One night only: Meet 3 giants of the craft-beer world
On Thursday, March 27, three of American brewing's biggest names will converge on the historic Hotel Bethlehem for a brewers' "summit," and you can be in the room with them.
Trade association Brewers of PA is bringing together Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head, Dick Yuengling of Yuengling and Jim Koch of Samuel Adams for a dinner dubbed "Meeting of the Malts." Tickets are $75 per person, here.
During a five-course beer-pairing dinner, the three luminaries will partake in a moderated panel discussion. The topic of discussion? Nothing less profound than the future of American beer.
U.S. breweries are exploding in number, with more operating right now than any time since the 1870s. More than 2,720 breweries operate 3,699 brewing permits across the country, according to figures compiled by the Brewers Association and the Beer Institute, but Sam Adams' Jim Koch believes there's still room for the craft beer industry to grow.
"We haven't hit the high-water mark yet," Koch said in a recent telephone interview. "Put on your sunglasses, because the future is bright."
As the growth continues, is it possible to have too many breweries, too many different labels crowding the beer shelf? With more than 70 unique styles in the Samuel Adams portfolio — each batch of which he personally tastes for quality control — the founder of America's largest craft brewery doesn't think that's the direction we're headed.
Yes, he admits, there are only so many IPAs any one store can sustain, but brewers continue to experiment with variations. Red IPAs, black IPAs, white IPAs and so-called "sessionable," lower-alcohol IPAs are all categories he sees growing.
Secondly, many of the startup breweries have extremely limited distribution areas, so they're not all competing in the same markets.
"When I started Sam Adams, we were the only craft brewery in the Northeast," Koch remembers. "Now what you're seeing is breweries that are local by zip code. As long as everyone keeps making good beer, it's good for the industry."
As for the counter trend of consolidation, wherein conglomerates like Anheuser‑Busch InBev are buying up smaller craft breweries, Koch is reconciled to its inevitability.
"It doesn't matter if it's a good thing or not, it's going to happen. Big global brewers are going to want their piece of the craft brewing market. But there's room for everyone who makes good beer," he reiterates. "The big companies certainly employ a lot of skilled brewers, and then add distribution and market clout. Blue Moon, Shock Top, Goose Island, Red Hook, Widmer — they have all been very successful."
The upshot is that the perception of American beer is changing on a worldwide scale. It is no longer thought of as synonymous with "Budweiser." The global brewing community looks up to the American craft beer revolution as something that has the potential to reinvigorate the beer industry in the rest of the world
"Many European brewers have been producing the same thing for 50, 100 years," Koch says. "In the U.S. we're making all these new, flavorful interesting beers. American craft brewers are role models."
What's are the hot beer trends in American brewing right now? Koch sees several. On one end there's barrel aging, sours and extra-strong ales like the limited edition Sam Adams Utopia series, which ring in around 25% alcohol by volume (compared to 4% for a pilsner) and drink almost like cognac. Then there is the growth in session ales, and also more and more experimentation with interesting ingredients, like herbs, honey, ginger and roots.
Unique ingredients are a staple of Sam Calagione's wheelhouse, whose Dogfish Head craft brewery carries the tagline "Off-centered ales for off-centered people."
Calagione will offer his perspective on the American craft beer industry during the Bethlehem dinner on March 27, as will Dick Yuengling. Communication and discussion between brewers is an big part of the American craft beer community.
"The three of us all come from different backgrounds, but have tremendous respect for one another," Koch says. "A big part of the reason I'm doing this dinner is I get a chance to drink beers with Sam and Dick!"
