Category: In The News

Last fall, we began releasing a series of new beers at Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey. A curious thing happened, they started appearing on Ebay only moments it seemed after they went on sale at the brewery. I started researching the legality of sales of beer and wine on Ebay to better understand these auctions. What I found was a bunch of legalese that was required for each auction that essentially devalued the liquid we worked so hard to place in the bottle. With this in mind, I drafted a letter to Ebay. I sent the letter to my friends at Beer Advocate.com and Jason and Todd printed it in the February edition of their magazine. As many of you blog readers out there are not subscribers to this magazine, they have graciously agreed to let me post it here. What follows is the copy from the article. It is food for thought

Last Call
By Tomme Arthur
As printed in BeerAdvocate magazine Volume II Issue I.

My Dearest eBay,
Lately, it has come to my attention that many of our limited seasonal and special release barrel-aged beers have been popping up for resale on your eBay mere hours after they were purchased. My friends tell me I should be ecstatic that our Lost Abbey and Port Brewing beers have developed this status. “Enjoy the ride,” they say.
It’s just that there are so many new fully unopened bottles of Lost Abbey beer(s) being sold on your site that I am worried they’ll soon lose their original still-in-the-box Star Wars X-Wing Fighter-like collectible status. Do you know how bad that would SUCK? But mostly, I am writing to let you know that I take umbrage with the language of your alcohol auctions and the incredibly ridiculous conditions you apply to the (re)sale of these bottles on your site.
I particularly LOVE the first condition that must accompany each auction of “Collectible” bottles of beer on eBay. It’s a strong opening, one that truly sets the tone, don’t you think? “The value of the item is in the collectible container, not its contents*.” This strikes me as an absolute joke. But then again, so do collectible action figures.
True beer advocates recognize beer is an incredibly complex beverage. It is not some incidental liquid banished like a genie into a bottle for eternity. And as long as we’re being perfectly honest, I thought I would share that we at Port Brewing even chose to cork-finish our bottles, ensuring the libations we skillfully produce each day can be consumed at a moments notice anywhere in the world. HOW COOL IS THAT? I KNOW! I feel the same way about it.
As much as I LOVE the first condition, No.2 just tickles my inner Elmo. “The container has not been opened and any incidental contents are not intended for consumption …” This has to be the stupidest thing I have read since I passed a head shop where I saw the sign “These Incredibly Ornate and Skillfully Hand Blown Glass Pipes are intended solely for the Legal Smoking of Tobacco Products …” Clearly you, like everyone else in California, are suffering from chronic back pain and are filling the pipe with something a wee bit more “fragrant.”
I would be remiss if I neglected to speak of No.3. “The item is not available at any retail outlet, and the container has a value that substantially exceeds the current retail price of the alcohol in the container.”
But here is where I get confused. You see, the bottles being auctioned today were available at my brewery with liquid in them! I guess incidental liquid in eBay land is more valuable? CRAP! I hadn’t considered that when we wrote our business plan. I for one am not looking forward to telling my investors that we’re making incidental liquid. Is it even cool to be an incidental liquid maker? It sounds like a bed-wetting disorder.
I wonder if I even need a permit for this? Hopefully, no one can die from drinking the incidental liquid we bottled. I know beer doesn’t kill, but this whole incidental liquid thing has me at a loss. (Memo to self: Ask our friendly Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau agent about carbonated incidental liquid production. Maybe we don’t have to pay taxes on this stuff?)
I have to run now. I just got a phone call from one of my closest friends who operates a brewery in Santa Rosa. I left a message warning him about the dangers of incidental liquids and how he was preparing to deal with it in 2008. He wasn’t worried. Told me it was an election year. He also reminded me that as far as the government is concerned, my partners and I own a brewery. “Indeed,” I told him. “We’re both in the business of producing a legal alcoholic beverage. We have the permits and pay the taxes to prove it.”
He suggested I ought to convince you the liquids inside our bottles are not incidental contents and they most definitely ARE intended for consumption today or 20 years from now. That is the reason for this letter. And since we’re being so open with each other, I thought I would remind you that with all of our forthcoming specialty releases, we intend to place intentionally amazing contents in these bottles. So, from here on, I respectfully request you note the following simple statement: ALL bottles of Port Brewing or Lost Abbey beers ARE intended for consumption—regardless of the age of the beer.
Thanks for listening. I knew it wouldn’t take much for you to see things from my perspective. The last thing the world needs now is an incidental liquid disaster. I’m so glad we got a chance to speak. I feel so much better.
Tomme Arthur
Director of Brewery Operations
Owner and Brewer
Incidental Liquid and Incredibly Collectible Brewing Company
aka Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey

Today is one of those gut wrenching days. Michael Jackson our friend, our mentor and our nomadic Beer Hunter has gone to the heavens where the angels sleep. For the first time since September of 2001, I am sitting in eerily quiet brewery not really thinking about the production side of beer. Because days like today demand reflection, offer an opportunity to pause for moments and memories and the time spent with a legend.

I realize that there will be numerous forthcoming accounts of Michael’s contributions to the world of beer. 30 years of writing, traveling and consuming can’t go unnoticed. I just finished reading his last column for the upcoming All About Beer Magazine. Eerily, it talks about cheating Mort Subite or Sudden Death. As I was reading, I was struck by his voice in my head narrating that story. It was his very distinguished British voice that sticks with me.

Like many brewers, I had the pleasure of drinking with Michael on numerous occasions. Often, as judges at the GABF and World Beer Cup we would find ourselves at the same table. He was the epitome of a professional when it came to judging. As the world’s foremost authority on beer, he was never overbearing, certainly not egotistical and at the same time, he was inquisitive. I always liked that about him. He also cared about me the person. He offered his condolences when Noah passed away and was elated when Sydney came into my life. I suppose that is what it means to be a friend.

Several years back, Michael implored the judges at the GABF judges reception to consider the strength of American Beer. The world was looking at us for innovation and direction. He decreed we should all work together as judges to reward beers not deconstruct them. It was a very motivating talk. It was also the first time in recent memory where every single medal in every single category was awarded. The man just saw things differently than we did. But above all, he was a great story teller.

With that in mind, here is the one story from my life that I knew I was never going to be able to share with Michael but it’s one that I “think” he would appreciate on some level.

It’s 2005, we are heading from San Diego to Belgium with a brief stop in London. I email Mr. Jackson and let him know that if possible, we would love to stop by for a visit. I would be traveling with Tom Nickel from O’Brien’s Pub, Vince Marsaglia (owner of Pizza Port) along with Ken Allen (owner of Anderson Valley Brewing Company) and his head brewer Dave Gatlin.

Michael agrees and gives me the address in Hammersmith for his office. We arrive later in the afternoon (around 6-7 pm). His office is actually a converted garage attached to his house. Inside this narrow room is row after row of whiskey, beer and editions of nearly every book he has ever written and in each language they have been published.

Michael has been hard at work tasting and writing about whiskey for a forthcoming book. It’s everywhere in this little room. He’s talking to Ken Allen about Anderson Valley when I start playing a game of I spy in my head. I spy an 18 year old port wood finished bottle. I spy a 1973 Glen something or other. But right in front of me, I spied a 1963 Macallan that had been opened. Oh Lordy!!! Would you look at that?

It immediately hit me that this was one serious bottle of booze that I needed to taste. It also struck me that this was about as close to one of these bottles of Scotch that I was ever going to get. I salivated. I contemplated. I damn near stared that bottle down. Michael, to his credit, offers us a glass of some new farmhouse beer. We liked it very much. At this point, it becomes obvious to me that we are making a move towards heading to Andover Arms for dinner. But how can I beg/ ask for a dram of that spirit. Would it be rude to do so? What is the protocol at work here? I am clueless. Thirsty, but incredibly clueless.

That bottle is still staring me down and in no time flat, I might be walking away from what promises to be an amazing booze experience. I steel my nerves. I had been mulling over a plan in my head. Suddenly, Michael spins back around to his laptop to save his work for the night. I instantly grabbed the bottle of Scotch, rip off the cork and pull the largest swig I thought my mouth could handle. Ambrosia never felt so guilty, so good or so stolen. My amigos stared in disbelief as I calmly replaced the cork in the bottle, set it on the table and rubbed my now fiery belly to let them know I was satiated. 1963 Macallan. Yep! I could cross that one off my list. And it was AMAZING!!!

I am relieved as Michael turns around, oblivious to my actions (I hope) and casually mentions that he needs to go get a coat for the evening. He points to a set of New Belgium Globe Style Glasses in a box on the floor and says ” If there is anything in these bottles that interests you gents, please feel free to have a drink.” He no sooner closes the door to the candy store of Whiskey and us kiddies get our drink on.

Now, we head right for the glasses. There’s about 8 of them we line them up. I grab the 1963 Macallan and pour about 4 fingers. Tom grabs a bottle of 1958 something (it wasn’t very good). Ken, Vince and Dave all find bottles they want to try. Next thing you know, we’ve got 8 globes of Scotch 4 fingers high lined up in front of us. Time never went by so fast as it did that night. Michael left us to our devices for about 15 minutes. (The next morning we’re left wondering if we drank all of them. The consensus is that we were proper drunks and left no booze behind.)

He returns. We’re drunk and heading out for supper I don’t know how dinner went for Michael, it was certainly smashing for the 5 of us on the sauce. Sometime around 11:30 we waived goodbye and caught a taxi home.

You ever have one of those mornings where you forget what went on the night before? Yeah, me either. On the Eurostar ride to Belgium, the five us talked and were only then able to reconstruct what had occured the night before. It was spotty at best. We do know that we shared a meal with Michael in London after drinking ourselves silly in his office.

I doubt very much we were the only ones to ever over indulge in that candy store. Hell, I might not even be the only back woods brewer to ever pug 63 Macallan right from the bottle. I suppose, I should have told this story to Michael in the last year. Then, I could have popped the cap from a vintage Cuvee de Tomme and had him steal a swig or two from the bottle. Then we’d be even? Doubtful? He afforded me so much. For that, I am thankful.

Either way, when it comes down to it, life is about the moments we live, the beers we drink and the stories we share. I suppose stolen drams of Scotch probably need their own category as well. That night in Michael’s office ranks as an all timer. Just like him. Today is a sad day indeed. One that requires more than a few liquid refreshments. I only wish he was here to share.

It’s a simple statement really. For too many, Wine is celebrated and beer is left to apologize for lacking sophistication. Or so it seems. I promised back in my wine infused interview from my last post that I would work on my wine based blog and so here goes nothing.

In the last few months, several authors have found it fashionable to slam beer for apparently “trying to be more like wine and less like beer.” I didn’t realize they had cornered the market on using fancy words to describe the aromatics of fermented liquids. I guess it Christs’ fault? I mean if you want to blame someone, I would start with the Son of God. If he had served beer instead of wine at the last supper or had turned water into beer we might not be having this conversation. So yeah, I blame the Messiah. But I recently finished reading a new book to me called “Fermenting Revolution.” The book actually supports many suppositions that Jesus may actually have been working with Beer(or a barley based beverage) rather than wine in the bible. But, I didn’t mean to digress so far. I want to get back to these oenephiles and sophistication.

Actually, I blame ignorant writers looking to pick a fight amongst consumers who feel that beer is an easy topic. Problem is, beer really isn’t an easy thing to pick on these days. Craft brewed beers continue to see accelerated double digit growth and as such, more and more people are being turned onto the benefits of the explosion of beers that are now available on every corner.

But let’s get back to the article that really caught my attention. It was originally published online by Slate Magazine and titled:

“Beer in the Headlights. Sales are Flat. Wine is ascendant. How did this happen?” It was published on May 30th and has been written about by other bloggers who are much more timely in their writing than I am. In the article the author makes the following assertions in support of wine. I just roll my eyes every time I read them.

Wine marketers have it comparatively easy. They merely summon a picture of a bucolic vineyard or people raising their glasses around a table full of food—they don’t have to sell their selling points.

Unfortunately this much is true. See my post about “Something from Nothing” and you can see that I feel wineries have it too easy when it comes to marketing. They tug at our pastoral strings evoking the beauty of winemaking. Brewing beer does have a disconnect from the land in many ways. It can be problematic to sell Terrior when you’re making beer in the middle of an industrial park one mile from the Highway. Yet, they forget to tell you that numerous wines are made in these same industrial parks. It’s a dirty little secret.

This is why brewers have been frantically pushing beer-and-food pairings lately. Beer—which can be great with food, by the way—is in danger of being left out of the American mealtime, banished to the den (only when pro sports are on) or to the back porch (only for the early rounds of grilling).

Gee, I thought we were pushing beer and food pairings because beer can be a superior beverage when it comes to matching with food. Silly brewers, apparently we’re not ready to graduate to the big people’s table where wine reigns supreme. In reality, we’re already there. Beer and food pairings are working. I see evidence of this everywhere. I guess all the beer dinners that I have attended and presented at this year were really nothing more than a chef trying to placate my ego? But let’s get back to the article. I have more quotes:

Wine is basically an agricultural product (fermented grapes), while beer is the result of a complicated process of manufacture (boiling barley to extract sugars, adding hops and yeast, fermenting the wort that results).

Last time I checked, My barley came from a farmer who tills the soil for a living all the while praying to the Lord his maker for a bountiful crop at harvest. The Hops I use come from another set of Farmers who must tend to their crops during the brutal summer months and pray for no rain at harvest. So I guess that means, they aren’t really farmers then? Mass produced beer down to artisinal beers are ALL produced from living organisms that come from farms. To call beer an engineered product of “complicated manufacture” misses the point. Moving along to the next statement-

This holds true whether the brewer is a medieval English villager or Anheuser-Busch. The hallmark of beer is consistency: A brewer strives to make batch after batch of Pilsener so it tastes the same—and often succeeds without much difficulty. Wine is more variable: The sugar levels and tannins and acidity of the grapes fluctuate from year to year, and so does the character of the resulting wines. This explains why the whole concept of vintages is so central to wine but largely absent from beer.

I would argue that in many ways, beer can be more predictable but even so, ALL beverages will change over time no matter if they be beer or the holier than though Red Wine. The difference is that Domestic Mass producing type brewers strive for consistency. Me, I strive for expression in my beers. I worry not if they vary. What I concern myself with is that they taste great. AND no, I don’t care if you think that beers should always be the same. If that works for you then fine. It doesn’t work for me.

To all the winos out there trying to maintain your romantic notion of life and hillsides with hanging fruit, I have only this to offer. I like Wine too. I drink it often. Yet at the end of the day, your elitist attitudes towards a divine right as the chosen beverage of sophistication may go by the way side. Sure, we have a long road ahead of us. Still in only 11 years as a brewer I have seen numerous mile markers at the side of the road. Each time I pass one, I’m left wondering how many more there are on this road and how quickly we’ll be at the end. I must say, I like what I see.

So this past week was a very busy one with the Real Ale Festival in Carlsbad going on among other things. On Sunday, I decided like the last 10 years not to run the Rock and Roll Marathon. But for those of you who care, there is a Marathon in Dublin in October that interests me. Can you imagine how good that Guiness would taste?

I titled this two things tonight as there have been two online things that have piqued my interest in the last week. But before I digress, I thought I would share that after a weekend full of Real Ale(lord knows I don’t drink Fake Ales) and Vince’s food, I opted for a Spring Mix(read May Showers bring Weed Salad) with Blue Cheese and Sauvignon Blanc for dinner tonight.

This is important as I will shortly come to the defense of my beloved barley while consuming wine(just to prove I am an equal opportunity spirited writer)! So, this evening I am coming at you live on the heels of glass number two of Joseph Phelps Napa Valley 2005 Sauvignon Blanc. Because I know that my readership is terribly concerned with appellation issues.

So, tonight is about two things. Well, maybe three things. First, I haven’t yet used this blog to discuss the politics of anything so we’re going down that road tonight. Below, you will find some questions. These were recently published in an article in which the CEO of SAB Miller was interviewed. In an effort to dismiss rumors of our impending merger with a larger conglomerate, I thought I would take the effort to answer the same questions on our terms. Please follow along at home(with apologies for the lack of brevity. His not mine)! This is a two part posting that will get into the wine side of things later.

For the sake of this blog, let’s pretend that I was being interviewed about our year using their questions. It’s fun. I swear it is. From his interview then.

How would you characterize the company’s fiscal year just ended?
The SAB Miller Answer- The year gone by has been very successful. Latin America was amongst the strongest regions of growth, but Europe was as impressive. And we also had very strong volume growth in Asia, so our performance all around is strong.

Tomme Responds: Well, we’re still in business after our first year. I think that’s pretty kick ass. We made a bunch of new beers and we didn’t kill anybody. As for Latin America, it was our weakest region but Europe was awesome. They opened their arms to me and I can’t wait to go back and brew another batch of beer there. I’m thinking of hooking up with the guys at Struise. They make great beer. In terms of Strong Regions, we experienced great growth everywhere we went. Personal Growth is most important to me. I had a lot of it this year. We especially made in roads in the North East. The weather may suck but the beers are great and the people the best.

We haven’t been able to tap into that hot Asian market yet. Too many young drinkers. We feel there is most certainly a happy ending or two waiting for us in the future should we allow our brands to go there. But we’re holding out waiting for maturation of our stuff.

Is the integration of Bavaria, which you bought in 2005 for $7.8 billion, now complete?
It’s pretty much over with. We are now in the middle of changing the trajectory of the business. Bavaria is about a third of our profits, and this year will be one of great investment in the business.

Tomme Responds: Everyone knows by now how I view Germanic Brewing traditions…It would be a silly investment for me. However, I’ll take a fleet of their Mercedes delivery trucks. Our beer deserves the best. They make soft suspensions. At least that is what I have been told.

He says,“For example, we are building a new brewery on the outskirts of Cali in western Columbia. We’re essentially taking a disorganized portfolio of regional brands and making that portfolio more national, with a bit of character to it.”

Tomme says- I’m 100% independent but we will always have a disorganized portfolio. Just ask my accountant. Adding character is something that writers do when there’s a need. Unless of course the plot line doesn’t require attention. Methinks, I should start investigating that need in Western Columbia during revisions too? Nah, we’re solid in act II. Perhaps when we get to act IV?

Do you often take beers across borders?
We do, if they show signs of suitability for that. We have designated three of our brands for marketing around the world – Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Pilsner Urquell and Miller Genuine Draft.

Tomme responds: I take beer across every border possible. Beer is the ultimate conversation starter no matter what language you speak. It’s a quintesential beverage. It is perhaps the one thing that qualifies as a universal language.

Which of those three has had the most success overseas?
MGD. We make MGD in Russia, Italy, Poland, Hungary and South Africa, as well as in the U.S. It is almost a billion liter brand in Russia and is very popular on the club scene.

Tomme Says: We don’t have a billion liter brand of anything so I will put my money on anything that Sam Makes. Dogfishead is a universally, globalized, serialized thing. I even know which state that beer is made in… Thank God my fifth grade state report was on the great state of Delaware or I wouldn’t be able to find it on the map!

After that, I would say Brooklyn and New Belgium. I love Peter but he speaks funny English. This is better than ok as I speak funnier than you know what Flemish. As for Garrett, we’re still trying to figure out what language he speaks.

Your growth last year came partly from renovation of mainstream brands. Can you give an example?
We have those three international brands, but we also discovered that other brands have [cross-border] appeal. For example, we have a brand called Kozel, which in the Czech Republic is a lower mainstream brand. The brand’s symbol is a goat. In Slavic countries, the goat symbol plays very well and so Kozel has become a roaring success there. I don’t really understand why.

Tomme Replies: Well, we knew Sharkbite Red Ale would be our go to guy for the first year. Like a cagey veteran, we signed on for a two year deal. We’re in the process of reloading our talent and think we’ve got the key players inked to long term deals. They may be short on experience but their entusiasm more than makes up for it. As for symbols, we think the Celtic Cross plays well in countries where drinking is legal. You know, the Christian ones.

What about China and India?
Those markets are polar opposites of each other. The Chinese market is very open commercially – there are very little licensing requirements. It is a very high volume, low price market. We sell roughly as much beer in China as is sold in the entire UK market.

India is the opposite: it is tiny, and has by far the lowest beer consumption per capita, at less than one liter of beer per annum. Their relationship with alcohol is quite troubled. Recall that Gandhi was a teetotaler. The problem is just trying to peel back the state. It is very difficult to get permits to do anything. Ironically, India’s economic development is held in check by its democracy.

Tomme Thinks: I should visit there one day? Either one of them. I too have a Buddha Belly. I am troubled by teetotalers. Aren’t we all?

How are you growing the Chinese market?
What we have been doing in China is taking brands national, getting better distribution, and improving quality dramatically. Our brand Snow is the most national brand but no Chinese beer brands are truly national.

Tomme Says: We are growing like Snow White’s date on prom night in China. It’s a very liberating experience. We hope to continue the unveiling there. We will let China come to us, that’s my motto.

Save for imports and craft beers, the U.S. beer market continues to stagnate, and your profits there declined for the second straight year. What’s the problem?
Two years ago we did not declare victory when things were going swimmingly for us in the U.S. so we are not declaring defeat now. The issue right now is cost pressures, in aluminum specifically. We spent about $100 million dollars more on aluminum this past fiscal year than the year prior.

Tomme Says: I blame Crackhead Dave… He’s a big fan of alumininum. Me, I have no worries. Our beer sells itself- with or without boobies. I like that part about our beer. “It taste’s great without all the filling…” Aluminum is something I don’t have to be concerned with. Crackhead Dave on the otherhand….At least he doesn’t run $100 million in damages.

What do you make of the craft beer resurgence in America?
I think it’s going to fade. It’s inevitable.

Tomme Says: I for once agree with him. It’s inevitable that our beers taste better and it(macro brewed beers) will fade. But that’s just my .02 worth. My money is on Avant Garde in the 5th race. I know it’s an underdog(small stable with low resources but there’s just something about the little guy that makes me feel good).

Tell us about Miller Chill, which you just launched.
We launched Chill in a few test markets and it was so well received that we are taking it nationwide by the Fourth of July. It’s an American take on a Mexican classic – a light beer with lime and salt. That doesn’t sound very prepossessing but it drinks extremely well. It is flying off the shelves now.

Tomme Says: I enjoy a michlada when I am in Mexico or close by. I have yet to enjoy a Miller Chill and I will always go for the original. I have a feeling it’s flying off the shelves due to Seismic Activity? I blame Global Warming for plate shifting and the ensuing earthquakes knocking the product from it’s place.

How is Anheuser-Busch looking?
I would say it’s too soon to tell. [New CEO] August Busch IV brings a fresh approach.

Tomme Says: Like a redheaded step child on Christmas or an analyst on Wall Street. Either way, there is a lot of spinning going on. Reminds me of Dizzy Sticks at the AB Company Sloshball Game. Tough to find first base. I hear Louie the Lizard is coaching First these days. They put him out to pasture. He loves the well manicured lawns of the baseball diamond.

“Fresh” how?

I don’t want to comment there. They are grappling with their problem, which is essentially the difficulty of providing growth when you have such a huge position in the mainstream U.S. market.

Tomme Says: I’m pleading the 5th. My boy Sam was deposed enough for 16 of us.

Is it worth it to get into a price war with A-B in the United States?
We try to build brands rather than cutting prices. It sounds pious but it’s true. A-B’s advantages are in the mainstream, where they have huge operating scale and can provide superior levels of service. So I think we’ll take them on in things they are not as good at, which is premium brand development. A head-to-head slugfest with A-B in their heartland is not very smart.

Tomme Says: Well, We hate to agree here but a head to head anything at this point would be foolish. We make beers that amaze people. They make beers that beg questions… So, let’s just both agree like Presidential candates, that we’re good at Premium Brand Development whatever that means…

Will we see more acquisitions from you this year?
We are always doing strings of deals. Activity is driven by what comes up.

Tomme Says: I bought an IPOD last year. That was a major acquisition some would say a life altering experience. I don’t think we’ll work on acquiring too much this year although there is talk of more capacity vis a vis more fermenters. Shiny tanks are nice!

Haven’t most of the likely targets been bought already?
The short answer is yes. In China, we are still acquisitive, but even there things have tightened up. There are still some businesses that might become available in Russia and in [the former Soviet republics], but prices have tightened up. There will be consolidation yet to come but the pace is much slower.

Tomme Says: Life is about things that are bought and sold. I think we have more to go in this department. Thank GOD! WE have a great CPA on our team.

What is your favorite beer?
Pilsner Urquell.

Tomme Says: Whatever Vinnie is most proud of this week. Goodnight. Vinnie says hi by the way- Sammy too.

I have been chasing this blog for the past 6 weeks now trying like hell to get it written. In the 11 short months that our beers have beers have been flowing out of this establishment, we have garnered some pretty darn cool press and we wanted to share these things with you.

Some of you may have seen the Men’s Journal Magazine from October 2006. In this issue, they reviewed a ton of beers and developed a list of the top 25 American Beers. The Lost Abbey Avant Garde landed on the list at number 23. This was a great list of beers to be on and it included many of our friends in the business. We even shared the list of 25 beers with our San Diego friends down at AleSmith Brewing Co.

More recently, The Lost Abbey beers have graced the cover of Saveuer magazine. This is an amazing food and gourmand magazine which highlights all things great and artisinal from cheese to curries. Each year the magazine creates a list of the Top 100 best things to look out for. The Lost Abbey landed on the list at #42. Just being on the list was an honor but our bottles even graced the cover of the magazine with 11 other of the Top 100. If you visit the brewery in the future, this will most certainly be framed and mounted on our walls.

No sooner had the Saveuer magazine hit the newstands when our newest copy of Draft Magazine landed in our mailbox. This is a very new publication about the lifestyle of beer. The issue featured an article by Don Russell considering the Top 10 Breweries to pay attention to in 2007.

Much to our surprise, The Lost Abbey landed at the top of the list. Being named # 1 on the list came as a complete shock. Starting a new brewery is hard enough. Launching another brand to go with it is nuts. To have that brand land in two magazines “Best of” lists is crazy and puts an enormous amount of stress on us to make the best beers possible.

Is it worth it? Sure thing. Do we love the attention? Who wouldn’t? I also wanted to point out that I was bummed when we weren’t named to the Playboy list of beers. I’d like that tax write off. Um…a one years subcription to a “gentlemans magazine?” Yes sir they cover beer you know.

Yet, even without Playboy and their nice “articles” or lack there of in terms of articles of clothing, it sure is nice to be held in such a high regard. Do these lists make our beers taste any better? Certainly not. What they do make for is nice promotional opportunities to get our beers and messages in front of new consumers. As producers of unique beers, this is all we can hope for.

I also wanted to pimp our wares and share with you some of our competitive successes from the past 6 months. In November, the Innagural Barrel Aged Beer Festival was held in Hayward, California at the Bistro. The Bistro has been hosting IPA and Double IPA festivals for many years now. When I was brewing in Solana Beach, we were fortunate enough to win each of these festivals. Swamis IPA and HOP 15 each were named Best of the Fest during a previous life.

Back in November, we sent four different beers to the barrel aged beer festival. When the results were tallied, The Angel’s Share finished second in its category. Older Viscosity finished first in the Bourbon Barrel category and went on to compete against 5 other beers in the Best of Show round where it garnered the BOS award.

Fast forward to this last weekend in San Francisco at the epic annual Toronado Barleywine Festival. We again sent a keg of The Angel’s Share and out of a field of almost 60 beers, we finished 2nd. Congrats to the boys(and girls) at Alaskan Brewing Company who bested one of the best beers I have ever made.

In less than a year, we have cranked up this great brewing facility and continued the great spirited brewing that our friends and customers have come to expect from Pizza Port and Port Brewing. It feels good to know that our high expectations of ourselves and our beers continue even though we aren’t brewing within a stone’s throw of the ocean anymore.

As many of you know, I was hired by Pizza Port in May of 1997. Later that year, Tom Nickel and I were sitting around milling some grain at the Homebrewmart in Solana Beach. We were discussing the growth of the San Diego Brewing Scene and how things were changing. We thought it would be a great occasion if we could get some of the new winter seasonal beers together for a night of friends and local beers.

And so it was that on a rainy thursday night,(it never rains in San Diego) we opened the doors to the very first San Diego Strong Ale Festival. 200 people showed up and the legend of Pizza Port Festivals was born. Our beer festival was designed to showcase the best of what San Diego had to offer that winter. It remains a great example of what happens when you start small.

Looking back, we had no idea that this great city would embrace our festivals in the way they have. That night, 12 San Diego Strong Ales were tapped. In our mind the only thing required to be a part of our event was that the beer(s) were all over 8.0% ABV AND they had to be made in San Diego. Looking back, it’s funny to me to consider a beer festival one that offers a whopping 12 beers.

Still, we did it. We opened the doors and quietly steered people to a new world of beer. A world that rings as true today as it did back then. There are some amazing brewers and beer being made in San Diego and we should get together every so often to celebrate this.

Our festival throwing skills soon matured as we enlisted Jeff Bagby to help us and over the years, it has been the three amigos working with Vince and Gina to ensure that a good time is had by all. Tomorrow, we will open the doors to our 24th beer festival in 10 short years

5 years ago, we celebrated what we thought was a monumental occassion of 5 Strong Ale Festivals. We brewed and bottled a special commemorative beer called Old Viscosity. It was a beer we conceived and executed with our 5th Anniversary in mind. Jeff’s dad designed the artwork for the label and it was the very first specialty release of beer that Pizza Port bottled for sale. It also marked the first label that I got to write the verbage for. It’s been five years since then but that label still rings true today:

From Bottle number 188-
We know you are going to like this beer. It was made by 3 Native San Diegans who believe that San Diego is a great beer town and have spent the last 5 years telling everyone who would listen to them. So we’re telling you right now, this is a great beer.

We are serious brewers who share our passion for brewing with everyone we meet. At some point, you’ve probably even met us- the one known for his verbosity, the one for his creativity and the other for his insanity. Our intense love of beer and travel has probably even brought us to your locale. Maybe some of you hoisted a pint with us in San Francisco, Denver or Phoenix. Some of you may have caught our act in Washington DC last summer in a rare East Coast visit. We’re not rock stars, although everywhere we’ve been you’ve treated us like royalty. It seems that our beer travels are always about the people and the beer. They are mutually inclusive.

The idea for this beer came to us in bits and pieces earlier this year. Maybe you were there in Chicago when we named this beer. A bunch of you were with us in Phoenix later that month when the idea for a celebratory beer germinated. A select few of you were there in the van on the way home from Boonville when the recipe was finally written. But ALL of you were there when we brewed this beer. Old Viscosity celebrates the experiences we have all shared while at the same time crossing the boundaries of what beer can be. Like our travels that have known few boundaries, this beer was made to no particular style.

Five years ago, we started down the road of good beer and good cheer. AND, what have we learned along the way? No matter where we choose to travel or how we choose to get there, beer is always the vehicle. It has been the unifying agent whereby our travels are the fuel, the people we experience the spark and our unwaivering contagious enthusiasm the exhaust we leave behind.

For us, the essence of beer is the experience it provides. It is a life long altering proposition supported at every fork in the road by the people we meet. We are fortunate to share these experiences and moments with you our friends. Thank you all for participating in our lives through the past 5 years of San Diego Beer and Festivals. Old Viscosity belongs to all of us and is released on this monumental Anniversary of Strong Ale and Great Beer in San Diego with you in mind.

The Three Amigos
To this day, it remains one of my favorite beer labels of all time. Fast forward to 2006. We purchase the Old Stone Brewing Company facility and decide that our first specialty beer we will release will be Old Viscosity. The reason was two fold. It had been five years since the beer was last available AND more importantly, we wanted to be able to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of Strong Ale with a special batch of Old(er) Viscosity which is a 100% Bourbon Barrel aged version of the original Old Viscosity. And so the beer spent the whole summer aging in new bourbon barrels. The resulting beer is stunning and two weeks ago was named Best of Show at the innagural Barrel Aged Beer Festival in Hayward, CA.

The beer will be available at the brewery in San Marcos starting December 6th until supplies run out. The good news is that this beer will be available as a limited release each year. I was tasked with creating a label for the bottle that encompassed everything that has happened to us in the last 10 years. It’s amazing how little has changed for us in five years.

Older Viscosity(the new label)
Seriously, where did all those days go? Is it possible we’ve come this far? The answer is yes and in the past ten years, our lives have moved forward at an amazing speed. But amid this liquid chaos, there has always been one constant- the beers made here in America’s Finest City have few peers. Today, with this in mind, we celebrate, we reminisce and maintain the best is yet to come.

It’s no secret the San Diego Brewing scene has evolved into a community of artisans bent on challenging the status quo. It is said those who ignore the past are doomed to repeat it. Yet we wonder, what about those with no history, no past or maps to get in the way? These people become the true explorers whose sole inspiration is found everyday in the wind at their backs.

Our festivals and a mantra of “Good Beer Brings Good Cheer,” started easily enough. But it never would have taken root without two amazing people by our side. It’s a fact that some will come and some will go from your life. Yet, for the last 24 beer festivals we have offered, it has been the same group of 5 making sure that each and every event bears the signature Pizza Port stamp. To Gina and Vince, you’ll never know how much we appreciate ALL that you have given us. Together, we have shown the world that passion isn’t something you can buy at the five and dime.

Ten years ago, there were no local brewing all stars. There certainly were no autographs and at best there was little magic. Yet, we became a band of explorers reaping the riches of our un-chartered voyages. Every bottle we opened moved us to magical lands. Still, every destination has a beginning and an end. But for us, they remain the same. The Amazing beers of San Diego start and finish conversations. No matter where we are, each holds the ability to transport us to places we never thought imaginable. For the past ten years, our beers have opened doors, created invitations and at once acted as a vehicle of conversation. So remember this next time you’re enjoying a beer from one of San Diego’s world class breweries that life moves, beer evolves and through it all, friendships endure.

Cheers
Gina, Vince, Jeff, Tom and Tomme

We look forward to many more great days and nights celebrating with each and everyone of you. It has been our privilege and honor to come this far with each of you at our side. Here’s to many more great years of Good Beer Brings Good Cheer.