots, you can see how difficult it
is to keep the list accurate. What size shirt
do you wear? — Ed.
Dear Editor:
I can’t believe it’s time to renew
my subscription again. I used to be upset paying
for your fine magazine when I could pick it up
for free at my local beer-pouring/spilling establishment.
Then one day while paying my tab, I realized,
“This cost more than a year’s subscription!”
You guys are the best. Keep it coming and keep
up the great work.
Sincerely,
Perry Lang
Valley Village, Calif. |
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| Tom Dalldorf is publisher
and editor of the Celebrator Beer News. |
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