A couple of weeks ago the Brewer’s Association released their annual Top 50 list that ranks craft breweries by sales volume. Each year the craft brewing community takes a look at the list to see where they fall in the ranks of craft beer’s elite breweries. With 2,403 breweries currently up and running it takes a lot to even break into this list and simply getting no it is no guarantee that you will stay there.

The Brewer’s Association was formed in 2005 when the Association of brewers and the Brewers’ Association of America merged and have been putting out these ever since. While 2005 doesn’t seem that long ago, in beer years quite a bit has changed. The popularity of craft beer has skyrocketed in that time and is enjoying it’s highest market share in the modern era.

As you may know by now I am a fan of visualizing data to find trends and patterns that aren’t always apparent by looking at the numbers. I thought it would be interesting to see what these top 50 lists can show us about the growth of craft beer and who is taking the most advantage of it’s popularity. I compiled the top 50 lists from 2006-2012 and plotted the progression of each brewery through time. 2005 is missing because I could not locate the craft beer version of the list for this year. Surprisingly the Brewer’s Association does not keep an archived list and anything 2008 or later took some digging to find.

I will point out that without the actual sales volume numbers this is an incomplete picture of how well these breweries are doing. The Boston Beer Company (Sam Adams) is number one by a large margin but in these lists they are only one spot above Sierra Nevada. That being said you can still see relative relationships compared to their peers.

Here is the result.

Visualizing the Top 50 Breweries list over time. (Click to enlarge)

Here are a couple interesting trends that I noticed while plotting this data.

It’s Good to be King

The Top 10 breweries over time. (Click to enlarge)

Yellow – Breweries that have stayed in the Top 10 since 2006
Orange – Breweries that have moved into the Top 10
Blue – Breweries that have fallen out of the Top 10 since 2006

The first thing that jumps out is that you don’t see a whole lot of variation in the the Top 10 list. The guys who were big 7 years ago are still big. Of the top 10 breweries in 2006 six are still there and there is virtually no movement in the top four once Gambrinus was added.

Excluding Gambrinus (which was added in 2007), three breweries have worked their way up to the top 10 list. The biggest climb came from Lagunitas Brewing which sat at #27 in 2006. Most of their ascent took place in the last three years when they jumped 20 spots

The domination if these brands makes sense as established breweries are more widely distributed, can obtain loans to build even bigger operations, and have name recognition that newer breweries can’t compete with. Even the three breweries that have fallen out of the top 10 since 2006 (Boulevard Brewing, Full Sail Brewing, and Alaskan Brewing) are still producing a lot of beer with the furthest only dropping to the 24 spot.

Steady Risers

Breweries that have avoided major falls in the Top 50 rankings. (Click to enlarge)

Yellow – Breweries that have never dropped in the rankings since 2006
Orange – Breweries that have never dropped but have nowhere to go but down.
Red – Breweries that have had steady growth with a one time drop.

Since 2006 there are only three breweries that have managed to rise in the rankings every year with a handful of others that had a small drop one year but have still shown steady growth. Naturally the top 3 don’t show much variation, but there is no where to go when you are at the top.

Bell’s Brewery, Stone Brewing, and Victory Brewing have never dropped a spot while expanding their operations during the same stretch Deschutes Brewery, Brooklyn Brewery, and Lagunitas Brewing each had a one year drop only to keep moving up the list the following years.

While a lot of things go into moving up this list it is safe to say that these companies have proven their ability to adapt to the changing market place and grow at a steady rate. This is a truly impressive feat in a highly competitive industry. It will be interesting to see how they continue to fare in the next 5 years.

Up and Comers

Young guns of the craft brewing world. (Click to enlarge)

Within the last couple of years there have a been a couple of breweries that have made big moves up the top 50 list. I have called out breweries that have entered the list in the last four years and have moved an average of least 5 spots each year.

Oskar Blues Brewery: 44th in 2009 to 27th in 2012
Bear Republic Brewing: 50th in 2009 to 34th in 2012
Ninkasi Brewing: 50th in 2010 to 31st in 2012
Founders Brewing: 42nd in 2011 to 30th in 2012
Left Hand Brewing: 49th in 2011 to 43rd in 2012
Cold Spring Brewing: unranked in 2011 to 28th in 2012
Southern Tier Brewing: unranked in 2011 to 37th in 2012
Ballast Point Brewing: unranked in 2011 to 46th in 2012

With such a stellar rise I’m curious to see which of these will be able to maintain the momentum keep rising. (On a personal level I would like to note that we have visited six of these eight breweries. They have no doubt benefited from our presence )

The emergence of Cold Spring Brewing might seem like a bit of jump, but they have actually ranked on the Top Breweries (note not restricted to craft breweries) at 34th in 2011. Apparently their status has been moved from a regular brewery to a “craft brewery”. You gain a “craft” distinction by being Small (less that 6,000,000 barrels produced each year), Traditional (not relying heavily on adjunct ingredients), and Independent (no more than 24% of the company is owned by other beer entities).

It should be noted that craft beer isn’t necessarily an industry obsessed with being the biggest or putting out the most beer. Many craft breweries have philosophies that limit how much they expand both in brewing capacity and distribution range. These lists serve primarily to promote the craft beer industry and the breweries that find themselves on the list. In the end a great brewery always comes down the beer itself and the people who make it.

With the temperatures warming up it’s only natural that our minds drift to outdoor endeavors. After enduring a long winter we long to get out and embrace the adventurous spirit that only travel can satisfy. The craft beer community is no different and over the last couple of weeks I have noticed the launch of several beers that draw inspiration from these urges.

So to kick off the beer travel season here are a couple of our favorite travel inspired beer labels.

Road Warrior Kolsch (Terrapin Brewing Co | Athens, GA)
A brew for the beer cyclist. Nothing better than a crisp clean beverage to cap off a long ride.

Road Trip Pilsner (Sweetwater Brewing Co | Atlanta, GA)
The time honored tradition of the American road trip is at the heart of this beer. So grab a case, some friends, and a tank of gas and see where you end up.

Compass Sparkling Ale (Southern Tier Brewing Co | Lakewood, NY)
Lost? Grab a Compass and let it guide you to salvation. Remember “The Journey is the Destination”.

High Road Ale (Cigar City Brewing Co & Rock Brother Brewing | Tampa, FL)
A beer made for local Florida band to celebrate it’s new album. Any time you can combine beer, travel, and music you are doing pretty good.

Nomad Pilsner (Great Divide Brewing Co | Denver, CO)
A beer near and dear to our hearts, I had to do a double take when I saw this on the shelves. Our name sake beer is perfect for a warm summers day as you roam from place to place.

Our path to Tampa.

We didn’t give ourselves a whole lot of time, but with two of Florida’s more prestigious craft beer events taking place on back to back days we were motivated to move. It was all going down in the Ybor City section of Tampa. Saturday was the Florida Brewer’s Beerfest and a couple blocks down was the Florida’s Brewer’s Ball on Sunday. After a rather lengthy tour of Florida’s craft beer scene this seemed like the perfect way to cap off our time in the Sunshine State.

The problem was we were still in Miami as of Wednesday and we needed to cover about 275 miles which is faster than we normally travel. However, with some strategic stops in Boca Raton (Funky Buddha Lounge and Brewery) and Tequesta (Tequesta Brewing Co) we were managed to pull into town on Friday night. So what do you do when you arrive early for a beerfest? You go to brewery.

FRIDAY

In our previous trip through Tampa we took a tour of Cigar City Brewing but felt a little uneasy about trying to park there overnight. After meeting Cigar City’s Joey Redner at Savor he assured us we were welcome to stay overnight anytime and even pointed out they have plug-ins if needed. So we decided to take advantage this time around, not a bad way to start the weekend.

Prepping for the big weekend at Cigar City Brewing.

We met up with our buddy Trace who as the head brewer at Dunedin Brewery was attending the Florida Brewer’s reception at CCB. The brewery always has a lot of taps in their tasting room and had even expanded since the last time we had visited. Maria stepped out of her comfort zone a bit and tried the Ghost Stories braggot (beer that uses least 50% honey for the fermentable sugars). “I have never had anything  like this” she exclaimed after the first sip. The complex flavor was hard to pin down but she enjoyed sipping on it while I drank a the Cubano Esspresso Brown Ale that was loaded with tons of espresso flavor.

Brewer’s from all over Florida were hanging out in the tasting room and sharing beers that they had been working on. It was pretty cool to see the community of Florida brewer’s geeking out over hop varietals and shared yeasts strains. It was a testament to the passion and family atmosphere between the breweries in the state. We ended up closing down the tasting room before we retired to the parking lot to rest up for Saturday’s event.

Prime time parking at Cigar City

SATURDAY
We got up early the next morning and scoped out a place to park the RV near the two fests. As luck would have it we found a bus parking area a couple blocks from each venue not to mention Tampa Bay Brewing Company. This would be our home base for the next two days. The Florida Brewers Beerfest started at 1pm, but when we headed over to the park a line had already wrapped around on side of Centennial Park as a lot of people were excited to start drinking.

Florida Brewers Brewfest in Centennial Park

This fest was a little different for us in that we had visited most of the breweries pouring (about three fourths) and had met the owners or brewers at many of them. Combine this with the fact that we had another fest tomorrow we ending up spending more time visiting with friends and talking to the new breweries than we did trying to sample every beer. Besides the park was packed and definitely brought out a lot of amateurs looking to drink high gravity beers and get wasted. The lines were long and personal space was a premium.

Good tunes, good people, and “those guys”.

Of the the beers we tried a lot of our favorites came from those we knew such as Barley Mow Brewing, Dunedin Brewery, Cigar City Brewing, Saint Somewhere Brewing, and 7venth Sun Brewing. It was great to see all our new beer friends  in one place and even cooler that we were able to see them awarded the medals they had won earlier in the month at The Best Florida Beer Championships. You could see the gratification on their faces as they wore their medals around their necks.

With one fest down and one to go we wrapped up the day by enjoying some sushi and drinking more at the New World Brewery which isn’t actually a brewery anymore but a damn good beer bar. While our brewery friends were in the mood for “strong drink” we decided to rest up for what was sure to be another long of imbibing.

SUNDAY
Waking up in a rough state Maria and I needed  nourishment and joined the visiting brewers for the complimentary continental breakfast at the hotel. Then it was off to the Cuban Club and start it all over again except with a twist. The Brewer’s Ball is a slightly more intimate event that features all the gold medal beers from the day before. This is the cream of the Florida craft beer crop.

High above the Brewer’s Ball.

Most of the brewer’s were there once again but this time they weren’t slinging suds.  They were able to relax and enjoy the ball as all the beer was self serve. Like kids in a candy store we bounced from tap to tap sampling the goods. A couple stand outs were Dunedin Brewery’s The Bard Scotch Ale, 7venth Sun’s Midnight Moonlight, and Cigar City’s legendary Hunahpus Imperial Stout. The weather was a bit chilly but the beers and conversation kept us warm and the live music kept the atmosphere lively.

Good times at the Brewer’s Ball with Saint Somewhere and self poured beers.

After the overall medal’s were awarded we headed out bit early to beat the rush at Tampa Bay Brewing Co which has great food. With our bellies now full of brew and grub it was time to chug water and head home. We have always enjoyed Florida and ever since our first trip to Tampa have had a fond place in our heart for the beer scene which is local, collaborative, and has a family attitude. Touring the state as whole made this only more apparent. By the time we left Florida we had visited 28 breweries and made countless friends. With so many great people in the Sunshine State’s craft beer scene this was the perfect way to say goodbye… until next time.

Here are some more pics from the weekend:

A special cask was pouring that consisted of 13 different Florida’s beers blended together.

A beer fest isn’t complete without some crazy moustaches.

and there was much rejoicing

The legendary Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout

Some of Cigar City’s many medals.

Florida Brewer’s Brewfest

Our fellow beer loving nomads Bill and Debby.

They say that it’s most basic, brewing beer is simply a matter of 1) making sugary liquid (wort) and 2) providing a good environment for it to ferment. The yeast that you add to wort needs to stay within a consistent temperature range to stay active to do their job of eating the sugars and kicking out alcohol and CO2. The first post detailed my experience creating that sweet liquid from Brooklyn Brew Shop’s Coffee Donut Stout 1 -gallon kit, now let’s see what happens when you ferment in an environment that is a little less than stable.

Making wort.

Leading a nomadic lifestyle means that every thing does not go as planned and you have to be able to adjust to new obstacles. In this instance my brother and sister came to visit and we had a need for the cooler that I had set up to ferment in. Fortunately, we have a smaller soft cooler that fit the carboy with some minor adjustments and still provided some insulation and protection from the light.

Fermentation cooler

BOTTLING

Fermentor ready to be receive priming sugar and then bottled.

The Brooklyn Brew Kit recommended bottling the home brew after primary fermentation which requires some empty bottles, bottle caps, and a bottle capper.   I didn’t necessarily want to invest in these if I didn’t have since the whole goal of the project was to work with what I had. Kegging was out of the question (for now) as that involved an even bigger financial and spacial investment.

I had a couple weeks to research options as it takes the brew about two weeks to ferment. In the end I decided to bottle, but with 64 oz growlers instead of 12 oz bottles. A little research revealed that this is a reasonable solution and the beer should carbonate similar to smaller bottles. Of course the larger size of a growler makes them structurally weaker than a 12 or 32 oz bottle and if over carbonated they could crack or even explode.

Test growlers! Traditional glass and stainless steel Hydroflask.

This structural vulnerability instantly brought the Hydro Flask to mind. The double walled stainless steel growler would be much sturdier than the glass version. Plus the vacuum cavity would keep the temperature steady much more consistently which is important considering the RV has greater temperature fluctuations than a sticks and bricks home. We were gifted one by our friends at Nebraska Brewing Co and have been impressed with it’s ability to maintain temperatures for long periods of time.

Since I had 128 oz brewing in the carboy I would need to use two 64 oz growlers and since every brewer is part scientist I decided to “bottle” half in a traditional glass growler and the other half in the Hydro Flask to see how they differed. My hypothesis was that the hydro flask’s insulation and heavy duty screw top seal would lead to a higher carbonated beer.

I dissolved some maple syrup into the solution to give the yeast some carbonating fuel before sealing them up and putting them back in the soft cooler as the insulation provided a small measure of protection from the temperamental temperatures in the RV. It just so happend that we ending our stationary time in Cedar Key and were now going to be driving which meant adding a variable of vibration into the mix.

As we traveled south I grew concerned that the the vessels wouldn’t carbonate enough. I decided to let them sit for another week (three weeks total) before I chilled the growlers to stop carbonation. In that time we had traveled about 650 miles from Cedar Key to the Florida Keys and had experience temperatures ranging from the low 40′s to high 80′s. I started growing more pessimistic about the success of this endeavor and silently told myself it would be good starting point regardless of the outcome.

Drinking

It was about two weeks later that I finally mustered up the courage to pop the cap on the glass growler and see what happened. Our fellow nomadic friend Bill and Debby were on hand for quality control purposes, so I was a littl enervous. I was releieved when I twisted the lid and heard that beautiful ”tsssst” sound as the CO2 escaped. The samples pours sported a healthy brownish crown of foam and a delicious sweet roasty fragrance. It drank quite smoothly with some subtle coffee and chocolate notes.

Introducing The Roaming Pint’s Do-Nut Drink and Drive Stout

There were some issues. We had a couple rogue peices of coconut make their way into the fermenter giving the drinker a hidden “surprise” with their sip. A better straining system should help fix this issue. This growler was also the second to be filled and thus received a bit a sediment from the bottom of the carboy during bottling.

Unfortunately, we didn’t open the Hydro Flask growler until a month and half later thus adding another variable of time into the comparison. After the glass growler turned out alright I thought the Hydro Flask might be over carbonated.

The Hydroflask version of our motorhome brew.

To my surprise it turned out to be under carbonated! The audible “pssst” of c02 escaping was slight and while it poured quite dark the head was fairly small. Since the lid was super tight I can only assume that yeasts were not quite able to complete the job of carbonation or they weren’t very effective at it. This could come from a temperature spike or maybe all the driving just shook up little guys.

The flavor had evolved as well as the beer was much more rich and notes of chocolate accompanied the roasted coffee and coconut sweetness. There was quite a bit of sediment similar to the glass growler which made the last pours undrinkable.

Overall I would say the first phase of the Road brewing Project was a success. I now have a home brew kit that takes up a modest amount of space and have proven to myself that fermentation in an RV is possible. We are already plotting our next brew, most likely a Brooklyn Brew Shop’s Jalepeno Saison. Eventually I would like to formulate my own brews. With our full time travel schedule we have access to many local home brew shops so scoring some good hops and grain shouldn’t be a huge hassle.

So if anyone out there is putting off home brewing because of spacial or monetary restriction know that it can be done small and cheap.

LESSONS LEARNED

• The amount of grain needed for the 1-gallon batch was sizable. In the future I think any batch bigger than 2- gallons would need to be brewed out doors or with extract. This would obviously require an investment in more equipment i.e. turkey burner, bigger pots, etc.
• The prolonged periods of vibration caused by driving on some less than smooth roads did not seem to effect this particular yeast. I suspect this is not the case for yeasts.
• When bottling I wound up with quite a bit of empty growler in the second container. I did not take into account the loss that occurred from treb when transferring. I think next time I would try using a 32 oz hinged cap growler for the seocnd vessel.
• Brewing one gallon of beer takes about as much time as brewing 5 gallons. I would love to yield more beer for the effort but for now I’ll have to stick to super nano brewing (femto brewing?).

The one thing I’ve always wanted to do since we’ve hit the road is to make some home brew…nomadic style. When people hear we are on a nationwide brewery tour they always ask if I brew on the road. I used to give excuses why I don’t, such as we don’t have room for the equipment and it’s too hard to control the temperature not to mention the constant vibration from driving.

Motor home brewing? How will this work?

I finally realized these were merely mental road blocks and I looked at it as a challenge to figure how I could make this happen. I mean I’m a relatively resourceful individual with a background in creative problem solving and at it’s core this was a design challenge. How could I make my own brew on the road given the spacial and environmental constraints of our mobile lifestyle? This meant trying to minimize cost and using as much existing equipment as possible.

I knew a traditional 5 gallon batch was way too big for our modest stove top so I looked into small batch brewing (What’s smaller than nano?). I figured I could handle something 3 gallons or less but even a three gallon batch would require a new pot or two, which would violate my goals of minimal start-up cost and minimal space requirements. This was certainly more complicated than I had anticipated. When I had home brewed back in our stationary days I had a brew buddy with all the equipment. All I had to do was show up, clean, boil, and drink beers.

I had a break through while doing research for our holiday gift guide when I found Brooklyn Brew Shop’s one gallon beer making kits. Not only did it have the small batch size I required but also came with the basic equipment I would need for this endeavor (carboy, thermometer, airlock, racking cane, siphon tube, tube lock, sanitizer, not to mention the ingredients) It was an all inclusive start up kit. Luckily, the good folks at Brooklyn Brew Shop supported my road brewing quest and sent a kit to get me started. My first road brew was going to be one gallon of Coffee & Donut stout.

Brooklyn Brew Shop Beer Making Kit arrives in the mail.

I planned to have the brew day during our extended stay in Florida so that I wouldn’t have to worry too much about vibration and extreme temperature changes during the initial fermentation. The small batch size meant that I the mash and boil would be more managable, but we have had trouble in past trying to boil large amounts of water so I still wasn’t certain this would work. A couple test boils eased my mind and other than gathering some additional ingredients I was set to brew.

BREW DAY

Brewing set-up in the RV

The day had finally arrived. I wanted to do the brewing on a weekend so there would be fewer distractions. I woke up a little early to clean up the kitchen and clear space on the table that would act as my staging area. After sanitizing the equipment with the included sanitizing solution I was ready to go and  fired up the range.

MASHING IN

Left: Prep table Right: Mashing pot

Although I had brewed before this was actually going to be the first time I would attempt to do an all grain batch. I liked this aspect of the brew kit as it gives a true sense of the brewing process. After getting the water up to temperature I dumped in the grain, gave it good stirring and played the waiting game (a game best played with a beer in hand). During the next 60 minutes I found that keeping the mash a consistent temp was quite a challenge. I was constantly fiddling with the burner and even turned it off a couple of times to let the temp drop when it got too high. So much for questioning the heating capabilities of our burners.

SPARGING

Sparging the grain.

Since I had previously used extracts when brewing I have never had to sparge before. This was tricky only in that I did not own the recommended “fine mesh strainer”. I had a couple ideas before the brew of how to do this but when I saw how much grain there was I settled on using a colander which rested perfectly on the edge of my boil pot. No grain made it into the boil pot and I would say I got good amount of those sugars out into the wort.

BOIL

Burners worked just fine.

At this point I had a nice dark liquid (wort) full of fermentable sugars, but I needed to balance the flavor of all that malt. This kit included Challenger hops for bittering and finishing, but recommended some extra ingredients to give it that coffee/ donut taste. I bought some whole Irish Cream coffee beans from the only market in town and had friend track down some coconut flakes. The recipe said unsweetend, but I had to make do with sweetened ones. I added a third a cup of brown sugar for good measure at the end of the boil.

COOLING
I realized I didn’t have any ice to cool the wort during the boil and ran down the street to fill my cooler. It worked out quite well as the pot fit perfectly and didn’t take long to reach pitching (adding the yeast) temperature. It need to be lower than 70 F to give the yeast a good environment to eat the sugar and expel alcohol and CO2.

FERMENTATION

The trickiest part of the whole endeavor actually ended up being the transfer from pot to carboy. I had bought a “splatter guard” that ended up not working for the sparge but I figured the wire mesh would work as a strainer in the funnel. I cut a 4’ circle out of it and fit into the funnel. Turns out that was not near big enough to keep it in place while transferring and it had shifted within the first 5 seconds of the pour. After creating a bigger screen we were good to go and Maria helped steady the funnel as I loaded the fermentation vessel with delicious smelling wort. I gave the whole thing a vigorous shake after adding the yeast packet and set up a blow-off tube to keep bacteria out while letting the excess co2 escape. The whole set-up fit nicely in the same cooler I used for cooling thus ensuring a dark and insulated environment.

Make shift fermentation vessel.

One of the most used items in the kit proved to be the thermometer since my biggest concern was being able to keep the temperature within it’s 62-70 range. This was actually easier than I thought with a combination of compliant weather and regularly checking the temp I could add cold packs or frozen water bottles into the cooler to control the temperature pretty easily. Now we wait two weeks to let the yeast do it’s job of creating alcohol from the sugars. The next post will cover bottling and finally drinking.

Special thanks to Brooklyn Brew Shop’s Stephen Valand and Erica Shea for helping get this project out of the planning stage and into the mobile kitchen  Along with producing these one gallon kits they have recently announced the formation of their new endeavor Established Brewing Company (EST) that will be distributing to taps around New York City. So keep an eye for their brews in your NYC beer travels.

More pics:

So far, so good.

A little inspiration while I brew.

Recipe. Check. Grain. Check.

Due to his size Stanley, our RV, doesn’t always make it to the actual brewery on our visits but we try to get him as close as possible. It is nice to have him nearby when imbibing, whether it be to retrieve a growler when we find an amazing draft beer or to grab the dogs and enjoy a pet friendly patio. Of course there are those times when we have a little too much fun and carrying your bed with you comes in handy. In honor of his service as a part of The Roaming Pint team we offer this gallery of the top Stanley brewery cameos.

Birds of a feather park together in Dunedin Brewery’s commercial vehicle lot. (Dunedin, FL)

Stanley at Pagosa Brewing Co (Pagosa Springs, CO)

Stanley gets jealous and phot0bombs my pic of Legend Brewing’s retro delivery truck. (Richmond, VA)

Stanley at Hill Farmstead Brewing (Greensboro, VT)

Stanley leaves 16 Mile Brewery eager for more adventures. (Georgetown, DE)

Stanley enjoys some shade at North By Northwest Brewery (Austin, TX)

Stanley overnight parking at Lakefront Brewery (Milwaukee, WI)

Stanley wanted to check out the steam punk tree house at Dogfish Head (Milton, DE)

The metal smithed sign at Work Labs

As Maria and I were walking to Work Labs we didn’t really know what to expect. I had found out about them when our friend Harvey from OhBeautifulBeer featured their Work Beer pint glasses. The brand was visually engaging and unique from anything I had seen in the craft beer industry. I looked into them further and was fascinated to discover a story about small design group that created their own beer brand that rose to regional prominence only to see their brewery partner close soon thereafter.

Our travels were going to be taking us through Virginia, so I shot them a message to see if we could meet up. The chance to meet up with others who shared two of our passions (craft beer and design) was too much to pass up and I had quite a few questions about what happened to Work Beer and what was next.

Casey, the jane of all trades office assistant who I had been in contact with, answered the door as we arrived at the Work Labs office in the historic Monument Avenue District of Richmond. The building had an old charm that seemed like the perfect cover for the eclectically adorned interior. The office had a modern layout and every surface seemed to sport a different color and texture. Each piece of unique furniture accented the creative environment that we were now inhabiting.

Entrance to Work Labs. (photo courtesy of Work Labs)

As we entered the project room I was hit with flashbacks of my shared studio space in design school. Casey introduced us to designer Andy Stites who gave us a little more insight into the company and it’s background. Cabell Harris founded Work Labs in 1993 with a strict policy of only doing great work that they would actually be proud to show people. Many agencies will make similar statements but you could tell Work Labs really embraced it. The ad agency / design shop has more of think tank feel as they have worked on a wide variety of projects including a large amount of self initiated endeavors. Work Beer was one of those projects.

The genesis of Work Beer started simply enough in 1998 when an after hours gathering at the team’s favorite tavern hatched the realization that they “had become dissatisfied with the beer we were drinking. This is the same beer that Management drinks! We deserve better! We work hard. We’ve earned it!” Not to be brushed aside as simple drunken bravado, Work Labs got working on a brand design that defined the working masses that they aimed to appease while striking a deal with the local brewing outfit Main Street Beer Company. In exchange for some promotional design work the brewery would produce Work Beer.

Work Beer branding (via Work Labs)

In a mere 7 months Work Beer became the best selling beer of the company’s 27 brands in four states. Work Labs won multiple awards for the design of the Work Beer brand and subsequent ad campaigns. This all in spite of the fact that the actual brewery wasn’t that great and several Work Beer fans noted that the batches were really inconsistent but kept buying it for the great branding. Eventually the short comings of the Main Street Beer Company caught up with them and the brewery closed in 2004. Luckily, Work Labs was able retain the rights to the brand and have been looking for another producer who could keep Work Beer going.

Casey and Andy fill us in on Work Labs history.

Walking through the Work Labs offices you could literally feel the creative energy running through the space. This is the type of outfit that I imagined myself working at while working my way through design school. Every surface of the office has an idea waiting to happen. Big brainstorming pads show the early stages of a project while large format prints display process images for a new educational website while prototypes and mock-ups inhabit any free space that can be found. This is group takes pride in their work and weren’t going to let their beer fade away easily.

Work labs started shopping the idea around to potential partner breweries. In the process Work Labs became good fiends with Breckenridge Brewing in Colorado. At one point they were drawing up plans for a shared facility in Richmond that would be combination brewery / event / office space. Those plans ultimately fell through but Work had shared their brand scroll with Breckendridge who happened to use an out of house ad agency named Cultivator.

WORK Beer brand collateral

This same ad agency also worked with New Belgium Brewing and created an ad campaign in 2012 for their Shift beer that shared more a slight resemblance to Work Beer including imagery, copy writing, typefaces, and layouts. Cabell and his crew were beside themselves.

Some of the similarities between Work Beer and Shift beer. (images via Work Labs)

While Cabell wasn’t interested in a legal battle he did want credit for the work that they had done. So Work Labs put up a quick one page website asking if Work Labs should be insulted or flattered. The site went viral in the ad and beer communities which prompted New Belgium to respond. Their official statement read:

“Here at New Belgium Brewing we have always taken great pride in creating innovative, original communications to engage our audience. Shift Pale Lager is inspired by our twenty-plus year tradition of having a shift beer at the end of the day. The imagery and taglines are reflections of our culture and of the universal sense of accomplishment that comes from collaboration. Shift is our own original work and was created independently.”

To this day New Belgium and Cultivator have never admitted any wrong doing although you will notice the agency doesn’t include the campaign in their online portfolio. We will probably never know the whole story but it has put a little tarnish on a New Belgium brand that has otherwise been a good citizen in the craft beer industry as well as in their community.

Undeterred by the setbacks it has encountered with, their beer projects Work Labs continues with it’s strategy of using design to help advance craft beer. They are currently working on a project to help home brewers gather feedback and gain exposure for their creations. Through the Fermentation Society’s Speakeasy platform home brewers can register their home brew and will receive a set of custom printed labels from Work Labs. Each set has a unique QSR code making it easy to scan and leave feedback for the brewer. They are even working to connect small brew pub owners with established beer brands. These collaborations give the brew pubs greater exposure and the established brewers a “link to their roots”.

Fermentation Society collateral.

Work Labs’ self initiated beer projects are an impressive example what can be accomplished when you apply the design process to an industry that embraces innovation. Our trip to Work Labs was both inspiring and educational. With all the talent and creatively flowing through their office we can’t wait to see what the future holds for Work Labs and Work Beer.

2012 was a busy year for Maria and I. We traveled from one side of the country to the other via the south and were exposed to parts of the country we had never had time time to explore before. A good three quarters of the year was spent traveling up and down the East coast discovering great beer places and meeting great people. By the time we had reached our winter destination and rang in a new year we had visited 109 new breweries in 2012. You can see our whole route here:

Click image for the full size infographic.

Here are some of quick highlights from 2012:

2012 New Year’s | Slab City, CA

For the second year in a row we celebrated the new year in the deserts of Slab City.

Flagstaff Ale Trail | Flagstaff, AZ

Flagstaff Ale Trail founder, Geoff (upper right), invited us to check out Flagstaff’s beer scene. We brought our friends Brendan and Britta and hit up three of the four breweries. Read more…

Habitat for Humanity | Las Cruces, NM

The Roaming Pint gave back by helping on a Habitat for Humanity build. We were also able to spread the craft beer gospel by hosting several beer tastings with the other volunteers. Read more…

Beerliner | Austin, TX

We discovered the Beerliner when we showed up to a Texas brewers guild meeting in Austin. This sweet ride is owned by North by Northwest Brewing and dispenses suds on the side (literally). Read more…

Mardi Gras | New Orleans, LA

We explored the New Orleans beer scene during Mardi Gras and learned all about the local food and drink. Read more…

Molly MacGuire’s Brewery St. Patrick’s Day 5K | Pennsacola, FL

We found out about his event the day before it happened and extended our stay in Pensacola to participate. Read more…

OCCUPY Rare Bottle Share | Tarpon Springs, FL

We met Bob Lorber at Cigar City Brewing while he was giving a tour. After hearing our story he scheduled one his epic bottle shares at Saint Somewhere Brewery for us. Much imbibing ensued.

Walking / Drinking Ghost Tour | Savannah, GA

Savannah is known for it’s super natural history. We found a ghost tour that focuses on haunted water holes including Savannah’s only brewery. Read more…

Omaha Beer Fest | Omaha, NE

There just happened to be a beer fest when Maria flew back to Omaha to visit her family. A great opportunity to hang out with two of her favorite breweries: Free State Brewing and Nebraska Brewing Company.

SAVOR: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience  | Washington D.C.

With a hefty price tag this isn’t an event to attend every year, but should definitely be attended at least once in your lifetime. Savor combines tasty food with delicious craft beer!   Read more…

Brooklyn Brewery | Brooklyn, NY

We joined the Brooklyn Brewsers home brewer club for a tour of Brooklyn Brewery given by none other than Garrett Oliver. Afterwords we sampled some “ghost beers” from deep in Garrett’s cellar. Read more…

Exploring the Canadian Craft Beer Scene | Niagara, ON

We got to see several sides of the Canadian craft beer scene during our visit to Ontario and I expect to see it boom in the next 10 years. Read more…

The Brew Ridge Trail | Charlottesville, VA

The Brew Ridge Trail consists of 5 breweries that are located near the Blue Ridge Mountains. Nothing beats a beautiful view and delicious brews. Read more…

With so many great memories it’s fun to look back and see how far we’ve come. We are truly blessed to have met the new friends we have, countless of you along the way. Thank you for continuing to support us here at The Roaming Pint, this journey would be much lonelier without you!!

A couple weeks ago the Brewer’s Association made a point of reaffirming exactly what qualities constitute a “craft brewery” distinction. The central piece of this campaign was a chart that called out a couple prominent breweries who the BA thought were being mis-represented as craft breweries.

This caused much ado in the beer world. Some people praised the BA for sticking a flag in the ground and calling out big beer for misleading consumers. Others cried foul and pointed out all the small breweries who were getting a bad rap because they were partially owned by bigger breweries but made a quality product with traditional ingredients. All the while big beer says that customers should judge the product on it it’s merits not it’s origins.

In reality this is a business move made by the BA more akin to protecting a trademark. “Craft brewer” is term that the BA has adopted to define it’s membership with qualities they feel are important. So who gets the coveted Craft Brewery title and who doesn’t. The BA defines a craft brewery as:

•  Small (produces less than 6,000,000 barrels a year),
•  Independent (less than 25% owned by another entity)
•  Traditional (HAs an all malt flagship or 50% of it’s beers are all malt)

Wait there’s more, they go on define market segments including Microbrewery, Brewpub, Contract Brewery, Regional Brewery, Regional Craft brewery, and Large Breweries. The multitude of titles can cause confusion for consumers and even those within the industry. It only gets worse when you consider that a brewery can be both a micro and craft. They are not mutually exclusive descriptors but rather describe aspects of the brewery’s operations.

To help myself understand the distinctions between classifications I plotted some of these segments using the BA’s key descriptors: size, independence, and ingredients.

Brewer’s Association Brewery Classifications

You can quickly see that the same amount of thought that went in to defining what a craft brewery is has not been applied to what a craft brewery isn’t. Sections of the diagram have no name at all while anything that isn’t “small” is simply “large”. While I understand the motivation behind this slight I think it does the industry a disservice to simply lump these organizations together. Why can’t we give these segments descriptive names that clearly define how they differ from craft.

For example a brewery that is small and independent but doesn’t use primarily traditional ingredients should have a unique classification to separate it from a brewery that is small and uses traditional ingredients but is not independent.

The following are my ideas for naming but I would love to hear your ideas:

• Small + Independent + Traditional = Craft Brewer
• Small + Independent = Adjunct Brewer
• Small + Traditional = Subsidiary Brewer

After we made last year’s gift guide for beer lovers we recognized that not all beer lovers have the same needs when it comes to enjoying their brews. Over the next couple of weeks we will be posting gift guides for different beer types including: beer aficionados, beer travelers, home brewers, and beer geeks.

Gift Ideas for a Beer Geek

A “geek” is typically defined as an individual with a singular obsession. A “beer geek” is a self imposed title for an individual with an obsession for craft beer and all it’s trappings. They can commonly be found attending special casks tappings, reading blogs about the newest beer collaboration, or sporting a craft beer apparel everywhere they go.

Their obsession may give you the impression they are picky, but in reality they love all things craft beer. They love the community, the packaging, the people, and of course the beer. Beer geeks love the craft beer lifestyle as much as the beer and supporting the beer community is also important.

Beer Geek Shirts | $5 – $25

Beer geek shirts can run the gamut from artsy and clever to basic and crude. The key to picking a one that will fit your friends obsession is identifying aspects of the beer community that they particularly enjoy. If they love the retro brands of days past get them a $5 vintage logoed tee. If they love barrel aged beers, get the Cask shirt shown above. Pick right and they’ll wear it with pride wherever they go.

Beer Posters | $15 – $40
 

If you have ever had a friend that geeks out on comic books you will know that posters are natural extension of any geeks living environment. They are a great way to liven up your living space and subtly show your passion for craft beer.

Brewheads Gear | $20 – $25

A brewhead takes pride in the beer they drink/brew. The Brewheads brand helps them flaunt their passion by making quality products  about craft beer, brewing, and the culture around it. Fresh gear goes really weel with fresh beer.

Upcycled Beer Notebooks | $12 (3-pack)
There’s nothing more geeky than taking notes about craft beer in a notebook made out from craft beer six packs. Each 3-pack of notebooks is hand picked from US geographical region of your choice (Pacific Coast, South West, Mountain, Heartland  Midwest, South East, Mid-Atlantic, and New England). They are handmade and filled 30 pages of grid paper for all you note taking needs.

Beer Lover’s Coffee Mug | $4.99
A beer geek is constantly thinking about their next hoppy conquest. Coffee may be what gets you through the day, but beer is why they are motivated to finish. Instead of hiding their passion give them a means to show it off with a coffe mug specifically for beer geeks.

Free Beer Movement Gear | $2-$25

The Free Beer Movement is for the beer geek that also has a passion for soccer. FBM’s goal of growing an american love of soccer by buying a friend a beer and watching a match is a grass roots effort I can support. Plus, they have some pretty cool gear that any beer or soccer fan can be proud to wear.

Gift Ideas for the Female Beer Geek – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -
Beer geeks are beer geeks but sometimes the ladies can rock some sweet craft beer gear that the fellas can’t. Here are a couple bonus ideas for the ladies:

Women Enjoying Beer shirt | $20
There’s nothing more blatant than yelling “I’m a woman and I enjoy craft beer!” A close second is wearing this shirt that says it for you. The Women Enjoying Beer organization aims to raise awareness of craft beer to women.

My Mash Tun Brings All The Boys To The Yard Shirt | $21
If the road to man’s heart is through his stomach then the car is must be a fermented beverage. The popular song lyric by Kelis gets reworked for the female brewer and craft beer enthusiast.

Beer Box Headband | $10
Crafty meets craft beer with these handmade beer box head bands form Mindy’s Beer Gear. A wide selection of patterns are available on her etsy shop and if you can’t find what you need she does custom orders (not guaranteed to be received by Christmas).

This concludes or beer types gift ideas. Here are the previous posts if you missed them: beer aficionados, home travelers, and home brewers. Happy shopping.

After we made last year’s gift guide for beer lovers we recognized that not all beer lovers have the same needs when it comes to enjoying their brews. Over the next couple of weeks we will be posting gift guides for different beer types including: beer aficionados, beer travelers, home brewers, and beer geeks.

Gift Ideas for a Home Brewer

The Beginning Home Brewer
So you have a budding home brewer on your hands. They have felt the rush from boiling grain and hops, have tasted the fruits of their labor…and they want more. The beggining home brewer is usually a information sponge trying to learn as much as possible about their new hobby. Books and basic equipment will ensure that you are not forgotten when they become the brew master at the next big craft brewery.

Brooklyn Brew Shop 1-Gallon Beer Kit | $40
Quite possibly the easiest and inexpensive way to get into home brewing. Unlike a lot of beginner beer kits this one uses all grain and hops instead of extracts. By utilizing a small 1- gallon batch a newbie can jump right and learn the process by using a simple kitchen stove. The kit contains everything you needs from ingredients to equipment. Once you have the kit Brooklyn Brew Shop offers recipes kits as well so you don’t have to buy all the equipment each time.

The Complete Joy of Homebrewing | $11
This trusted classic is essential to every home brewer’s education. Charlie Papazian, master brewer and founder and president of the American Homebrewer’s Association and Association of Brewers, wrote this everyman’s intro to help spread the the joy of home brewing. It features instructions, recipes, charts, and guidelines. Everything you need to get started is here, including classic and new recipes for brewing stouts, ales, lagers, pilseners, porters, specialty beers, and honey meads.

Brew Your Own magazine subscription | $28 for 8 issues
Brew Your Own magazine is the “largest circulation magazine for people interested in making their own great beer at home.” Each issue covers a variety of home brewing topics to help you make better beers. Recipes, how-to project and the advice of expert brewers will give your home brewing enthusiast new ideas and new techinues to try. Each issue includes recipes, how-to projects and expert advice to help you brew world-class beer.”

The Advanced Home Brewer
The longer you home brew the more you want to experiment. Whether it be with new ingredients, new processes, or new equipment the serious home brewing is always looking for something to advance their beer and beer knowledge. The following gift ideas will help the advanced home brewer make great beers and make a statement about their “hobby”.

Home Brewers T-Shirt | $20 -$25

Home brewers are passionate about their hobby and don’t mind showing it off. Clever home brewing shirts are a perfect way to flaunt their love. Whether it uses home brew terms that only those in community will get or it is a little more blatant (My Beer > Your Beer) they can make their passion known without ever saying a word.

Draft Beer Hopback Randall | $69
The Randall was invented to impart flavors directly from the keg to glass. It rose to fame as Dogfish Head would often use this device at beer fests to add extra hop flavor to their beers. Fill it with whole leaf hops and the alcohol in the beer acts as a solvent for the hop oils. If they aren’t a hop head you can fill it will other ingredients such as fruits, spices, or even candy to give beers an extra kick.

Kegerator | $360 – $600
Kegerators aren’t just for college apartments anymore. As a home brewer gains experience they usually ditch the laborious process of bottling and put their brews straight into kegs. Kegerators are the perfect way to serve these kegged beers on tap by keeping the beer at a constant temperature and pressure. This is no stocking stuffer, but getting a home brewer a kegerator will ensure you stay permanently in their good graces and gives you an automatic pass to front of the beer line.

Grow Your Own Beer Hops Kit | $12.99
The next step in home brewing geek status is not only making your beer but growing the hops that you you put into it. Hops are an essential ingredient in practically every beer style and the act of growing your own adds an extra touch to a your home brews. With this kit you just add water to a compost disk, plant the seeds, and watch your hops grow.

Keep an eye out for the next beer types in our series: beer aficionados,  beer travelers, and beer geeks.

After we made last year’s gift guide for beer lovers we recognized that not all beer lovers have the same needs when it comes to enjoying their brews. Over the next couple of weeks we will be posting gift guides for different beer types including: beer aficionados, beer travelers, home brewers, and beer geeks.

Gift Ideas for a Beer Traveler

We all tend to know someone who is in a constant state of motion. Whether for business or pleasure it seems like they are in a new city every week or in the process of planning the next big trip. If more often then not they end up at a local brewery or manage to find the hip underground beer bar in the area then they are probably a beer traveler and as such have specific beer needs.

Beer travelers like new experiences both by trying new beers and by visiting new places. The environment and atmosphere are just as important as the beers that are served. Helping a beer traveler find new beer destinations and transport their finds are good ways to ensure they will love your gift.

Brewery Map App | $1.99
This app is an absolute must for the craft beer lover that finds themselves traveling frequently. With a growing database of over 4,000 breweries and brew pubs the app can find all the breweries within a defined radius of your current location. It even has a road trip feature where you define your beginning and end destination and it will plot the course and all the breweries on your path. Very cool and an effective stocking. Also available on Android.

Teachings From The Tap | $15
Nothing inspires travelers to seek out beer on their journeys more than reading about others who have done just that. This book chronicles the journey’s of Merideth Canham-Nelson and her husband Chris (the Beer Geeks) on their “year in beer tour “that features a different beer trip each month. It is an easy reading book that can be delved into during long flights or quick hit while waiting for your rental car.

Craft Beer Tours | Prices vary
Craft beer tours are easily the most efficient way to experience a new city’s craft beer scene. These pre-planned tours feature stops at multiple beer venues and save you the hassle and expense of running around town in a new city. All you have to do is drink and enjoy. There are many different tour company’s through out the US in major beer meccas. A google search for “beer tour __(city)__” should let you if one exists. Here are a few that we have encountered on our travels:

• Brewvana: Portland Brewery Tour
• Asheville Brews Cruise
• Flagstaff Ale Trail
• Austin Brew Bus

Beer Box Luggage Tag | $22 (set of 2)
Is there a more literal symbol of beer travel than rocking luggage tags made out of up-cycled craft beer boxes? The perfect way to raise your craft beer geek flag while traveling. These tags are hand made and if you can’t find the perfect tag among the large selection of pre-made tags they take custom orders.

Reusable Bottle Protector | $9
For the beer traveler there is nothing better than finding the perfect beer in a small town brewery that you have never heard of before…but a close second is bringing the beer back to share with with friends. Sometimes this is easier said than done. These reusable bags make it easy and safe to transport your beer treasures by sealing them in these water tight containers in the off chance a leak occurs.

Fellowship of Beer Travelers shirt | $25
Beer travelers have a shared bond and passion with other beer travelers. When they get together they exchange stories of small town breweries and obscure beer bars. This shirt is the prefect way for your beer traveler to show off their passion for seeking beer from the source. Printed on soft American Apparel shirts they look great on both men and women.

Keep an eye out for the next beer types in our series: beer aficionados, home brewers, and beer geeks.