Faces of Craft, Part 1

If American beer had a Mount Rushmore, its visage would probably include August Busch, Adolphus Coors, Frederick Pabst, & Frederick Miller.  Regardless of whether you like their products or their businesses - both of which may be far afield from what they’d envisioned many decades ago – it’s hard to argue their prominence in the history of American brewing.  They are pretty much beer’s equivalents of the founding fathers.  But name one name or face associated with any of their companies now.  Stumped you, didn’t I?  Sure, there was that Coors heir fording a Rocky Mountain stream in their commercials from about 15 years ago.  His name was…I dunno, *Something* Coors.  The large, multinational breweries, though they too had small beginnings, have become faceless, impersonal behemoths, far removed from their roots & the driving visions behind their brews.  I’ve always respected Yuengling who, at a formidable size & lineage themselves, have kept their operation in the family; the face of Dick Yuengling is still pretty closely associated with their beer.

The most important & appealing aspect about craft beer is just that: the beer.  But one big thing that distinguishes smaller craft brewers from the big boys is that it’s an individualistic & ego-driven product – in a good way!  Just like the best art is almost always a reflection of the person creating it, good craft brewers put a part of their heart & soul into every bottle, can, keg, or cask that leaves their brewery.  And part of the fun & overall character of craft comes from the characters who have helped make it what it is (like this guy, for instance).  Here’s a look at some of the rock stars of the craft brewing world:

Fritz Maytag – If craft had a Mt. Rushmore, this guy’s face would be in Washington’s place.  After college, Fritz drifted for a while, unsure of what to make of his life.  Luckily he happened to be heir to the Maytag Corporation & Dairy Farm (responsible for washing machines & delicious cheese, respectively), & bought the Anchor Brewing Company upon learning of its imminent demise.  In a landscape practically devoid of alternatives to Americanized pilsner, Fritz resurrected steam beer, India pale ale, porter, & barleywine in the US market, & retains respect as the godfather of American craft beer to this day.

Jim Koch – If you ask me, those who turn up their nose at Sam Adams beer can’t see the forest for the trees.  Sure, they’re the largest brewery to fall under the Brewers Association’s craft guidelines.  Sure, they make a nearly ubiquitous lager.  Have you tried Boston Lager lately?  It’s damn good.  Have you seen Sam Adams portfolio?  Last year they released a gose, a barrel-aged barleywine, a sahti, a chocolate chili bock, a red made with Tasmanian hops, the ‘World’s Longest-Reigning Insane Beer’ Utopias, & about 50 other brews.  They put out a Cranberry Lambic that sounded nuts & that most people thought was gross.  And why?  Because they’re playing it safe & are only concerned with their bottom line?  Well yeah, that’s actually about half of it.  But Jim is a big part of the other half, of SA pushing the envelope.  Early on (& maybe still), craft’s early pioneers criticized him as being as much a brew-marketer as a brewmaster, partly because of contract brewing out of Pittsburgh.  But if you ask me, this guy has earned his stripes.  Sam Adams has shown itself to be a good community leader, sharing its hops when supplies were low & playing ball with everyone in the scene.  And maybe most endearing of all, Jim is notorious for partaking with gusto  – this guy knows the good stuff. 

Garrett Oliver – Whereas others are content to celebrate beer (a noble endeavor in itself), Mr. Oliver aims to elevate it.  The brewmaster of Brooklyn Brewery not only believes that beer deserves a pedestal in the culinary world equal to that of wine, he makes a good case for beer’s superiority.  He not only pours a mean glass of beer, he can pair it with seviche & look good doing it.  His writing has earned him some esteem, too, as the author of The Brewmaster’s Table, a quintessential tome on beer & food, & the editor of the Oxford Companion to Beer.  And while I’m sure he would bristle at being called a ‘beer snob’, he’s known for making some exciting & inflammatory claims (against the growler & the shaker pint, for instance).  And he’s endlessly quotable: what the hell does ‘beer is made by people, not machines’ even mean?  At any rate, he’s a great proponent & pretty fascinating to boot.  He also wins the award for the most-used resource for The House’s blog.

Looks like I’m getting a little long-winded.  Let’s call this part one, we’ll grab a brew, & reconvene.