Sixpoint Likes it in the Can

Brooklyn’s own Sixpoint Craft Ales, makers of some of the finest beers in the State of New York, has officially announced some exciting news that craft beer fanatics heard about a few weeks ago. From their email announcement:

For the first 6 years of our history and up until this morning, our beer was available exclusively on draft.  Our goal was to establish the solid foundation of making the freshest, most lively and delicious craft beer you could get on tap.  However, unless you filled up a growler, or took home an extremely rare hand-bottled sample or one-off, the only way you were going to be able to sample our beer was on tap at a bar or restaurant.  Today marks a new day.

I can has?

This morning, the first shipments of tallboy cans of Sixpoint beer are heading on trucks to stores in New York and Massachusetts. By Memorial Day weekend, you should be able to find cans of four of Sixpoint’s concoctions. Bengali Tiger is a fantastic IPA that’s been an NYC favorite of beer geeks and novices alike. The Crisp is their entry into the small but growing field of craft lagers. Sweet Action is an ideal easy drinking gateway craft ale. And Righteous Rye, a hoppy rye beer, is my single favorite New York-brewed year round beer (i.e. not a special or seasonal release).

I’m also thrilled that Sixpoint is packaging in cans instead of bottles. I’ve always been a big craft can supporter, and Sixpoint’s announcement enumerates the reasons: cans completely block light, you can pack them tighter and lower shipping costs, they’re easier to recycle, etc.

So if you’re going to enjoy the great outdoors this Memorial Day weekend, bring along some tallboys of Bengali Tiger. Even if you’re sitting on your couch watching the Law & Order: SVU marathon, Sixpoint is a good call.

Blame it on the Goose (Island)

The story taking the craft beer world by storm this week is the sale of Chicago’s Goose Island to Anheuser-Busch InBev. Most of you probably know the details, since it’s even getting play in the mainstream media, but here’s a quick summary if you don’t:

Goose Island began as a brewpub in Chicago in 1988, and since then has become a staple on the burgeoning American craft beer scene. (Though it’s not quite as big as many discussing the story seem to think — Goose Island produces 127,000 barrels annually; about 1/18th the output of Samuel Adams, or about on par with Stone Brewing Co. or Bell’s Brewery.) The brewery has a standard line of unexciting but solid beers including Honkers Ale, 312 Urban Wheat, and their IPA — all good gateway craft beers for your friends, by the way. In the past few years, they’ve been producing a series of excellent Belgian-style ales and, of course, their Bourbon County Stout, quite possibly my favorite beverage on Earth.

In 2006, Goose Island joined up with the Craft Brewers Alliance, an Oregon-based consortium that distributes Red Hook, Widmer and Kona beers as well. This Alliance, however, was partially owned by Anheuser Busch and was privy to the giant’s distribution channels. Now, Anheuser-Busch InBev (that merger, recall, went down in 2008) has purchased Goose Island outright for $39 million.

Okay, now that you’re caught up, it’s time to talk about what this all means. I’m not all that interested in another discussion about what does or does not constitute “craft beer,” which is the topic that’s engulfed the craft beer world these past few days. I’m more interested in trying to figure out the practical implications of all this.

First of all, this deal is another addition to what was already a watershed year for the craft beer industry. In 2010, craft beer sales rose 11 percent while overall beer sales declines. As demand balloons, many of the large but not gigantic (“upper middle class,” maybe) craft brewers have had difficulty keeping up. As a result, we’ve seen Dogfish Head, Avery, Boulevard, and most recently Great Divide pull out of certain states in the past couple of months, in order to solidify their supply closer to home.

As craft continues to grow, it is unquestionable that AB-InBev and Miller-Coors will continue to buy popular craft breweries. Craft beer is clearly where the action is, and American Ale and Shock Top are (anecdotally, I don’t have any numbers here) fooling fewer and fewer people. Lots of people are saying that they’ll never drink a Goose Island product again. Again, discussing craft vs. not isn’t the point of this article, but I expect the people making these promises are going to have to repeat them several times over the next few years.

In terms of the mechanics of the takeover and new production, here’s what we know. Contrary to rumors spread right after the deal was announced, Goose Island production will not be moving to St. Louis. It will stay in Chicago, and in fact AB-InBev is immediately pouring in money to upgrade the facility. Longtime brewmaster Greg Hall will be stepping down and is replaced by Brett Porter, who was brewmaster at Deschutes for several years. (Incidentally, some people have reported that Goose Island will be making a brett porter, i.e. a porter brewed with brettanomyces, but I can’t find any confirmation either way and I’m wondering if somebody got some wires crossed. It would be cute, though.)

Unfortunately, that’s about all we know at this point. The most pressing question is, “What will happen to Goose Island’s quality?” and none of us know for sure.

The best case scenario is that nothing will change quality-wise. The ownership transition will result in much improved distribution and financial resources, but Goose Island’s production team will be left alone. Advertising for Honkers and 312 Urban Wheat will lead to those beers selling briskly, and will provide a nice financial cushion for Mr. Porter and Co. to keep experimenting with and perfecting Belgian and barrel-aged styles.

The worst case scenario is that Ab-InBev decides that the Goose Island name is sufficient to lure enough people, and drastically reduces quality across the board to cut costs. “312 Urban Golden Wheat” becomes a big seller, and people love the 2012 edition of Bourbon County Stout that’s 5% ABV and aged for 10 days on bourbon-soaked beechwood chips. Meanwhile, Goose Island discontinues Matilda, Sofie et al., as test audiences declared them “too faggy.”

Where will Goose Island end up? Well, I did go to a liberal arts college, so I’d bet on somewhere between the two extremes. But there’s no way to know for sure yet. There’s not really anything in AB’s or InBev’s history to suggest that they’re going to leave Goose Island’s production alone. They have a proud history of mangling once-proud brewing operations in Europe (e.g. Leffe). On the other hand, Goose Island is a good deal different than anything they’ve bought before, and it’s still (for now) a drop in the bucket sales-wise. Maybe they’ll decide that while the vast majority of people drink their macro lagers, it might be a good idea to have an actual quality product in their lineup.

There’s plenty of good reading out there expressing both optimism and pessimism. Andy Crouch has an optimistic outlook on his site. The Beer and Whiskey Bros. have a more pessimistic look on theirs.

Your Government at Work (**UPDATED**)

Now here’s some bipartisan legislation we can all get behind. As Beernews.org reports:

Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and John Kerry (D-Massachusetts) today introduced legislation to reduce the beer excise tax for America’s small brewers. The Brewer’s Employment and Excise Relief (BEER) Act will help create jobs at more than 1,600 small breweries nationwide, which collectively employ nearly 100,000 people.

Basically, small craft breweries have to pay more for ingredients and supplies than do larger breweries, thanks to the powerful economies of scale in the industry. This bill, at least as currently constructed, will lower the excise tax on small breweries, which will free up money to use elsewhere (staffing, capacity, and making the damn beer.)

This bill is welcome news in a week in which rumors have been flying (EDIT: the withdrawal is now fact — see below) about Dogfish Head pulling out of several states due to an inability to meet demand. This withdrawal would come on the heels of several other craft breweries retracting their territory already this year. It also suggests that the mainstream is beginning to see craft breweries as the innovative, successful local small businesses that they are. I’m not saying that beer’s going to save the economy, but the more respect it gets amongst decision-makers the better (except Bloomberg — dude drinks his beer with ice).

Check out the Beernews.org article for more specifics about the bill.

EDIT: Sam Calagione now has a statement on the Dogfish Head website confirming and explaining DFH’s withdrawal from Tennessee, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, and Indiana, as well as ending their (admittedly small) international exports. Read all about it.

Judge Me By My Size, Do You?

What’s the difference between craft beer and macro beer? That’s a loaded question however you look at it, but the technical definition shiftedrecently. The Brewers Association, the beer world’s trade association, sets the production limit for a brewer to be called “craft.” At the end of December, they tripled this cap, moving it from 2 million barrels a year to 6 million. Why the tremendous shift? As usual, you can blame Boston:

The industry’s largest craft brewer, The Boston Beer Company, is poised to become the first craft brewer to surpass 2 million barrels of traditional beer within the next few years. Loss of The Boston Beer Company’s production in craft brewing industry statistics would inaccurately reflect on the craft brewing industry’s market share.

As is the case with all matters Boston Beer Company (aka Sam Adams), this news has sparked spirited debate in Beerville. There are two basic factions: those who think that Sam Adams should be considered craft and those who do not.

Sam Adams will very shortly eclipse the 2 million barrel a year mark, which is more than double the output of #2 craft brewer Sierra Nevada and about 100 times what Brooklyn Brewery (which a lot of New Yorkers think is way bigger than it actually is) hopes to produce by the end of this year. There’s a small but vocal group that believes either that Sam Adams’ production is too high to be considered craft beer, and an even smaller but still vocal group that claims that Sam Adams’ beers aren’t of high enough quality to be considered craft. The other faction generally acknowledges that Sam Adams beers aren’t the best on the market, but that they still represent the “craft beer” mindset and values.

I’ll admit now, as I’ve mentioned briefly on the blog before, that I have very little patience for the “Sam Adams isn’t craft beer” crowd. Yes, Boston Lager may be alongside the Bud and Coors at dive bars nationwide. And no, it may not be as good as Dark Lord, or even other smaller batch craft lagers. But Jim Koch and everybody else at Boston Beer Co. use quality ingredients, experiment with new styles, collaborate with and assist smaller craft breweries, and have arguably done more than anybody to make the craft beer world the thriving beer scene it is today. And I don’t even particularly LIKE Boston Lager.

Furthermore, I’m glad that the Brewer’s Association changed the definition of craft beer in order to keep Boston Beer Co. in the category. They are an amazing success story, and I don’t see why they should be punished for their success (and I don’t think it snobby of me to say that being lumped in with Bud, Miller and Coors would be punishment, especially for a pioneer like Jim Koch. It’s disrespectful to propose it.) If Sam Adams suddenly started using crappy ingredients and flavorless beer, they would no longer be craft brewers, no matter how great they once were. On the other hand, if Budweiser suddenly started using only premium ingredients and interesting recipes, they’d be craft.

A few people say that Boston Beer being considered a “craft” brewery is bad because it makes less room for smaller and local craft brewers to get a foothold. I think that’s incorrect, but at least it’s a legitimate concern. The majority of detractors, however, simply say, “It’s too big,” or, “Why don’t we just lift the cap to a billion barrels,” &c. This is suspiciously like the kids in high school who loved the Strokes until they started playing on the radio.

Regardless of Sam Adams’ role, this debate shows that an arbitrary barrel limit to be called a craft brewer is silly. Craft brewing is about, well, the craft.

Green Beer

No, it’s not St. Patrick’s day yet. We’re talking about the kind of green that makes you feel warm and fuzzy, not warm and puke-y. The Environmental Protection Agency (fun fact — started by Nixon) has named Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. it’s “Green Business of the Year.” From the press release:

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. is recognized for its environmental leadership in the brewing industry. Since 1980, the company has consistently implemented sustainability policies and projects that reduced the company’s environmental footprint across all of its operations. The brewery implemented a zero-waste policy — diverting 99.5 percent of its solid waste from the landfill through source reduction, recycling, and composting. Sierra Nevada has made significant investments in renewable power, which now supplies 85 percent of the company’s electricity needs. The company has reduced its water use year after year, and has also implemented an innovative water recycling program. Beyond its own operations, the brewery is working with its suppliers and partners to reduce the impact of their products. Sierra Nevada is the largest buyer of organic hops in the country, and established a “Farm with your Brewer” program to encourage small hops farmers to adopt sustainable practices. From field to bottle, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company strives to maintain a healthy balance between environmental stewardship, social equity, and economic stability.

So basically, be in love with Sierra Nevada. Not only do they hook thousands of people on craft beer each year, and not only do they stay on the forefront of innovation and quality while being the second largest craft brewery in the country, but they’re leading the charge to make craft brewing a green industry. Once again, the New York Ale Project Salutes you, Sierra Nevada.

(Sorry about the lack of content this week. I’ll do better next week!)

Good Luck to Cigar City Brewing **UPDATED**

**UPDATE**: The good news is the extension of CCB’s wet license passed 4 votes to 3. The bad news is that they have to take another vote in two weeks to confirm it, so we’re not out of the woods yet. Still, it’s a win for now, even though it’s absurd that the vote is so close.

Just a quick note to wish good luck to Tampa’s Cigar City Brewing. The Tampa City Council is holding a hearing today to decide whether CCB’s tasting room will remain open. City Council members have gotten a deluge of phone calls, letters and emails from beer geeks all across the nation urging them to do the right thing, so we’re cautiously optimistic.

"Come on, tell me how you got down here into Ybor City!"

For those of you who haven’t been following the drama, CCB opened a couple of years ago in Tampa with a permanent brewery license but only a temporary “wet license,” or a license for them to have a tasting room to serve beer and fill growlers. That temporary license is about to expire, and some teetotalers and grumpy people in the neighborhood aren’t okay with having a “bar” in their backyard, so they lobbied the Council to let it lapse. They claim the CCB tasting room brings crime to the neighborhood. That makes sense, since everybody knows that beer geeks are always climbin’ in your windows and snatching your people up.

In a vote last month, the Council tied three-three on renewing the license, so they’re voting again today. It really seems like a no-brainer, even if you don’t know anything about craft beer. In the worst economic climate in a lifetime, in two short years CCB has managed to increase from the two founding employees to twenty-two, increased production to 5,000 barrels (about the same as Captain Lawrence, to put it in NY terms), and has become one of the most sought-after breweries in the country. They’re clearly good for Tampa. Closing down the tasting room would mean the loss of several employees and the loss of a hot destination in Tampa. In this economy, does Tampa really want to cripple a thriving local small business?

They’re good for beer geeks, too. The burnishing of CCB has brought many of their unique concoctions outside of the Tampa area for the first time, to our great joy. Guava Grove and Sea Bass, two delicious sour farmhouse ales, are a couple of the CCB brews that have been popping up in NYC’s specialty stores recently. Even better, six-packs Jai Alai IPA and Maduro Brown Ale are now available on the shelves of many NYC supermarkets.

CCB’s got a lot more up their sleeve. They love creating twists and variations on their beers — they’ve brewed versions of the Maduro Brown with vanilla, espresso, blueberry, pecans, oatmeal, and more. These small experimental batches will disappear if the tasting room is closed — it’s not worth doing a huge production of a really experimental beer if it turns out to not work, but a five or ten gallon batch is the perfect size to sell at a tasting room. So there’s a lot on the line here.

So it’s probably too late to call or write a letter to Tampa Council members, but keep your fingers crossed, and check back here. I’ll let you know what happens when we know.

The Great Yuengling Invasion

Here’s some news that will hit close to home to many of my readers, my former peers from Swarthmore College. Yuengling, the amber beer that’s what the bartender will hand you if you order “lager” in the Philadelphia area, is planning a major increase in production and distribution. Yuengling’s lineup of beers, including Traditional Lager; Porter; the Black & Tan which is a blend of the two; and Light Lager (about which the less said the better), will soon expand beyond the borders of the 13 states where they’re currently on shelves.

Yuengling is the oldest brewery in the United States (keep that in mind — it’ll come in handy in bar trivia one night), and has been family-owned that whole time. Now, they’re buying themselves a new brewing facility in Memphis that used to belong to Coors. This new facility will double Yuengling’s production.

There’s more than nostalgia to my pro-Yuengling stance. Sure, it may not be the best beer on the planet. But it’s leagues and leagues better than Bud, Miller, Coors, Pabst and other American Lagers. Unlike those others, it actually has flavor! Whether that flavor is good or not is for you to decide, but it’s got things that actually belong in beer.

And, yes, it can act as a gateway to better beer. So I’m happy that beer drinkers that have never had exposure to Yuengling will soon get the chance.