Beer-articles 995

It’s already been obvious for some time now that Gen Z’s drinking habits don’t match those of the generations before them. A 2023 Gallup poll found that fewer Americans aged 18-34 now drink alcohol than at any point in the past 22 years, and Billboard reported last year that music venues are suffering due to low alcohol sales. But beer sales in particular are a slightly different story, and the generation gap can only go so far in explaining them. NBC reports that the beer industry is seeing its lowest sales in a generation, and a number of factors are contributing to the struggle.

Industry group Beer Marketer’s Insights (BMI) told NBC that beer shipments have fallen to levels not seen since 1999—a timeframe that aligns rather tidily with the lifecycle of the craft beer boom. Indeed, the 2023 closure of Anchor Brewing seemed to signal the start of a newly rocky path for America’s craft beer scene, with craft sales shrinking faster than their mass-market counterparts. But the biggest players are feeling it too: “It was a tough year for beer,” BMI vice president David Steinman said.

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Ten years ago, grocery and liquor store shelves looked comparatively one-note; now there are so many more options that it’s not about choosing which beer to drink, but rather choosing which broad category of beverage to start with. Do you want to drink beer? Wine? Liquor? A canned tequila cocktail? A hard seltzer that tastes like an orange cream popsicle? Hard soda? Hard lemonade? Hard tea? Hard iced coffee? The mere existence of all these products means that each one must work harder to elbow its way into consumers’ carts.

“Some of the world’s largest soft drink and energy companies introduced sugar-forward alcohol beverages to the market, all of which are vying for the same consumer occasions as traditional malt- and hop-forward products,” Lester Jones of the National Beer Wholesalers Association told NBC via email.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom for the beer industry. The level of beer consumption in the U.S. doesn’t actually translate directly to the industry’s earnings, nor does it reflect global trends. The price of beer, NBC notes, has risen at a rate that both matches and sometimes exceeds the rate of overall inflation. On top of that, as consumers ditch the mass-market brands like Bud Light they often embrace more expensive brands—a phenomenon that led to the ascendance of Modelo Especial in 2023. These factors, coupled with strong international sales, mean that profits remain high within the beer category.

We will likely continue to see this sort of dualism play out within the beer industry throughout 2024 and beyond: Fewer drinkers and a onetime glut of microbreweries paring down to levels that better match demand, but maybe also higher profits overall as the palates of existing drinkers become more particular. Recent beverage trends like seltzer and RTD cocktails haven’t been enough to topple this dominant category, they’ve made it a lot harder for beer to stand out from the pack.

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Big beer giants like Anheuser-Busch InBev and Molson Coors Beverage are known for brewing beers from diverse brands in their huge production plants. What might surprise many is the fact that various craft-beer brands operate without their own breweries, instead choosing to sign contract-brewing agreements with other brewing firms.

Typically, oversize brewing firms with free production capacity and brewing schedule space undertake the task of brewing beers for a different business. This encompasses brewing, fermenting, cellaring, and packaging into kegs, cans, and bottles. Generally, it also involves cold storage after packaging, before the client company distributes its beers to vendors.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, contract brewing was viewed negatively. Many within the brewing sector perceived it as a short-cut used by brewers devoid of passion or skill. Fans of craft-beer during that period came to share those views and showed a distrust in a brand’s beers if they were brewed by a different entity. This wasn’t helped by the fact that beers brewed under contract were typically of uninteresting, commonplace styles offered by brands lacking an interesting narrative, point of view, or marketing moxie.

However, contract-brewing has evolved significantly over the past ten years, particularly in San Diego County, where it is increasingly common. It is benefitting both the companies that provide these services and their customers.

It’s not uncommon for business proprietors to choose to have their beers brewed by a different establishment. This choice can stem from various motivators.

A significant portion of these entrepreneurs harbor ambitious business goals and possess the acumen to attain them by establishing a brand and marketing beer. However, they may lack the desire or means to create and oversee a production facility. Constructing such a facility is not only a time-consuming endeavor but also a financially demanding one. Despite the possibility of reducing time expenditure by taking over a pre-existing brewery, the financial outlay is substantial. As a result, newcomers to the industry often find themselves with little capital to start with.

Electing to have one’s beers contract-brewed provides a business owner with the opportunity to concentrate on marketing and selling their product, as well as bringing in revenue. This option eliminates the expenses and liabilities associated with operating a brewery. Added benefits include not having to hire staff for production, cellaring, or packaging purposes. This circumstance allows a business owner to maintain a small, concentrated team primarily dedicated to sales and other revenue-generating sectors of the business. Additionally, clients significantly save on utility bills and other circumvented overhead expenses.

Apart from monetary incentives, hiring a contract brewing company also offers the advantage of professional expertise, particularly important for business owners with limited or no experience in brewing. Most brewing companies that provide contract services expand to a size capable of doing so based on their product’s quality.

A prime example of local contract brewing is AleSmith Brewing. This Miramar-based brewery has been around for 28 years and has been contract brewing for roughly ten. Known globally for their award-winning beers, AleSmith offers a diverse range of services in recipe development and refinement according to their clients’ needs. They are experts in their brewing system, beer styles, and ingredients while their clients appreciate the guidance they receive from the AleSmith brewing team.

Contract brewing is not only for entrepreneurs who do not own breweries. Brewery owners whose production capabilities are at full capacity also enter into contract brewing agreements. In such scenarios, the brewery owner will have their best-selling beers replicated as closely as possible by the contract brewing operation.

Typically, the contract brewery will have a larger setup and be capable of brewing the client’s popular beers in significantly larger batches. This is particularly beneficial for breweries that are expanding their distribution into new regions or states.

So, who contracts brewing and who is under contract?

AleSmith has become a contract-brewing powerhouse, joining Mission Brewery in the East Village, which has been a player in the arena for well over a decade. Miramar-based Ballast Point Brewing and North Park-based Mike Hess Brewing are other large operations that diversify their revenue streams in this manner, but other smaller breweries have dabbled in contract-brewing as well.

Earlier this year, San Marcos-based Creative Creature Brewing began working with Riverside County homebrewer and podcaster Justin Allen to produce the beers of his side hustle, BeerDad’s Brew Works. And over the summer, local chef and cookbook author Lauren Lawless teamed with Vista-based WestBrew to unveil the inaugural blonde ale of her Flawless Beer brand. While Lawless has plenty of experience developing flavors, she had zero experience with brewing or background in how beer is made. Working with experienced brewing professionals has allowed her to pour all of her energy into marketing her beer via television, magazines and news outlets, and getting her beer sold by bars, restaurants and other retail establishments.

Other local brands getting along with some help from their contracting friends include Cerveza Xteca, Hillcrest Brewing, Latitude 33 Brewing, Mason Ale Works, Paradise Hills Brewing, Shoots Beer and SouthNorte Beer. The lattermost of those concerns has won multiple gold medals for its beers at the most prestigious professional brewing competition in the world — Denver’s Great American Beer Festival — proving the quality that can be achieved in the modern era of contract-brewing, another key reason it’s now seen as a viable and intelligent option for certain individuals looking to make a splash in the beer industry.

Brandon Hernández is founder of San Diego Beer News (www.sandiegobeer.news), a site providing daily coverage of the county’s brewing industry, a beat he’s covered for 17 years. Follow him @sdbeernews or contact him at: brandon@sandiegobeer.news

Happy New Beer Year!

After looking back over 2023 in last week’s column, today we will look ahead and offer some thoughts, predictions and a resolution for 2024.

It seems that the days of craft brewing being an automatic cash cow (for those who do it well) are gone. While the pandemic certainly took its toll, I believe that the craft beer market had already started to slow down before that. After all, we couldn’t count on double-digit percentage sales increases forever.

I think that this means 2024 will be a year of slight growth, but guided by cautious hands on the rudder. This is both a pretty safe call and a good thing, I believe. Although we all enjoyed seeing new breweries pop up all over the map (and seemingly every week), I think there truly can be “too much of a good thing.” Having an endless array of choices can be exciting, but it also can be paralyzing. Few if any of us have unlimited cash to spend on trying every brew that floods down the pike.

If I ruled the craft beer world, I’d love to see most small-to-medium breweries narrow their focus a bit. It’s great to have a varied portfolio, but that doesn’t mean you have to have a dozen different styles, or even a dozen different beers. There’s nothing wrong with featuring an IPA, a stout, a pale ale, a sour and maybe one or two other styles.

Lagers, of course, are always refreshing to see in a craft brewery’s lineup, but we all know lagers take more time to make and aren’t always feasible, depending on the brewery’s capacity and schedule.

On the other hand, there are cases where I’d love to see a bit more diversity from some breweries. But I am certainly not going to tell anyone to change a business model that works for them.

One trend that I’d love to see slow down a little is the New England IPA haze craze. But again, if tons of people are still buying them at a heady clip, then so be it. I just wish I could find more diversity in the IPA category on beer shelves now.

My final wish today (and every day, frankly) is for more cask beer to be available. As always, I understand the ephemeral nature of real (cask) ale and the risks of trying to sell it. And maybe that leads me to the resolution part of today’s column: If you’re a craft beer fan, I assume you love real ale, so make sure you resolve to support any event that features it.

And don’t be afraid to ask about it at your local brewery. The only way the place is going to try it is if they think they can sell it. And they’ll only think they can sell it if enough people ask.

I hope you all have a marvelous 2024. Cheers.

You can reach me at geolenker@yahoo.com.

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Craft beer enthusiasts often have comprehensive knowledge about IPAs, yet ESBs remain somewhat enigmatic. ESBs, an acronym for extra special bitter, are a variation of pale ales that originated from England. These beers present a pleasant variation to IPAs in terms of both alcoholic potency and taste profile. Where IPAs typically have an alcohol by volume concentration between 5% to 7%, ESBs usually are in the range of 4.5% to 5.5% ABV. This lower ABV makes ESBs more suitable for session drinking, that is, they can be enjoyed in multiple servings in one occasion without causing severe inebriation.

In terms of taste, ESBs do not hold up to their name’s implication of significant bitterness. These brews are generally less bitter than the majority of IPAs in the market, yet they still offer a robust, malt-forward flavor that leaves a strong impression on the taste buds. Although ESBs have not yet reached the popularity level of other craft beers in the United States, they have been gradually acquiring a dedicated fan base among discerning beer drinkers since their inception many decades ago.

More information: 10 Of The Healthiest Beers You Can Drink

ESBs trace back to traditional English bitters, a beer style that has been enthralling beer aficionados in England since the 17^th century. Besides the English malts used in brewing the beer, the distinctive taste of the original bitters resulted from the mineral-rich water used during the brewing process during those times. Their popularity saw a surge over the years as beer enthusiasts started favoring less darker-style ales. As time progressed, traditional bitters split into three separate types: Ordinary, best, and extra special.

Most beer connoisseurs credit Fuller’s brewery with creating the ESB that’s known and loved today. The London-based brewery already offered versions of ordinary and special bitters when they added the extra special type in 1971. Fuller’s ESB recipe proved to be quite popular and eventually influenced other breweries to create their versions of the beer. These days, ESBs reside within the wide selection of flavorful craft brews, which includes many iterations of IPAs, sours, lagers, and much more.

India pale ale, more commonly referred to as IPA, is a wildly popular style of beer known for its intensely hoppy flavor. These hops are what give IPAs their characteristic bitterness, which is accompanied by a substantial ABV. When compared to ESBs, IPAs turn up the bitterness. And while lots of beer drinkers enjoy those qualities in their brews, ESBs are generally considered cleaner and more easy-drinking.

As mentioned, ESB is a style of pale ale and is known for being pleasantly hoppy but also malty and sweet. Compared to blond ale, which also falls under the pale ale category, they are more flavorful. Blond ales are so mild that they don’t have any discernable malt or hop flavor, are lighter in color, and typically come in between 4.1% and 5.1% ABV. ESB is a wonderfully session-able style of beer for those who enjoy a moderate amount of body and flavor and want to be able to drink a few in one sitting. If you’re wondering where to get one locally, there are plenty of stellar craft breweries throughout the U.S.

Read the original article on Daily Meal.

Americans drank less beer in 2023 than any other year this century amid a general decline in demand that was spear-pointed by a widespread boycott against Bud Light.

Analysts at Beer Markets Insights say that the boycott–instigated by Bud Light’s sponsorship agreement with transgender influence Dylan Mulvaney–did not explain the whole decline. Instead, BMI vice president and executive editor David Steinman says the boycott only accelerated a more general decline in demand for “domestic premium” brands like Bud Light, Miller Light and Coors Light, according to NBC News.

BMI found that consumption was on track to fall below 200 million barrels in the U.S. for the first time since 1999.

Anheuser Busch did lead the decline in sales, according to BMI. Nevertheless, Coors Light, Miller Light and other top U.S. beers also saw a decline.

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The uproar against Bud Light began in the spring when the company partnered with Mulvaney to celebrate the influencer’s full year spent identifying as a woman. The company delivered Mulvaney cans with the influencer’s face, which were featured in a number of posts online.

The social media videos stirred up a hostile reaction from conservatives and die-hard beer enthusiasts who believed that the iconic American label was ditching its traditional consumer group in favor of extreme left-wing identity politics.

A few days following the Mulvaney uproar, comments from Alissa Heinerscheid, Bud Light’s ex Vice President of Marketing, added to the company’s woes.

In an interview, Heinerscheid disclosed that she was instructed to change the brand’s “fratty” persona into one that was more “inclusive”. These remarks went viral in connection with the Mulvaney initiative, only exacerbating the company’s issues.

As there was a significant drop in sales, Brendan Whitworth, the CEO of Anheuser-Busch, Bud Light’s parent company, spoke out about the scandal on April 14.

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The CEO claimed the company “never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people,” adding, “We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.”

By May, Anheuser-Busch had dropped $27 billion in market value and sales were down nearly 30% compared to the previous year.

Bud Light has been struggling to revamp its public image ever since.

Fox News’ Kristine Parks contributed to this report

Original article source: Beer-drinking in America fell to lowest point this century amid Bud Light boycott: ‘Tough year for beer’

Ed Ostberg looking over a brewery blueprint at his office on County Line Road.

A new microbrewery, Upper Hudson Brewing Co., plans to make its mark in Queensbury despite a series of zoning hurdles.

If approved, Upper Hudson aims to be a wholesale brewery that contracts with small, regional breweries, to brew and can their beers for sale to restaurants or in cans on-site.

Upper Hudson will also have a tasting room with about six tables.

“We’re going to do a real cross range of beers,” Owner Ed Ostberg told The Post-Star. “I have a spruce tip ale which is my version of what they served the Revolutionary Era soldiers. We also do stouts, porters. We do some really good German and Czech-style pilsners. We can brew pretty much anything.”

The plan is to renovate an existing industrial building that sits on 22 acres of land at 639 County Line Road near the Warren County airport in Queensbury.

“The primary use will be for production, there are plans for a small tasting room, but the primary use will be to produce beer,” project engineer Erik Sandblom said at a recent Planning Board meeting.

Before brewing or renovations can begin, however, the site must first undergo site plan review and a zone change to have microbreweries as an allowable use in a Commercial Light Industrial zone.

“They’re essentially just bouncing me between zoning, planning, and the local town board,” remarked Ostberg, commenting on the tough development proceedings.

While the state of New York permits microbreweries to be situated within Industrial zones, the Town of Queensbury does not, a fact Ostberg finds especially aggravating given that Adirondack Winery operates under an industrial zone.

“It’s virtually similar when you substitute wine with beer,” stated Ostberg.

Ostberg, who has been running Design Function, Inc. for approxiamtely three decades, owns the current building on County Line Road. Design Function, Inc. is a company that designs and fabricates commercial graphics for museum exhibits and trade conventions.

According to Ostberg, Design Function plans to slightly reduce operations at a lower level of the building to accommodate a brewery on the top floor.

For several years, Ostberg has been working on his brewery project. This includes an unsuccessful attempt to set up a venue in downtown Glens Falls. Ostberg estimates that, upon approval, it would take approximately six months to transform the County Line Road building into a brewery.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ostberg purchased ten 10-barrel fermenters and two 20-barrel fermenters from Paradox Brewing in Schroon Lake.

Ostberg stated, “Paradox built a brand new brewery, and we bought their original brewery. I have all the necessary brewing equipment, including pipes, pumps, control systems, and a steam generator for the brew kettle. The only thing missing is packaging.”

Ostberg plans to work with a mobile cannery service to pack his goods onsite before distributing them to various destinations, according to him.

The size of Upper Hudson will be about half of Common Roots Brewing in South Glens Falls, which runs on a 20-barrel system and has built a reputation in the area. The production’s size implies that it will produce minimal noise and odors, says Sandblom.

Ostberg notes that the byproduct waste from the brewing process, including used grains, will be packaged in totes and transported to a nearby farm for chicken and livestock feeding.

The project received a positive review from the Queensbury Planning Board, which found no negative environmental effects. It also recommended to the Town Board a zoning change to permit microbreweries in the Commercial Light Industrial zone.

When Upper Hudson Brewing goes before the Queensbury Town Board has yet to be determined, according to Ostberg.

Luke Mosseau is a reporter who covers Queensbury, Lake George and northern Warren Coutny. His beats are Business, Planning and Housing. Contact: 518-742-3224, lmosseau@poststar.com.

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Plenty of events are happening in Grand Rapids this weekend, including New Year’s Early Eve at the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum, a Grand Rapids Griffins game and a NYE Beer Tour. (Joel Bissell | MLive.com)Joel Bissell | MLive.com

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The countdown till the new year is officially on this weekend with Grand Rapids area locals and out-of-town guests already planning their best glitzy outfits for an awesome night out.

Whether you’re popping champagne with friends or watching the ball drop with family, there are plenty of events happening in Grand Rapids, including New Year’s Early Eve at the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum, a Grand Rapids Griffins game and a NYE Beer Tour.

Keep scrolling to find five fun things to do this weekend, from Dec. 29-31.

1. Holiday Hikes and Hugs (with goats)

Join Dreamgoats at 10594 Burton Rd. in Belding for the Holiday Hike and Hugs with a chance to meet some cute goats.

From 2-5 p.m., all are welcome to choose one hour to sip on some hot cocoa while warming up with some goat hugs next to a crackling bonfire or joining them on a wintry wonderland walk.

Guests also have the chance to donate their Christmas trees while they’re still green.

Tickets are $20 per adult, $10 for kids under 12 and free for kids under two. There will also be Soap n Goat swag for sale after the event.

Purchase tickets and book a time slot here.

2. New Year’s Early Eve

Bring the kids to Grand Rapids Children’s Museum’s New Year’s Early Eve celebration at 11 Sheldon Ave. NE.

From 5-8 p.m., parents can expect plenty of hands-on activities for the little ones, including a magic show, glitter booth, photo booth, music, dancing, snacks and much more.

Tickets are $25 for general admission and $15 for members.

Learn more here.

3. Grand Rapids Griffins

The Grand Rapids Griffins take on the Cleveland Monsters starting at 6 p.m. on New Year’s Eve.

Following the game at 130 W. Fulton St., fans can enjoy an indoor fireworks show and open skate on Van Andel Arena ice.

Ticket prices vary. Learn more and purchase tickets here.

4. Cedar’s New Year’s Springing Eve Ball Drop

Come spring in the new year in downtown Cedar Springs for the city’s New Year’s Ball Drop on Sunday, Dec. 31.

From 9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., guests can expect a fun night as the community bids farewell to 2023 between Cherry Street and Maple Street.

There will be shopping events at local businesses, an illuminated dance contest, drinks in the social district, a live radio broadcast from WGLM Radio Station, and much more.

Learn more here.

5. NYE Beer Tour

Grand Rapids Beer Tours invites those 21 and over to a fun night of bar hopping as the city rings in the new year on Dec. 31.

From 2 p.m. – 6 p.m., various Grand Rapids breweries and bars will be participating, offering up everything from a strong IPA to tea-infused ales and Michigan craft beers.

The tour includes 10 large samples of beer, a brewery tour, and transportation to and from the breweries with a knowledgeable beer tour guide. Stops include:

Tickets are $65 and can be purchased online.

Want more Grand Rapids-area news? Bookmark the local Grand Rapids news page or sign up for the free “3@3 Grand Rapids” daily newsletter.

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Orem’s Diner on Danbury Road in Wilton, Conn., on March 9, 2020. The owner of Orem’s Diner, Demetri Papanikolaou, also belongs to the group of owners that runs Twelve Gods Brewery and supports the proposed ordinance change.

WILTON — The town of Wilton is a small step away from approving an ordinance amendment that may allow craft breweries to retail alcohol in Wilton. The final decision rests in the hands of the residents of the town and will be made soon.

In August, the trio that owns the Twelve Gods Brewery in Wilton, which is currently a distribution-only business, submitted a request to the town’s Board of Selectmen. They have asked to consider an ordinance alteration that would enable a brewery in the town to retail the beer on-produced for both consumption on the premises and takeout.

Post a public hearing which was well received on the proposed adaptation, the town’s Board of Selectmen voted unanimously at a meeting held on the evening of Tuesday, Dec. 19, to allow the ordinance alteration.

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The final step will be a vote by the public at a Special Town Meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 9, at Wilton High’s Clune Center auditorium on 395 Danbury Road.

Residents will also have another chance to speak up on the issue before the vote is taken. For the proposal to be approved, a minimum of 50 Wilton registered voters must be present at the meeting, with a simple majority vote needed to pass.

“There seems to be no opposition at this point; the town is ready for this,” First Selectwoman Toni Boucher said. “Restaurants in town are allowed to sell alcoholic beverages. But Twelve Gods Brewery doesn’t sell food, so it doesn’t fall into the category of a restaurant.

“Breweries are not addressed in the current town ordinance. Everyone who spoke at the public hearing had positive things to say and made good arguments for it. I see this as a positive move,” said Boucher, who took over as first selectwoman in December.

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The legal notice from town poses the question: Shall the proposed amendment to Chapter 8, Article I of the Wilton Code of Ordinances, “Sale of Alcoholic Liquor” adopted by the Board of Selectmen on December 19, 2023, be approved?

The proposed amendment would allow breweries that have received a brewery permit from the state to manufacture and sell beer in the town of Wilton for on-premises and off-premises consumption; establish hours of operation for on-premises retail sales that are the same as those in restaurants in town; and set hours for off-premises retail sales that are the same as those for package stores located in town.

Four members of the public spoke at the Dec. 19 public hearing, with Demetri Papanikolaou, one of the owners of Twelve Gods Brewery, summing up what everyone said and adding his experience as a brewery owner.

“This is a unique opportunity for our community; it aligns with the values of making Wilton a special place to live,” said Papanikolaou, who also owns Orem’s Diner in town. “Endorsing this ordinance change will allow breweries to contribute a fair amount to our local economy and open things up for job creation.

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“Craft breweries are known for their unique flavors and creative expressions adding to our cultural landscape,” he said. “It’s a step toward nurturing a vibrant and inclusive community. They are social hubs that bring people together, creating a new space for community gatherings and fostering a sense of belonging and camaraderie.”

If the town votes to approve the ordinance change to allow breweries to sell their products for consumption on and off premises, the breweries must follow the state and local hours for such sales. In Wilton, the local law limits the sale of alcoholat the end of the day to one or two hours earlier than the state law, depending on the day.

In the year 1993, the duo of Lee Doxtader and Scott Stamp, two ambitious entrepreneurs, launched a restaurant equipped with a brewery. They set it up in a mall strip in Grantville and named it after what would later come to be globally recognized for its premium brews – San Diego Brewing Company. At the time it was among only a few beer production establishments within the county and was in good company with Karl Strauss, Pizza Port, and San Marcos Brewery & Grill.

The restaurant, having its location near to spots like Jack Murphy Stadium, SDSU, and the activity-hub that is the Mission Valley area of the city, gave many locals their first experience of beer produced on-site. House creations such as their Blueberry Wheat and Old Town Nut Brown were quite a hit and the 50-tap list introduced customers to classic European beers and the stellar creations of early American craft-beer pioneers. This often initiated a journey for casual drinkers leading them to a newfound love for beer.

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Tyson and Kristina Blake’s fondness for the liquid art stems from their mutual connection to the Grantville mainstay.

They moved from upstate New York in 2001, with Tyson securing employment at San Diego Brewing. Kristina joined him in 2003, and their shared love for craft beer, as well as each other, grew stronger there. The couple, energetic and outgoing, initiated a series of beer-pairing dinners that proved both delicious and informative, fostering community growth among newer members of San Diego’s rapidly expanding beer community.

In the subsequent decade, the Blakes tied the knot and transitioned away from San Diego Brewing to carve their own niche in the beer and hospitality industry. Presently, they are the proud co-owners of O’Brien’s Pub in Kearny Mesa, The Pub at Lake Cuyamaca, and West Coast Smoke & Tap House in La Mesa. During a conversation with Bob and Lisa Townsend at the Tap House, San Diego Brewing — a place of sentimental value to the Blakes — was nostalgically discussed.

The Townsends, like the Blakes, have cherished recollections of their time at San Diego Brewing during the early 2000s. Also, like the Blakes, the Townsends possess significant experience in managing time-honored eateries. Since 2016, they have operated their family enterprise, the San Diego Chicken Pie Shop in North Park, which has been serving customers for 85 years. So when the chance came up to buy San Diego Brewing, they instinctively sought the Blakes as partners in the venture.

On November 1, precisely three decades after San Diego Brewing first welcomed patrons, a small but significant celebration was held as the Blakes and Townsends received the keys to the brewpub. Many stalwarts of the brewing industry, some visiting for the first time in years, came in to toast the rejuvenation of this long-established business.

Despite being a revered name among local beer aficionados, San Diego Brewing has struggled to stay contemporary within the evolving craft beer scene. The menu, selection of brewery’s unique beers, and interior decor have mostly remained stagnant over the past ten years, apart from the addition of roll-up doors for temporary outdoor seating during the pandemic. The new owners recognized the necessity to refresh the brewpub and bring it into the present, embracing the challenge regardless of the extensive effort required.

The immediate plan for the owners is to navigate through the bustling holiday and football seasons, and then the NCAA basketball tournaments in March, before temporarily closing the brewpub for renovations. These amendments will involve modifying the dining room setup, implementing new lighting, and building a permanent outdoor patio. However, the changes will not be limited to merely aesthetic ones.

The head brewer, Matt Navarre, while continuing to brew some of the classic house beers of San Diego Brewing, is also inspired to explore a range of beer types, from traditional ales and lagers, to the contemporary India pale ales and stouts with new and innovative ingredients and methods. Furthermore, the owners have procured a nearby warehouse to house a packaging setup, which would enable San Diego Brewing to offer products for takeout and small-scale distribution to local stores, which includes the upcoming San Diego Hard Seltzer Company.

The menu will also be updated to include new dishes that fit within the pub-grub category — pizzas, burgers, sandwiches, soups, salads — but include more worldly, contemporary ingredients and complex flavor profiles. Off-menu specials (a “SoCal wedge” salad, and sandwiches packed with red-wine-braised beef and succulent pork belly) have provided sneak peeks of what the new bill of fare may look like.

That said, ownership understands that in assuming control of an eatery with so many established regulars, there are some items that are iconic. They weren’t certain which, thus they recently conducted a survey on social media to gauge followers on their preferred dishes. Consequently, items such as San Diego Brewing’s beer-cheese soup and boneless chicken wings will remain on the menu.

The Blakes also plan to revive their beer-pairing dinners, a tradition that continued at O’Brien’s Pub since Tyson’s departure from San Diego Brewing to assume the role of the general manager there in 2010. The special-event series has bolstered his reputation as one of the foremost culinary practitioners where beer-infused and beer-paired dishes come into play.

Even at this early stage, San Diego Brewing’s new ownership has managed to excite die-hard beer fans — even those who had written off this long-standing institution — for what lies ahead and are keen to support a comeback for one of the earliest local, independent beer strongholds in the county.

Brandon Hernández is founder of San Diego Beer News (www.sandiegobeer.news), a site providing daily coverage of the county’s brewing industry, a beat he’s covered for 17 years. Follow him @sdbeernews or contact him at brandon@sandiegobeer.news

We are just days from 2024, so let’s review 2023, with most of the following data courtesy of the Brewers Association, a not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American craft brewers.

It would appear that the past year was a mixed bag for craft brewing. While year-end final numbers are not quite available yet, indicators point to production being down in 2023, which would be the first time (not counting the COVID-flattened 2020) that independent brewers have seen such a decline.

Craft beer also saw an ongoing shrinkage of market share in the alcoholic beverage category. The BA attributes this decline to several factors, including pricing, demographics, and marketing/branding. Bart Watson, chief economist for the Brewers Association, still put a positive spin on the middling news.

“While many individual businesses are struggling, there is good news in the continued overall popularity of the category. Yes, things are more challenging, but independent brewers still sell more than one out of eight beers in the United States; beer drinkers spend roughly one out of four of their beer dollars on a beer from a small and independent brewer; and the industry remains a source of jobs and community across the country,” he said in a statement.

Two prominent factors appeared again, contributing to the complexity in the craft beer industry: supply chain complications and issues related to climate change. Despite supply chain difficulties being somewhat less drastic than prior years, ongoing disruptions caused by climate change posed hardships for brewers throughout the year.

The environment influenced two primary ingredients used in brewing: barley and hops. The North American barley yield in 2023 exceeded 2022’s harvest, but still fell below the average of the past five years. Barley suffered from both below-average rainfall and above-average heat, particularly in Canadian prairie provinces and certain areas of Montana.

Although American hops production experienced fewer disruptions, the production of European hop varieties declined. Reflecting the broader trend of the year, it was a case of one step forward and one step back.

Nonetheless, a proposed bill – the United States Postal Service (USPS) Shipping Equity Act – could make a significant difference for craft brewing. This legislation aims to provide USPS with permissions equivalent to those of private carriers, allowing them to deliver alcohol in states where such delivery is legally permitted.

“While the Brewers Association, along with state guilds, will continue to fight for additional market access in areas such as direct-to-consumer shipping, many of craft’s current challenges will require new strategies to reach new and existing customers in new occasions with new flavors and innovations,” Watson said. “To grow in 2024, small brewers can work to take share within the same pie or grow the pie in new ways.”

This makes the legislation beneficial to breweries, consumers and the postal service.

That sounds like a win-win-win to me.

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