Even though the 12th annual Great American Beer Festival held here recently was the nation’s largest event of its kind, its theme could have been “small is beautiful.”
More than 200 brewers served more than 900 kinds of beer to about 15,000 people at the Currigan Exhibition Hall during the two-day event. But the bulk of the brewers were producers of small specialty beers, also known as craft-brewed beers.
In contrast to mass-produced brands such as Budweiser, Miller and Coors, craft-brewed beers are noted for their variety of ingredients, dark colors and rich flavors. RJ’s Ginseng Beer, for example, is a Chicago brand made with ginseng root and natural ginseng extract.
Exhibitors included microbreweries such as the 3-year-old Chicago Brewing Co. and brewpubs such as the Weinkeller Brewery, whose two outlets in Berwyn and Westmont are expected to manufacture a modest 1,200 barrels of beer this year.
In contrast, the Boston Beer Co. is one of the largest specialty brewers in America, but even its pace of production pales in comparison with large breweries. Jim Koch, president and brewmaster of the nine-year-old company, estimates that his 1992 output of 273,000 barrels equals the amount of beer that Anheuser-Busch, the nation`s largest brewer, makes in three hours.
To judges at the festival, bigger is not usually better. Koch’s Samuel Adams beer has won more awards in the history of the festival than any other brand.
Many beer drinkers also are raising a glass to the increasing popularity of specialty beers. While overall U.S. domestic sales remained stagnant last year, sales of craft-brewed beers surged 41 percent to $1,204,976, after rising 34 percent in 1991 and 29 percent in 1990.
Beer enthusiasts, tired of the American-style lagers produced by large breweries that have dominated the national beer market for the past 50 years, are now reaching for ales, porters, bocks and stouts. These styles, once associated largely with imported brands, are commonly offered by small American breweries.
Beer fans who are looking for that classic English pale ale may want to try Las Vegas instead of London. The Holy Cow! Casino Cafe Brewery in Las Vegas won the gold medal in the classic English pale ale category at the festival this year. The Great Lakes Brewing Co. in Cleveland won the silver medal for Burning River Ale, a name that speaks less of jolly old England than of the once-flammable nature of the Cuyahoga River.
For a ticket price of $21.50 at the door, attendees received small glasses that gave them license to sample one-ounce shots of any beer at the festival. Occasionally the sound of one of these glasses breaking on the floor would set off a sustained roar throughout the crowd. Despite the opportunity for alcohol-related problems, those in attendance treated it less like a large, indoor bar and more like its intended purpose: a smorgasbord of beers from all over the country.
In addition to the many categories of ales (top-fermented beers) and lagers (bottom-fermented beers) brewers compete in several categories of hybrid and speciality beers. Old Crustacean, a burgundy-colored beer from Rogues Ale in Newport, Ore., won first place in the barley wine category. The Celis Brewery in Austin, Tex., won the gold in the herb and spice category for Celis White, a spicy, golden-colored concoction brewed from equal parts malt and Texas winter wheat.
Alaskan Smoked Porter, put out by the Alaskan Brewing Co. in Douglas, Alaska, was chosen as the best smoke-flavored beer at the festival. This seasonal beer, brewed with roasted malts and smoked over a fire, is amber-colored and slightly bitter.
The most medals at this year’s festival were awarded to Marin Brewing Co., a brewpub near San Francisco that has an annual output of 2,400 barrels. Its fruity Bluebeery Ale captured a gold medal for the third time in the past four years. The little brewpub also won a silver for its dark-colored Pt. Reyes Porter and a bronze for Marin Hefe-Weiss, a wheat beer made with hops from Mt. Hood.
The New Belgium Brewing Co. in Ft. Collins, Colo., which won top honors in the speciality category for its Abbey Trappist Style Ale, exemplifies the small-scale appeal of microbreweries. Founded in the owner’s basement in 1991, it produces 6,600 barrels a year. On a recent tour of its new facility, the guide asked a visitor to finish conducting the tour while she went and answered phones. Another visitor, who wanted to buy a T-shirt from the brewery, was allowed to rummage through the brewery office, opening several boxes before finding the right shirt.
In addition to the bevy of beers offered, exhibitors demonstrated home brewing techniques and discussed cooking with beer as an ingredient. On hand to sign books were two of the biggest names of the beer scene: Charlie Papazian, who is the president of the Association of Brewers, founder of the American Homebrewers Association and author of “The New Complete Joy of Home Brewing,” and Michael Jackson, the British author of “The New World Guide to Beer” and “The Pocket Guide to Beer.”
Although small breweries dominated the Great American Beer Festival, large breweries were well represented in such categories as American premium lager, American malt liquor and non-alcholic.
The nation’s largest breweries (Anheuser-Busch, Miller, Coors, Stroh, G. Heileman and Pabst) often are referred to as the Big Six. These companies have long been known for introducing beers with qualities that seem to be the antithesis of speciality beers: light, dry, non-alcoholic and most recently, clear and ice.
Members of the Big Six have taken heed of the current success of the microbrewery movement and have made similiar offerings of their own. These include Reserve Amber Ale from Miller, Old Tankard Ale from Pabst, Old Style Royal Amber Ale from G. Heileman, and wheat and season beers from Coors and the Stroh Brewing Company.
Because much of the allure of microbreweries and brewpubs is related to their small size and independent status, many fans of craft-brewed beers are are wary of the Big Six’s new products, created largely for their marketing appeal, and they don’t foresee that the large breweries will change their approach soon.
But they did note that the day before the festival began, Anheuser-Busch confirmed rumors that Spuds MacKenzie, poster dog of Bud Light, died at age 10 in her North Riverside home in May.
