The Court of Public Opinion

The pool continues to get tighter.  Monday of last week, Lagunitas submitted an affidavit to sue Sierra Nevada over a perceived trademark infringement.  Lagunitas’ complaint was that SN’s new Hop Hunter IPA sported a label that bore too close a resemblance to the logo for Lagunitas’ flagship IPA.  The next day, news of the suit went public, along with Lagunitas head honcho Tony Magee’s accompanying tweets regarding the matter.  The backlash from the beer scene (as illustrated in micro on our Facebook page) was tremendous.  People were pissed at Lagunitas, said really negative things & made appeals to boycott them.  Even those who weren’t overtly angry at the plaintiff seemed to be in consensus that the case didn’t have much merit.  Most saw the case as just laughable at best, if not an act of aggression that violated craft beer’s “bro-code”.  There are always the apologists who validate a business trying to “defend its brand”, but even their voices were meeker than usual.  The public had spoken: “Not cool.”

And you know what?  Lagunitas backed down.  They listened to everyone who thought they were being dicks & took a look in the mirror.  That Tuesday night, Tony serial-tweeted about the attempts to contact SN without success, about trying to resolve a conflict person-to-person & failing, about opting for the hard way, & about how that looks to people who care about the ethics of an industry.  “Today I was seriously schooled & heard you well…Tomorrow mornin we’ll Drop the Infringement Suit & get back to answering other Questions.”  An admission of guilt & a concession to heed the consumer’s opinion. 

Not for nothing, of course – a business of Lagunitas’ size can’t afford to arrogantly ignore the collective ‘boo’-ing of their market share.  There have been scores of inter-brewery conflicts, almost always concerning trademarks.  This was different, though, as it would have been the first formal engagement of two major players with one another (based on 2013 volume, Lagunitas is the fifth largest craft brewer in the country, SN the second).  And it’s significant in that the outcome was altered by the court of public opinion.  Feedback is wicked fast these days, if you haven’t noticed.  News gets around faster than ever, as does the reaction to news.  It didn’t take long for the community to get whipped into a fervor, & Tony didn’t like being the target of an angry mob.

Gotta admit, I was surprised that Lagunitas withdrew the suit.  Pleasantly surprised.  The more the craft beer segment grows, the more the “It’s business” mantra rises in pitch, competing for volume with the “Brotherhood” cheers.  This was the pendulum swinging in the other direction a little bit, a wake-up call that craft consumers care about fair & unfair in the industry that they love & are supporting with their dollars.  It was a sign that, in the marketplace, ethics do matter.  There’s no telling what would have transpired had Lagunitas followed through with the action.  Maybe they would’ve taken a hit to the bottom line, maybe not.  But it would’ve been a blemish on the face of the craft community, & it’s encouraging to see that people do hold brewers up to a code of conduct.  Drinkers didn’t want to see more bad blood, & the supply side listened.

Just as I sat down to write this today, a piece of news fell across my desk.  Saranac brewed a winter seasonal, Prism White Ale, & got it bottled, labeled, & delivered to their accounts.  It wasn’t until they actually saw cases of beer from Philadelphia’s Prism Brewing Co. in a Philly distributor that they realized they’d made a mistake, & didn’t want a dispute to erupt over the name.  Saranac contacted Prism, copping to their oversight, & the two worked it out, agreeing that Saranac will continue to call their white ale ‘Prism’ while allowing Prism Brewing access to their laboratory facilities.  However few exist altogether, this can be another check in the ‘Collaboration Not Litigation’ column.  In a field that’s growing increasingly competitive, there are bound to be some locked horns & dust-ups.  It’s good to know that both the brewers AND the drinkers care about more than the bottom line, though, & that part of the enjoyment of the beer comes from a faith in its producers.  We can work it out.

Top Shelf Thursday, January 2015

It felt good to land back on Thursday nights again.  As much changed rolled out during 2014, culminating at the year’s end, the ritual of setting up, arranging chairs, laying out flight lists, lining up glasses, was terra firma to me.  It was comforting to see familiar faces, shake hands, catch up, find out what’s changed in their lives lately.  It’s exciting, too, to invite & get to know some new folks, learn about their tastes & opinions.  This Top Shelf Thursday felt homey to me, which is important when venturing into this long, dark, cold part of the year.

Speaking of cold & (occasionally) dark – the focus in choosing the line-up was loose, but leaned toward the ephemeral.  The beers selected would only be around for a short time – one-offs, anniversary beers – or had just recently found their way back to The House like some kind of prodigal kid.  Maybe ‘transience’ was the theme, kind of apropos for a new year.  And also a little ironic juxtaposed with the emotional tone I alluded to in the first paragraph.  Anyway…

It just so happened that there were a good many Belgian or Belgian-influenced brews in tonight’s flight.  We started with Zenne Valley edition of Lambickx, from importers & blenders Vanberg & DeWulf, associated with Brewery Ommegang.  This lambic was selected from oak & chestnut barrels from a proprietor in Belgium’s Zenne Valley, then blended to achieve the desired level of flavor & acidity, assertive but not as puckering as some.

We moved from tart & oaky to a tart & sweet mix with Lemon Chiffon Cruller Ale, the fourth in Rogue Ales’ series of collaborations with Voodoo Doughnuts of Portland, OR.  Sweet lemon notes jumped from the glass, buttressed by the use of vanilla beans & marshmallows.  Like or it not, everyone agreed it was like nothing they’d tasted before.

Great Divide Brewing celebrated their 20^th anniversary with a beer of the same name.  This Belgian-style golden ale hit the right notes for the style, & was given a boost of sweetness & fruity depth by the addition of Viognier grapes, putting it a little closer to wine territory.  And Browerij Van Steenberge marked their 230^th anniversary with a Brewmaster’s Edition of their Gulden Draak 9000 (a blonde quadruple), aged in American whiskey barrels.  The wood lent layers of toffee, banana, & coconut to the already flavorful brew, & a cool back-to-back comparison with Great Divide’s variation on a Belgian golden ale.

Counter to their character, The Bruery decided to color in the lines with 7 Swans-a-Swimming, the seventh in their annual series of Christmas releases.  Rather than using non-traditional ingredients or crazy processes, they stuck to style with a conventional (but exceptional) abbey quad with candi sugar.

Once again, Great Divide took a Belgian style & gave it a fruity twist - this time with Colorado peaches – for their Peach Grand Cru.  The sweet peach flavor took a front seat before allowing the drier body of the golden ale to carry through to the finish. 

Shmaltz Brewing decided to break with tradition as well with Jewbelation 18, commemorating their 18^th anniversary.  A dark barleywine with 18 malts, 18 hops, but “only” 12.4% ABV, the flavor hit just where a malty barleywine should (in my opinion), with notes of maple & caramel.

As is their wont, the auteurs at Draai Laag took some liberties with the barleywine parameters in crafting Yodeler, a “Belgian-style” barleywine fermented with four yeast strains, including brettanomyces clausenii.  The result was a full-bodied quad-ish ale with a smoothness that belied its 13.2% ABV & a finish that yielded a little fruity & floral note from the wild yeast.

We trod familiar ground with Huge Arker, an imperial stout from Anderson Valley aged in Wild Turkey barrels.  Make that “familiar, but welcome”, as the bourbon barrel-aged stout was like a hearty, comforting blanket, if just a tad rough around the edges.

And we cracked a new record for strength, topping off an already heady flight, with Dogfish Head’s Raison D’Extra.  This capped the “Belgian gone askew” motif throughout the flight, an 18% ABV strong dark ale with raisins & loads of fermentables, that married dark sugars & alcohol flavors beautifully in a package not too far from rum. 

So we hit some familiar strains, augmented by notes unexpected that somehow still worked.  Again, I think there’s a metaphor here somewhere, as we step intrepidly into a new year.  We let the known ground us, while also moving forward.  The only constant is change, the next step right in front of us.  A big thank you to all who braved the cold to tip a few glasses & embrace the new with us, & have a happy, healthy, & prosperous 2015.    

Dave's Not Here

“I think I’m done.”  John told me that Dave had said this before.  This time was different – the words, the voice, just sounded different.  Retirement had been on the horizon for years (he’d actually tried it once before & it didn’t stick).  John & I started working at The House on the same day; the plan was that Dave, the founder & owner, would phase out over the next year.  One year turned into three, & the guy was still putting in 60-ish hours a week, getting up well before dawn to come in & take care of business.* 

This past September, Dave passed a milestone: 40 years in the beer biz.  That career included owning & running a distributor (Allegheny Beverage), a sandwich & 6-pack shop (Jez’s Mart), a compulsory acquisition by the state to build a highway, then 6 & Save, which called several locations “home”.  About eight years ago, Dave used the property he’d bought along Freeport Street & built a commercial site, 6 & Save’s final spot.  He put in 12 draft lines & began growing his retail inventory. 

Dave found his passion for imports & microbrews at Allegheny Beverage, & wanted to be able to offer single bottles & six-packs at an affordable price (a case of Belgian beer seemed cost-prohibitive).  That inventory grew to 500 different brands within a few years, & a hundred more, & a hundred more, always with a special spot for the Belgians.  The draft list was growing & getting better, too, & the prices were the best in the greater Pittsburgh area.  This unassuming building with the drab exterior had developed a reputation as the best-kept secret around for beer geeks.

In December of 2009, Dave & the staff decided that “6 & Save” wouldn’t cut it - a destination like this needed a more fitting name.  The selection had become (as it still is) the widest in the area, & the owner renamed it House of 1000 Beers to reflect that.  A bold move, yeah, but it was time people got the idea that he wasn’t messing around.  Since that time, up to his last days as owner, Dave strived to offer people more choices than anyone else, & worked his ass off to make that happen.  He made the business a success based on his own interest & motivation, taking chances & assuming expense to bring in brands he knew to be excellent.  We at the shop always wondered if he was a hoarder, or a fanatic – the idea was always more, & different.  He has a collector’s mentality, & so appealed to the niche excited by the new, the rare, the unique.  Atmosphere, cuisine, had always been an afterthought.  It was all about the beer.

It’s hard to separate the business from its founder.  In a way, the new name was both grandiose & humble.  1000 beers – damn!  Yes, but it’s also a house.  A home.  Visiting, it was hard not to feel like you’d stepped into someone’s furnished basement or garage.  The House didn’t feel like a finished commercial space, or a slick restaurant.  It felt like someone had put it together with their own two hands, & wanted to share it with you.  It felt like that because that’s pretty much what it was – a business grown from the ground up, figured out one step at a time.  “House” was also apropos because the man practically lived there.  Though he’s had some terrific help over the years, Dave never stopped being hands on & putting in the work himself.  He was the face & backbone of the business, having walked the floors & stocked the shelves & coolers hundreds of thousands of times.  You’d often find his used coffee cups just lying around.  As it’s become for many of us, this was Dave’s home away from home – a 3,000 square foot man cave, that he busted his ass to make the best he could.

And Dave is done.  40 years, thousands & thousands of beers, countless loyal customers & friends.  He grew an organic business around a genuine love of beer.  And at the risk of sounding like a hack, he did it his way.  It’s a cliché, but it’s also one of the highest compliments I can think of to pay someone.  His business was his own.

A little over a month ago, Dave passed the torch to Art, a smart businessman & proven leader who shares a passion for beer.  The wheels are in motion, John is still in place as general manager, & while Art has plans for The House, they are not to undo what is set in place, but to expand on it.  Like myself, he came here out of respect for what Dave established, what it means to him & so many others.  Doubtless, we’ll still see the man around, but now he gets to cool his heels on the other side of the bar.  Raise a glass.

*Moment of truth: lest you think that Dave is some kind of egomaniac who refers to himself in the third person, it’s time to reveal that “Dave the Owner’s Blog” has been ghost-written for the past several years.