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Craft
Brewers Conference 2011
Craft Brewers Conference Comes to San Francisco
Article: Tom Dalldorf |
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Over 4,000 craft beer industry
professionals attended this year’s Craft Brewers
Conference. The CBC is held each year at a notable beer
city around the country. This was the second time the
gathering visited San Francisco.
The Brewers Association in Boulder, Colo., responsible
for organizing the event, had just released preliminary
statistics on the health of the craft beer industry, and
the report was most favorable. The data indicated an 11
percent increase in the volume of craft beer produced
over the previous year, and a stunning 12 percent increase
in retail sales dollars. Estimated actual dollar sales
were $7.6 billion, up from $7 billion in 2009. Heady news
indeed.
| Maytag and Grossman sat in overstuffed chairs
and took turns interviewing each other on their
experiences growing their breweries at a time when
they were pretty much the only ones making what
we now call craft beer. |
Attending the conference were brewery owners, brewers,
managers, marketing people, suppliers, vendors, journalists
and start-up brewing hopefuls. They came to hear speeches
and panel discussions; attend the huge trade show, chockablock
with brewing equipment and supplies; and take tours of
regional beer attractions. San Francisco had much to offer,
and the San Francisco Brewers Guild helped make visitors
most welcome. Special beer events were going on all over
the city during the run of the conference.
The CBC officially began on Wednesday, March 23, with
five chartered buses taking attendees to various regions
of the Bay Area for brewery visits. I was asked by the
British Consulate to make a presentation to visiting brewers
from the United Kingdom on the American craft beer market.
Joining me were Fal Allen, brewmaster for Anderson Valley
Brewing Company, and David Manzo, owner of the Manzo Beer
& Ale distributorship. The visiting brewers were keenly
interested in our discussion of the U.S. craft beer market
and the opportunities for U.K. beer exports.
That evening, a Welcome Reception was held at the California
Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. Chartered buses
took attendees to the exotic venue, which had breweries
pouring their beers throughout the buildings and among
the various exhibits. A light rain failed to dampen the
spirits of the visitors.
The next morning featured awards and presentations. Paul
Gatza, director of the Brewers Association, presented
the latest data on the condition of the U.S. craft beer
industry. This year, the F. X. Matt Defense of the Industry
Award was presented to Dan Kopman of St. Louis Brewery/Schlafly
Beer for his efforts in advancing the craft brewer excise
tax reduction bill. The Brewers Association Recognition
Award went to John McDonald of Boulevard Brewing Company
in Kansas City, Mo. The Russell Schehrer Award for Innovation
in Craft Brewing went to brewster Jennifer Talley of Squatters
Pub Brewery in Salt Lake City, Utah. Talley is the first
female brewer to receive the award.
Tom McCormick, director of the California Small Brewers
Association, had the honor of introducing the keynote
speakers, Fritz Maytag of Anchor Brewing Company, San
Francisco, and Ken Grossman of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company,
Chico, Calif. Instead of speaking to the audience from
a podium, Maytag and Grossman sat in overstuffed chairs
and took turns interviewing each other on their experiences
growing their breweries at a time when they were pretty
much the only ones making what we now call craft beer.
The result was instructive, informative, quite humorous
and most charming. They were relaxed and enjoyed a glass
of their collaborative brew, called Fritz and Ken’s
Ale, a stout that was also thoughtfully shared with the
audience. Attendees experienced the actual beginning of
the craft beer industry in America. The result was magical
and not soon to be forgotten by the beer-savvy audience.
Subsequent days were filled with presentations and panel
discussions on topics as varied as “Getting Your
Brewpub Open,” “Improving Brewhouse Efficiency,”
“Export Panel Discussion,” “Draught
Beer Quality,” “How to Raise Equity”
and “Balancing Expansion.” Over 50 such events
were offered during the course of the conference.
One panel was headed by Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River
Brewing in Santa Rosa on the subject dear to his heart
and palate: Belgian-style barrel-aged sour beers. This
session was standing room only and went overtime to 90
minutes with tastings. Joining Cilurzo on the panel was
Jean Van Roy, the great-grandson of Paul Cantillon, founder
of Brasserie Cantillon. Van Roy learned the craft from
his father, Jean-Pierre Van Roy, who guided his education
in the last traditional lambic brewery in the world. Also
on the panel was Yvan De Baets, master brewer and co-owner
of Brasserie de la Senne in Brussels. This was one example
of the high-powered events going on during the days of
the conference.
Outstanding among the “extracurricular” events
was the Night at the Fillmore concert, featuring rock
legend Richard Thompson and the beer of Anchor Brewing
and Lagunitas Brewing. Nothing says San Francisco like
the Fillmore.
The Hilton Hotel on O’Farrell Street did a magnificent
job of containing the beery enthusiasm of the attendees.
Nightly beer tastings were held at the Cityscape, on the
top floor of the Hilton tower. The lobby was always full
of industry cognoscenti in search of that next great beer.
It was a great gathering of the beer tribes, to be sure.
Next year’s CBC will be held in San Diego, May 2–5,
2012, along with the World Beer Cup judging and awards.
See you there! |
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| Tom Dalldorf is publisher
and editor of the Celebrator Beer News. |
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