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Between the dawn of craft beer with New Albion and Anchor way back in the day and the year 2012, California achieved the number 300 in breweries operating in the state.
Between 2012 and now (which is just 3 some odd years if my basic math is correct) another 300 were born.
You can read more about it HERE but one amazing take away is that in the year 2014. Each week in California, all 52 of them, two breweries opened.
You can’t (and probably shouldn’t) schedule for everything. But it is good to have a framework or skeleton of what beers will be done in the next year. Some breweries fly by the seat of their pants but the ones that don’t can greatly help out their customers by whetting their appetite for the beers of 2016. So, thanks Firestone Walker for helping me plan mine.
I have blogged before about cans that don’t just open a hole in the top of the can but take the whole thing off turning the can into a glass, automatically. When I did, there were none in the L.A. area to buy or test. Now there might be because Mike Hess Brewing has introduced its Open Mike™ beer can.
From their press release, “Open Mike six-packs will be available as early as November 1st wherever Mike Hess beers are sold, including Southern California and the greater Phoenix, Arizona, markets. The first brand to feature the new packaging and Open Mike™ ends will be Habitus®, Double IPA, World Beer Cup gold award-winner in the Rye Beer category.”
I can’t wait to see how this works and report back.
I had to rub my eyes when I saw the number. Without any coffee in my system, I was sure that I had mis-read it. But I had not there was a “B” not an “M” next to the ..illion in the news that Constellation Brands would acquire Ballast Point Brewing for $1 billion (give or take).
Here is the back story on the buyer: Constellation ranks third big beer wise on the strength of imported brands such as Corona Extra, Corona Light, Modelo Especial, Negra Modelo and Pacifico. They are also in the wine business, as owners of Robert Mondavi, Clos du Bois, and others. They also are in the spirits game with SVEDKA Vodka and Black Velvet Canadian Whisky.”
With so many mergers and acquisitions this year, reactions have become predictable. It is clear by now that if you sell to someone who produces good beer or you sell only a partial stake, your brewery will not be smudged with bad PR residue. Private Equity (good or bad) gets more of a pass than ABInBev ever will. In this case the stink of Corona combined with the full sale and that high price will garner more negative than positive Google searches for the next few weeks.
With every deal there are both good and bad. The most exciting or damaging aspects might not appear for months or years but here are my knee-jerk reactions to the sale.
On the positive side, considering that Ballast Point distills spirits as well, the new owners will understand both markets which must have been a plus for both. Also, now that the pockets are deeper the expansion may increase in more brewing capacity and larger distribution even though they have been expanding their presence all over San Diego with tasting rooms and restaurants like the huge location in Little Italy that I was impressed by.
Flipping the coin, does Constellation know how to sell craft beer or will they really leave that to Ballast Point? What kind of pressure will Ballast Point be under to perform up to the standards of the price set?
The largest negative in the near term is the public perception. Some breweries have either a great product (Bourbon County Stout for Goose Island) or great brewers that are respected (10 Barrel with Tonya Cornett for one) that brings people back into the fold. Sculpin and their Victory at Sea variants along with the spirits line should assuage some harsher feelings to Ballast Point in a way that hasn’t happened for the likes of Elysian (divided ownership/lost brewmaster) or Golden Road (who reinforced a feeling of embracing big and average that has dogged it from the start).
Stepping back from the tree to the forest, that someone would pay this much money for a brewery either shows that it was in high demand and that the bidding pushed its valuation every higher or that Constellation really, really wanted Ballast Point and that the price wasn’t too high to stop them. Which to me means, that they think it is still a good economic play. They might have been able to buy another import to add to their portfolio with the “big” merger causing spin offs but Constellation wanted in to craft beer.
That might be the biggest take-away from this. Business now sees craft beer as potential and they are opening their wallets too.
Sweetwater Brewing of Georgia has plans now to build a second brewing facility somewhere on the West Coast by 2017 with California getting the odds on favorite status. Will the encourage other Eastern breweries to eye the west?
There are also longer range plans to add a Midwest/Central brewery as well.
The goal for Sweetwater being to have hubs to get the beer to people in local markets without as much shipping.The brand is currently sold in 18 states, as well as Washington D.C.
Seems like Target is starting the test phase for having a cafe inside stores that serves beer and wine and may allow for people to take their cup in hand and wander the aisles.
Now this might just be interwebs “truth” and not likely to ever happen but I thought that of Starbucks selling wine and beer “after hours” and now they are trying to get liquor licenses in the towns to the east and north of me.
As a friend of mine pointed out, it seems ripe for lawsuits. Spilled beer dumped on floors and drunk patrons reaching for items on a top shelf could lead to all sorts of issues.
I say pay attention to your shopping when you are shopping and pay attention to your drinking when you are drinking.
When Brian Brewer left for the soon-to-arrive Hop Saint, The Brewery at Abigaile needed a new brewer in Hermosa Beach and now they have appointed Paul Papantonio as head brewer Papantonio is formerly of Oskar Blues Brewery and Saint Archer Brewing and will be meeting and greeting the public on Friday, October 9th for a “Meet the Brewer” Tap Takeover. In a twist, the night will feature a selection of his favorite beers including Uinta Oak Jacked Imperial Pumpkin and Firestone Wookey Jack.
Another year of Great American Beer and the Festival that celebrates it, is now past. Brewers and craft beer fans are heading to the airport for flights home. Now it is time to see what was awarded in Denver at the GABF and what I think about it.
For L.A. fans, the two big pieces of news are the brace of silvers that are coming home Smog City nabbed their second medal since opening with their Kumquat Saison in the Belgian-Style Fruit beer category. Julian Shrago and Beachwood added to their trophy case with Mocha Machine in the Coffee beer category.
There were a whopping 92 categories this year plus the Pro-Am beers. The smallest category was the American style Dark Lager with only 21 entries. Fifteen of the categories had over 100 entries with IPA’s again dominating the proceedings with an astounding 336. Followed by Imperial IPA’s with 208! And California wrested the IPS crown back from Oregon as BNS Brewing from Santee took the gold with their Revolver IPA.
Speaking of state bragging rights, California was in the forefront again with 66 total medals (by my count). Including a sweep of the Cream Ale category with Pabst of Los Angeles brewing Washington Iconic beers of Rainier (gold) and Olympia (silver). Dale Brothers from Upland took bronze with Nuff. Colorado parlayed its home field advantage to 35 medals including a gold in the hotly contested Wood and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer category that was won by AC Golden. Oh and Coors Banquet struck gold as well. Oregon hauled in 19 medals and Washington State 12 and it seemed whenever the ABInBev owned 10 Barrel would win that another Bend based brewery would win the next higher medal. A bit of karma perhaps?
Firestone Walker and TAPS were named mid-sized winners and Rip Current from San Diego was tabbed for Very Small Brewing company awards. If you prefer your beer brewed or owned by a large corporation, the Pabst of Los Angeles should be your choice, at least the Brewer’s Association thinks so…
Other assorted notes:
Feral One and Sour Opal picked up medals for Barrelworks in Buellton.
Ritual won big with two gold medals as did Bottle Logic.
Session IPA’s debuted this year and had the 4th highest entry count.
My college town of McMinnville was mentioned with a gold from Golden Valley .
Best beer name was in the Belgian Quadrupel category: Quad Damn It.
On the same day that the sale of Golden Road was announced, off to the side, the Modern Times of San Diego made some noise of their own:
“Well, we weren’t planning to announce this quite yet, but for some reason today feels like the right day. In 2016, we’re planning to open a pilot brewery, restaurant, and specialty coffee shop in Los Angeles. Expect crazy one-off beers, decadent vegan food, & mind-blowing espressos, pour-overs, & cold brew.”
Unless the plans are already underway, 2016 seems ambitious. So look for more news in the coming months.
The Full Pint scooped the L.A. craft beer world with the news that Frances Lopez. All around great person and fervent admirer of LA beer has been appointed to a new position that shows a subtle piece of growth in the LA scene.
The L.A. County Brewer’s Guild now has an Executive director. A director who will push the beer of Los Angeles and not have to run back to a brewery to brew beer. It is a key step in creating a culture that runs through one person. It is key because that person becomes the public face for all of the brewers and those hangers on like myself who support the beer scene. Personally, I think it is a great choice. She knows beer, she knows blogs, she knows social media, she knows brewery behind-the-scenes and she knows events. That is a serious skill set.
Kudos to the excellent choice.
