He’s the face of Shmaltz Brewing out of San Francisco, but he travels tirelessly, pouring his own beers at festivals and bringing his signature brand of smart humor to the industry.
The guys at Barrier Brewing Company don’t think of themselves as nanobrewers. They’re just brewers who happen to be producing beers at the ridiculous rate of two kegs per batch.
The UK-based organization CAMRA champions the sale of cask-conditioned “real ale.” And every year, Edinburgh-native and CAMRA chairman Colin Valentine crosses the pond to attend the New England Real Ale Exhibition.
Mark Burford, brewmaster and co-owner of the Long Island-based Blue Point Brewing Company, opened his brewery in 1997 with partner Pete Cotter, and he’s developed a blueprint for surviving the peaks and valleys of turbulent economies and consumer tastes.
Brad Clark has wanted to push the envelope since the first beer he ever brewed. At Clark’s Athens, Ohio, brewpub, Jackie O’s, he’s pushing boundaries in several directions.
Well known as one of the most affable guys in the industry, David Walker runs a humble, family-oriented company that just so happens to be pioneering the experimental beer market.
Better beer was born “outside the box,” and continues to evolve removed from the mainstream today. The result has been an industry of rebels and renegades who defy classification, like David Anderson, who is quietly making curious and interesting beers at Dave’s BrewFarm in Wilson, Wis.
Since 2006, Ashman, a barrel aging pioneer, has plied his trade at Truckee’s FiftyFifty Brewing Company. And for the brewer, the barrels are still the draw.
Ask Shane Welch a hypothetical question, and enjoy the ride—the founder of Brooklyn’s SixPoint Craft Ales is most comfortable playing in the world of ideas.
North Carolina is bursting with new breweries and craft beer revolutionaries who have found a safe haven for their creativity amongst the more restrictive Southern states, yet through close attention to detail, Chris Collier has found a way to stand out from the rest.
At his environmentally conscious Philadelphia brewpub, Earth Bread + Brewery, guest taps outnumber Baker’s own beers by nearly two to one. That way, customers looking for an American IPA can drink somebody else’s, and Baker’s taps are free for his more unusual and experimental beers.
The owner of Portneuf Valley Brewing—a distributing brewpub based in Pocatello, Idaho—has long hair, but it hangs off her ponytail, not her chin. Although she is in rare company as a female brewer, that isn’t what sets her apart from the peers in her area.
Shaun Hill runs his brewery with a profound sense of purpose. He brews his beers with well water from the farm that’s been in his family for generations.
However a brewer chooses to describe his beer, he probably won’t use the word “umami” … unless that brewer is Cody Morris. The man behind Seattle’s Epic Ales is more interested in pushing the boundaries of what beer can bring to the dinner table rather than brewing to traditional styles and expectations.
Will Hamill has one foot in each faction of the craft brewing community. He built Uinta Brewing Company on the strength of solid, approachable session beers, and he’s also cranking out giant specialty recipes.
Corporate America may look at a brewer like Steve Gorrill of Sheepscot Valley Brewing Company out of Whitefield, Maine, and see a man with his priorities out of whack: His business could grow and he could be a lot more aggressive in the market, but Gorrill likes things just the way they are.
The Baltimore-based brewer, who produces adventurous ales on both sides of the Atlantic, sees some advantage in not having a home. Nothing about his Stillwater Artisanal Ales project is straightforward, from the beer in the bottle to the labels outside.
Brau Brothers Brewing Company has been keeping Lucan and the rest of southwest Minnesota well-lubricated since 2006, and now this 15-barrel, family-owned brewery is making a name for Lucan by distributing beer to five states.
The Green Flash Brewing Company brewmaster touts his wide stylistic résumé—he cranks out Stouts, Belgians and barrel-aged oddities. At the same time, he says, he knows where demand in the craft market is going, and he’s more than happy to help lead the way.
