Craft Breweries, International, Ownership

Defining Craft: Italians Do It Better

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On the website of Amaracord, a craft brewery in the Italian town of Appechio, there is a graphic that proclaims, “Italians Do It Better“. They are, of course, referring to Italian craft beer. Whether Italian craft beer is better than that produced by craft brewers in other countries is, of course, a topic of debate. What I can say is that having visited Italy half-a-dozen times since 2013, the country does produce some excellent craft beer.

My most recent trip to Italy was just last month. I was there to visit the Gran Sasso Science Institute (GSSI) in L’Aquila where I made a presentation on craft beer at a workshop for PhD students and early career researchers. Part of my presentation addressed the issue of how craft breweries and craft beer are defined. Prior to my visit, I did quite a bit of research into the Italian craft beer industry, and discovered some interesting differences between how craft breweries and craft beer are defined in the United States and Italy respectively.

In the United States the generally accepted definition of a craft brewery is that provided by the Brewers Association (BA), a trade group representing the interests of craft brewers. According to the BA, to qualify as a craft, a brewery must meet three conditions:

  • It must be small. Annual production cannot exceed 6 million barrels (7 million hectoliters).
  • It must be independently owned. No more than 25 percent of the brewery can be owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by a beverage alcohol industry member that is not itself a craft brewer.
  • It must brew beer and have a license to do so from The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB).

This is the definition that is used by most academic researchers, including myself. Its widespread acceptance and usage are also reflective of the fact that there is no legal definition of a craft brewery in the United States.

One of the shortfalls of the BA definition, in my opinion, is that while it defines a craft beer producer (i.e., a brewery), it does not define craft beer. The closest that the BA gets to defining craft beer is that it is “generally made with traditional ingredients like malted barley; interesting and sometimes non-traditional ingredients are often added for distinctiveness“. This leads me to ponder the question – can a large multinational corporation like AB InBev produce craft beer? In the absence of a definition of craft beer, this is a difficult question to answer. It is, as I will show later, an important question.

As I was to discover from my research, the question of defining a craft brewery and craft beer has been addressed by the Italian government. In 2016, Italy’s lawmakers passed legislation that defined a craft brewery as follows:

  • It must be small. Annual production cannot exceed 200,000 hectoliters (169,000 barrels).
  • It must be legally and economically independent.
  • It must be intellectually independent. A brewery cannot operate under license to use the intellectual property rights of others.
  • It must be physically separate from other breweries. Each brewery must have its own distinct production space.

In addition to the above, the 2016 legislation defined two key characteristics of the product, craft beer. To qualify as craft, beer must be both unpasteurized and non-micro-filtered.

For several reasons, the Italian definition of craft brewery and craft beer is superior to what we have in the United States, First, it is a legal definition. Second, it defines the required characteristics of both the brewery and the beer.

While some may not be particularly interested in how craft brewery and craft beer are defined, or whether they are defined at all, I would suggest that having legal definitions of these two concepts is important.

In 2020, Byron Jackson and Mario Mena Jr. filed a class action lawsuit against the brewing giant AB InBev. At the center of the lawsuit was Veza Sur Brewing Co., which is located in Miami, FL. In patronizing the Veza Sur Brewing Co., and drinking their beer, Jackson and Mena Jr. believed that they were drinking craft beer brewed by a craft brewery. Upon discovering that Veza Sur was owned by AB In Bev, they filed a class action lawsuit. As the plaintiffs’ complaint stated:

“Defendants make and sell beer under the name Veza Sur. Veza Sur pretends to be a craft beer made in Miami and with Latin roots. In reality, it is simply another one of the dozens of brands made by the largest brewer in the world, Anheuser-Busch. It has no authentic Latin roots, and is not even made in Miami. Defendants’ misrepresentations have deceived the Plaintiffs who thought they were purchasing a craft beer that was made in Miami by a small brewery”.

For purposes of full disclosure, I was retained by the legal firm (Twig, Trade, & Tribunal) representing the plaintiffs as an expert witness in this case. In August 2021, the lawsuit was dismissed by U.S. district court judge in Miami, FL. In other words, it never went to trial.

In dismissing the case, Judge Beth Bloom stated that the “Brewer’s Association’s definition of craft beer is but one definition of a term that is otherwise widely used and well known in day-to-day conversation. However, what a certain individual might determine to qualify as “craft” beer is necessarily a subjective one, depending on the individual’s tastes and interests.”

Judge Bloom’s statement was recognition of the fact that there is no legal definition of what constitutes either a craft brewery or craft beer. Of course, the definitional issue was only one aspect of this lawsuit. And so, even if there was a legal definition of craft brewery and/or craft beer in the United States, this would not have guaranteed a successful outcome for the plaintiffs. Indeed, if you read Judge Bloom’s opinion, it is unlikely that a legal definition of craft brewery and/or craft beer would have resulted in a positive outcome for the plaintiffs.

While a legal definition of craft brewery and/or craft beer may not have helped the plaintiffs in their case against AB InBev, it did get me thinking about the issue of having a legal definition of either or both of these. If a legal definition did exist, as it does in Italy, it would certainly un-muddy what are currently some very muddy waters. For example, is Shock Top, a Belgian Wheat beer brewed by Anheuser Busch, a craft beer? Can a multinational corporation produce craft beer? Is Space Dust IPA, brewed by Elysian Brewing Company a craft beer? Is Elysian a craft brewery. Elysian Brewing Company was established in 1995 in Seattle, WA by Dave Buhler, Joe Bisacca, and Dick Cantwell. In 2015, AB InBev purchased Elysian Brewing Company, with the result that the latter lost its status as a craft brewery with the Brewers Association. All the above questions, in the absence of a legal definition, are difficult to answer.

While I was at Rome Airport, waiting to board my bus to L’Aquila, I decided to have a beer. I opted for a beer called Birra ichnusa. From its label, it looks like a craft beer. It is also unfiltered. Brewed on the Italian island of Sardinia, Birra Inchusa has been around since 1912. Despite its appearance (on at least three criteria), it does not meet the Italian government’s definition of a craft beer. First, since 1986, the brewery has been owned by Heineken. Second, the brewery produces over 400,000 hectoliters of beer annually (making it too large to qualify as craft). Third, the beer is pasteurized.

I enjoyed a Birra Ichnusa at Rome Airport while waiting for my bus to L’Aquila

Whether we will ever have a legal definition of craft brewery and craft beer in the United States, I have no idea. If we did it would certainly bring clarity to a very unclear situation.

Beer Tourism, Festivals, International, Local Beer, Small Towns

Craft Beer: A Tourism Opportunity for an Italian Inner Area?

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I just returned from a six-day trip to Italy. I was at the Gran Sasso Science Institute (GSSI) in L’Aquila where I participated in a workshop for PhD students and early career researchers in the fields of Economic Geography and Regional Science. This was my fourth visit to L’Aquila since 2017. Located a two-hour bus-ride east of Rome, L’Aquila is a city of just under 72,000 people. It made international news in 2009 when it was hit with a 6.3 magnitude earthquake, whose epicenter was just outside the city; an earthquake that was responsible for 308 deaths.

In addition to the workshop, I was also invited to participate in a local food and beer festival in Lecce nei Marsi. Located just over an hour drive southeast of L’Aquila, Lecce ne Marsi is a small community of just over 1,600 people. Lecce ne Marsi is located in what the Italian Government has designated as an Inner Area. Inner Areas are parts of Italy that, because of their geographic isolation, have limited access to essential public services such as health care, education, and transportation. They are areas that are suffering from the out migration of younger people, resulting in an ageing population. An estimated 22% of the Italian population live in Inner Areas. In response to the challenges facing Inner Areas, the Italian Government, in 2012, developed the National Strategy for Inner Areas (Strategia Nazionale per le Aree Interne). Known by the acronym SNAI, the goal is to “counteract marginalisation and demographic decline” of these areas. One of the ways in which the SNAI tries to do this is through the protection and promotion of the natural and cultural assets of Inner Areas.

Lecce nei MarsI (indicated by the B on the map) is just over an hour drive from L’Aquila (indictaed by the A on the map)
Welcome to Lecce nei Marsi

In an effort to promote its cultural assets, as well as those of twelve surrounding communities, Lecce nei Marsi decided to organize and host a festival promoting local food and local beer. Prior to its start, the Mayor of Lecce nei Marsi, Augusto Barile, held a short two-hour mini conference titled “Typical Products: The Strength of the Internal Area”. As the festival coincided with my visit to L’Aquila, Mayor Barile invited me to give a short presentation on craft beer. The mayor’s interest in craft beer was driven by the fact that a nearby micro-brewery, Beer Park Brewery, produced a beer whose ingredients include locally-harvested faggiola. Translated into English, faggiola are beechnuts (the fruit of the beech tree). The mayor was particularly interested to learn about beer tourism and how it could be used as part of a broader culinary tourism initiative to boost the local economy. Other presenters at the mini conference included Alessandra Faggian, my colleague from GSSI, the President of the national park within which Lecce ne Marsi is located, local elected officials, and even the local priest (who recognized the importance of economic development to the region). The audience were local residents and the mayors of the twelve surrounding communities. It was a standing-room only audience in the town’s small council chambers. The event was promoted as a Alogastronomia Festival. Alogastronomia was a neologism created in 2015 by the organizers of a local food and beer festival in the town of Appechio, Italy, from “merging of two words: ale, a kind of fermented beer, and gastronomy, . . . the art of regulating the stomach.” As such, it indicates a particular relationship between beer and food.

Promotional materials for the local food and beer festival in Lecce ne Marsi
It was a standing-room only crowd in the small council chambers of Lecce nei Marsi
Talking about the Italian craft beer revolution in Lecce ne Marsi (with the assistance of my wonderful translator Concetta)

Beer tourism is an increasingly popular activity. This is particularly the case in the United States, where the craft brewing industry is more developed than most other countries. However, the potential for beer tourism in Europe is, in my opinion, also significant. Indeed, there are already a number of travel companies who offer packaged vacations focused on visiting breweries and tasting beer in a variety of European countries, including Belgium, Germany, the United Kingdom, and yes, Italy. These tours tend to focus on larger cities such as Prague, Brussels, and Rome. This leads to the question – can small, geographically isolated communities, such as Lecce nei Marsi capitalize on the growing interest in traveling to taste beer? I believe that they can. However, it will require significant coordination and collaboration on the part of local communities. Attracting people to visit geographically isolated places such as Lecce ne Marsi will also require that non-beer assets be promoted. This may include local food, sites of historical significance, and events and festivals like the one that I attended.

The good news is that there is already an existing organization, the National Association of Beer Cities (Città della Birra Associazione Nazionale), that can perhaps be a source of advice and also used for promotional and branding purposes. Established in 2015, and headquartered in the small town of Appechio (also located in an Italian Inner Area), the goal of the association is to promote beer tourism. As of now, most of the breweries participating in association activities are located in the Marche region of Italy. However, as it is a national association it should be open to assisting breweries in other regions of Italy. Beer and food tourism cannot solve all of the socio-economic challenges facing communities like Lecce nei Marsi. However, they do represent one opportunity that such communities should consider. Indeed, the aforementioned Appechio perhaps offers a model for what is possible for places like Lecce nei Marsi. Appechio has had an annual Alogastrnomia Festival since 2015, whivh has evolved into a three-day event that attracts over 4,000 visitors. Apecchio has also done an excellent job of promoting the region’s other assets such as outdoor activities (biking, hiking, horseback riding etc.). And they have a very impressive website which promotes the region’s assets.

The goal of the National Association of Beer Cities is to promote beer tourism

By the time the mini conference had wrapped up, the food and beer festival was well underway. Each of the thirteen communities had stands offering a food that was typical of their particular place. Baked lamb, frogs’ legs, olive oil, truffles, and ricotta cheese were some of the culinary delights on offer. When it comes to food, I am not particularly adventurous, but I did take the opportunity provided by the festival to taste frogs’ legs for the first time.

Lecce ne Marsi provided a beautiful setting for a local food and beer festival
I had the opportunity to sample local frogs’ legs
My colleague Alessandra sampling some locally produced olive oil
Gioia Dei Marsi was one of thirteen towns participating in the local food and beer festival

While the food was wonderful, I was most interested in sampling the local beer, especially the one made with the local faggiola (beech nuts). Moricento, is an English Brown Ale, and is named after the nearby beech forests from which the beech nuts were harvested. Not only did I get to taste the beer, but I also got to meet both the owner of the brewery, Marco D’Aurelio, and brewer, Luca Fusè. The opportunity to meet both brewery owners and brewers is one aspect of the craft brewing industry that I really enjoy and appreciate. To be able to shake the hand and chat with those responsible for producing the beer that you are drinking is a true privilege.

The ingredients of Moricento beer include beech nuts harvested from local beech trees
With Marco D’Aurelio, owner of Beer Park Brewery
Sampling Moricento beer with brewer Luca Fusè (far right)

This was the first local food and beer festival in Lecce nei Marsi. The plan is to make this an annual event. It will be interesting to see how this event evolves in future years, and what other initiatives Lecce nei Marsi and its neighboring communities develop in their efforts to improve the socio-economic environment of both them and their neighbors.

Further Reading:

Pezzi, Maria Giulia. 2017. From peripheral hamlet to craft beer capital: Apecchio and the ‘Alogastronomia. Italian Journal of Planning and Practice, Volume 7, Issue 1, Pages 154-185.

Alcohol Trends, Health, Low Alcohol Beer, Non-Alcoholic Beer

Craft Beer and the Anxiety Economy

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On a recent trip to my local grocery store I picked up a 6-pack of Run Wild IPA. I drink a lot of IPAs, so this was not a particularly unusual choice. Except that it was – this particular IPA was non-alcoholic. It was brewed by Athletic Brewing Co. If you are unfamiliar with Athletic Brewing Co., they started out in Stratford, CT in 2017. They grew quickly and today are the 13th largest craft brewery in the country – quite impressive for a brewery whose beer is all non-alcoholic. Such has been their success that they closed down their Stratford brewery and opened new ones in Milford, CT and San Diego, CA. Their success is indicative of the growing popularity of non- and low-alcohol beer in the United States. In 2021, sales of non-alcoholic beer increased by nearly 32%, while sales of low-alcohol beer grew by 4.5%. The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau defines a non-alcoholic beer as one that contains less than 0,5% of alcohol by volume. So, what was I doing, purchasing a non-alcoholic beer? Well, recently, I have been consuming quite a few of the IPAs from New Belgium’s Voodoo Ranger series. Those I have been drinking have generally come in at around 9% ABV. Personally, a couple of these are sufficient for me in one sitting, so I thought that having a non-alcoholic option for my third and fourth beer might not be a bad idea. An added bonus, if you are trying to watch your calorie count, is that Run Wild IPA only has 65 calories.

Enjoying a Run Wild IPA from Athletic Brewing Co.

After I purchased my Athletic 6-pack I was surfing the internet when I came across an NPR article on the increased popularity of non-alcoholic beers. As I was scrolling through it, a term that I had never heard before – the “anxiety economy” – caught my attention. According to NPR, the anxiety economy is a catch-all label for “for a set of products — like meditation apps, squishy stress balls, self-help books and online psychiatry services — that are benefiting from increasing numbers of folks striving for lower levels of anxiety and better physical and mental health.” Apparently, anxiety, or at least awareness of it, is on the rise and a whole industry has evolved to meet the needs of those suffering from it. A 2018 study by the American Psychiatric Association found that the national anxiety score (which ranges from 0-100) stood at 51, a five-point increase over the previous year. In particular, Americans were anxious about their health, safety and finances. And this was before the onset of COVID-19. Not surprisingly, the COVID-19 pandemic pushed anxiety levels to new heights. Of course, it’s not just Americans who suffer from anxiety. In Great Britain, around 30% of the population experience an anxiety disorder at some point during their lifetime. Certain groups of people are more likely to experience anxiety than others. For example, people of color tend to be more anxious than Caucasians, people on Medicaid are more anxious than people with private insurance, and Millennials are more anxious than Baby Boomer or Gen-Xers.

The above referenced survey by the American Psychiatric Association found that personal health was a common source of anxiety. In recent years, health consciousness has been a key driver of the growing popularity of non- and low-alcohol beer. A new survey by Nielsen found that close to a third of consumers seek out healthier options – including beer – when they go grocery shopping.  Worldwide, the market for non-alcoholic beer which stood at $22 billion in 2022, is expected to rise to $40 billion in 2032. Folks seeking out non-alcoholic beer are part of what some have termed the “Sober Curious Movement“, while Mark Meek, CEO of IWSR Drinks Market Analysis refers to it as a “moderation trend“. Beer dominates the non/low alcohol segment, accounting for over 90% of sales. An indicator that non-alcoholic beer is becoming increasingly mainstream was the recent announcement that JetBlue would become the first major US airline to offer its passengers non-alcoholic beer. Starting this month (May 2023) JetBlue passengers will be able to enjoy an Upside Dawn Golden Ale while enjoying the view at 30,000 feet. The beer is brewed by (you’ve guessed it) Athletic Brewing Co.

Every year, after the excesses of the holiday season, we have “Dry January”, a month when consumers of alcohol are encouraged to abstain. Dry January has its origins in the United Kingdom and is the brainchild of Alcohol Health Alliance UK, who actually trademarked the term in 2014. Interestingly, Finland introduced the idea of “Sober January” in 1942 as part of its war effort against the Soviet Union.

Not everyone is necessarily onboard with low- and non-alcoholic beer. In a very thoughtful essay for Slate.com, Ian Lecklitner confesses to having a growing vendetta against non-alcoholic beverages. He cites several issues around non-alcoholic drinks, suggesting that they may not be the panacea that they appear. For former alcoholics, the smell (of hops for example) can have a triggering effect. Yet, according to one observer, “those recovering from alcohol addiction are clearly in the target market for non-alcoholic beverages.” Lecklitner makes clear his disdain for an industry that he accuses of “profiting off of addiction’.

While I prefer to not enter into the ethics of non-alcoholic beer, I will say that the latter have improved considerably in recent years. I can recall drinking the occasional O’Doul’s in years past and being singularly unimpressed. As one writer observed, “brewers are now making non-alcoholic beers that are packed with flavor, thanks to new technology and techniques that are reinventing a category that once felt like purgatory.” Apparently, this is due to a raft of innovations such as vacuum evaporation, filtration etc., which allow brewers to extract alcohol from the beer while retaining much of the beer’s intended flavor. It is certainly nice to have a tasty option when, for whatever reason, more alcohol (or any alcohol) is not desired.

Adaptive Reuse, Brewery Names, Community, Craft Breweries

Hop Atomica

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I was in Savannah, GA last month. As with many of my out-of-town trips, I was attending an academic conference. This time is was the annual meeting of the Southern Regional Science Association. My last visit to Savannah had been in 2007, so I was keen to reacquaint myself with the city. As usual, in advance of the trip, I did my homework on local craft breweries. My research uncovered six breweries – Coastal Empire Beer Company, Hop Atomica, Moon River Brewing Company, Service Brewing Co., Southbound Brewing Company, Two Tides Brewing Company. During my stay in Savannah, I managed to visit three of them – Hop Atomica, Moon River, and Service. Of the three, it was Hop Atomica that I found most interesting.

Opened in 2020, in the city’s Baldwin Park neighborhood Hop Atomica is both a brewery and a distillery. The brewery was about a 40-minute walk from my hotel, so when I arrived, I was ready for a beer. The bartender set me up with Base Tan, an American Pale Ale that came in at 6.1% ABV. After another Base Tan, I wound up my visit to Hop Atomica with New Math, a Session IPA that came in at 3.5% ABV.

Base Tan, an American Pale Ale, that came in at 6.1% ABV

There were a number of things that I really liked about Hop Atomica. First, apart from good beer, the brewery had a bartender who was friendly and knowledgeable. I admit that I was there at a time when there were few customers around and so Adam, my bartender, was in a position where he could engage with me and answer my questions about the beer and the brewery. For me personally, a knowledgeable bartender enhances my brewery experience. Many breweries recognize that the way in which brewery staff interact with patrons is important. Indeed, many craft breweries train their staff in the art of customer relations. In the case of a brewery, it is not enough to be friendly and attentive. Staff members, particularly bar tenders and wait staff, have to be knowledgeable (and passionate) about the product they are selling. This is where staff training takes center stage. At Bear Republic Brewing Co. in Rohnert Park, CA, for example, new bartenders have to complete Beer Boot Camp, during which they learn about the history of beer, specific styles, etc. New hires are also required to take and pass Cicerone’s Certified Beer Server Exam within 90 days of starting employment. In preparing for the exam, brewery staff will learn about a range of topics, including about different styles of beer, the use of proper glassware, how to pour beer etc.

Adam – one of Hop Atomica’s bartenders pouring my beer

The second thing that I liked about Hop Atomica, as I learned from my conversation with Adam, was that the brewery was housed in what had once been a gas station. It was an excellent example of what is called adaptive reuse – taking an unused abandoned building, putting it to a new use, and thus breathing new life into it. Adaptive reuse is a common practice in the craft brewing industry – breweries across the United States can be found in old churches, fire stations, banks, warehouses etc. There are numerous advantages to adaptive reuse, including maintaining cultural heritage and slowing the pace of urban sprawl. It also gives beer drinkers like me a unique and interesting venue in which to enjoy a beer.

Hop Atomica is housed in a building that used to be a gas station

Third, Hop Atomica has a program whereby it supports local artists. As I learned from, Adam, the brewery serves as a rotating gallery for local artists who can hang (and sell) their artwork. While I was sitting at the bar, there was a young lady hanging artwork on one of the brewery walls. The artist was Mahsa Yousefi, the owner of Moon Child Studio. Mahsa’s medium is Surreal Psychedelic Art, whose purpose is to “to display, psychologically, the realism of the unconscious mind”. The art was eye-popping and certainly added a rainbow of color to what was, when I walked in, a bare white wall. Just last week, I was in Yellow Springs Brewery in Yellow Springs, OH and was pleased to see that this brewery also provided wall space to support local artists. Craft breweries have a reputation for supporting their local community. Whether it’s raising money for local charities, serving as flexible community spaces for activities such as yoga classes, or organizing family friendly bike rides, craft breweries are constantly looking for opportunities to support the community that support them.

Mahsa Yousefi, the owner of Moon Child Studio, hangs some of her art
Yellow Springs Brewery in Yellow Springs, OH supports local artists by displaying and selling their work

While at Hop Atomica I posted on social media the fact that I was there. This prompted one of my friends to ask as to whether the name of the brewery had a connection to any local activity or historical event. In other words, did Savannah have some “atomic” connection. I had already left the brewery by the time my friend had posted the question, so I could not ask the bartender. But as always, there is Google, and a quick search showed that in 1958 there was a mid-air collision when an F-86 fighter plane collided with the B-47 bomber carrying a 7,600-pound (3,400 kg) Mark 15 nuclear bomb over Tybee Island near Savannah.  The collision saw the F-86 lose its wing and the fuel tanks of the B-47 suffered heavy damage. The pilot of the B-47, fearing the bomb would become detached during landing, ditched the bomb in the water below. Despite subsequent searches for the bomb, it was never found. Whether this event inspired the name of Hop Atomica I do not know, but it is a possibility.

Hop Atomica is a microcosm of many things that I like about the craft brewing industry – good beer, friendly and knowledgeable staff, breathing new life into a once abandoned building, and supporting the local community. Well done Hop Atomica.

International, Macro-brewers

Guinness: Brewed in America

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A few weeks ago, I travelled to Maryland. The reason for my trip was to attend a memorial service for my step-Father-in-Law, who had passed away unexpectedly earlier this year. My wife and drove to Maryland on a Thursday. As we were picking up my oldest daughter, who was flying in from Cincnnati, OH the next morning, we stayed at a hotel right next to BWI Airport.

In preparation for the trip, I googled breweries near to where we would be staying. I was pleased to discover that Thursday night’s hotel was only a couple of miles from the recently opened Guinness Brewery. Opened in 2018, it was the first Guinness brewery to operate in the United States since the last one closed in 1954. That brewery was near New York City and had been opened primarily to quench the thirst of soldiers returning from World War II. Guinness had figured American soldiers who had served in Europe would have a craving for the stout they’d tasted overseas. It appears that Guinness had overestimated consumer interest in their product and the brewery closed in 1954 due to lack of demand.

I had visited the Guinness Storehouse (immersive experience) in Dublin, Ireland in 2015, so I was keen to visit the Baltimore brewery. The brewery is not actually located in the city of Baltimore, but rather in nearby Halethorpe, about 10 miles southwest of downtown Baltimore.

Before visiting the brewery, I had dinner at a well-known chain restaurant next to our hotel. As it was the evening before St. Patrick’s Day, I decided to have a Guinness Stout. When my bottle of Guinness arrived, I noticed that it was brewed in Dublin. I had hoped that it would have been brewed at the nearby brewery, but as I was to later discover later the iconic brew is not produced at the Baltimore facility.

In an interview with NPR, Peter Simson (head brewer at Guinness’s Dublin brewery) stated “I think Guinness stout is such an iconic stout, it has such strong links back to Dublin and back to Ireland, that it would feel wrong to take it away from Ireland and to brew it over here”.

Some of the beer’s available at the Guinness Brewery in Baltimore

While not brewing Guinness Stout, the Baltimore brewery does brew an impressive range of other beers. These included a Blonde Ale, a Honey Ale, and several IPAs and Stouts. On my visit I opted for their Galaxy IPA (brewed with Australian Galaxy hops) and a brew from their Hop Exploration Series, a French IPA (brewed with French malt and hops).

Exploration and discovery are very much part of the brewery’s modus operandi. The brewery has a 10-barrel pilot system, which is used for smaller experimental batches. As noted on the brewery’s website, “We focus our attention on putting our spin on classic styles, introducing new ones, and utilizing both historic and new age ingredients and processes to create an exciting, ever-changing beer program”. A 100-hectoliter brewing system allows the brewery to produce larger batches of selected beers for off-site distribution. This is the second pilot initiative started by Guinness. In 2015, they opened the Guiness Open Gate Brewery, in close proximity to their main brewery in Dublin, where you can sample “experimental beers you won’t find anywhere else”. In producing experimental beers that you can only taste on-site, Guinness is functioning in similar fashion to a craft brewery.

Guinness is no longer a stand-alone company. In 1997, it merged with Grand Metropolitan, a leisure, manufacturing and property conglomerate headquartered in the United Kingdom, to form a new company called Diageo. Diageo spent $90 million to convert the historic Calvert distillery (1933-2015) into the present-day Baltimore brewery.

Diageo spent $90 million to convert a distillery into the Guinness Brewery

As you enter the grounds of the brewery, there is a sign that says “Welcome to the only Guinness brewery in the USA”. While true, that sign will soon need to be removed. In the summer of this year, Gunness will open its second brewery, which will be housed in a former Pennsylvania Railroad Terminal building in Chicago, Il. From available media reports, it appears that the Chicago facility will not be as large as that in Baltimore. It will have a small pilot brewery, which will produce small batch and experimental brews. It will also have a taproom, restaurant, and outdoor patio space.

The Baltimore brewery is a multi-level facility. From what I could tell, brewing is done on the ground level, with the taproom and gift shop on the second floor. The taproom is spacious and the staff attentive. The gift shop has all the usual items you might expect – t-shirts, ball caps, refrigerator magnets, etc. The brewery also offers a number of tours and experiences, including a barrel-aged tasting experience and a guided tour of their pilot brewery.

Entrance to the Guinness Brewery in Baltimore
Inside the Guinness taproom in Baltimore

Just as I was about to post this blog entry, a friend texted me a link to a news story that Guinness was going to close part of its Baltimore production facility. Seventy-nine workers will be laid off. On the positive note, the taproom, restaurant, and the pilot brewery will stay open, thus retaining approximately 100 jobs. A spokesman for the company said, “After careful consideration and analysis of our supply footprint, we have made the difficult decision to permanently close our manufacturing facility” in Baltimore. Furthermore, “in order to ensure long term sustainable growth for Diageo, we are optimizing our existing operations across North America to meet evolving consumer preferences.” The two most interesting phrases from that statement are “supply footprint” and “evolving consumer preferences”. The flagship beer of the Baltimore brewery is Baltimore Blonde. Baltimore Blonde has been brewed in Baltimore since the opening of the Guinness facility. The brew has been around since 2014, however. Back then it was called Guinness Blonde and was brewed in Latrobe, PA. It may not be doing as well in the marketplace as Guinness had hoped. The owner of a Baltimore liquor store noted that Baltimore Blonde is not a top seller. On the popular beer rating site Untappd, it has a rating of 3.56, which is below 3.71, the average Untappd rating found by one study. So perhaps the brewery was not selling enough of its flagship beer to justify a dedicated brewing facility. Although Baltimore Blonde will no longer be brewing Baltimore Blonde, local economic development agents are keen to make sure that its producton remains in Baltimore. Continued production of the Lager will likely be sub-contracted to another brewery, with Baltimore’s Heavy Seas brewery being mentioned as a possibility. While the downscaling of production at Guinness’s Baltimore brewery may leave a bad taste in the mouth of local economic development officials, keeping production local might soothe some of their disappointment.

Guinness: Brewed in America

Alcohol Trends, Millennials, Spirits

Millennials Driving Sales of Distilled Spirits to Surpass Beer for First Time

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Last month, The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States issued its annual economic briefing. The briefing contained a wealth of data on the status of the country’s distilled spirits industry. One of the most interesting data points was the fact that, for the first time, the market share enjoyed by distilled spirits (42.1%) exceeded that of beer (41.9%). Ascending to the peak of the alcohol sales mountain has been a long slog for producers of distilled spirits. In 2000, distilled spirits share of the market was 28.7%. Beer’s lead, at 55.7%, must have seemed unsurmountable. So what happened? Why have sales of spirits surpass sales of beer?

The shift from beer to spirits did not occur overnight. It was slow and gradual, which suggests that the 20-plus year time-span over which these changes occurred represents a generational shift in tastes and preferences. So which generation was responsible for these shifts? Credited with being responsible for the craft beer revolution, millennials have also had a starring role in the growing popularity of spirits.

The first two decades of the twenty-first century can be characterized as the age of the millennial. A millennial is someone born between the years 1981 and 1996.

In 2002, the first members of the millennial generation were reaching the age of 21, that magic milestone where they could legally purchase alcohol. Recently, those first millennials entered their 40s, while the youngest members of the cohort reached their mid-20s. Today, there are an estimated 79 million millennials.

Thankfully, there has been a plethora of market research that provides insights into the values and tastes of millennials. When it comes to food and drink, millennials appreciate convenience, variety, freshness, and healthy. They also value quality over quantity. So how do these preferences influence their alcohol purchasing decisions?

As with craft beer, spirits offer consumers variety; When combined either with other spirits and/or with other ingredients such as bitters and fruit juices, the consumer has a dizzying array of choices. Take Ready-to-Drink cocktails (RTDs) for example. In 2021, Drizly, North America’s largest online alcohol retailer, offered its customers over 450 brands of RTDs, a 170% increase over 2019.

While the more creative among us may take satisfaction from mixing our own cocktails at home, the impressive growth of Ready-to-Drink cocktails (RTDs) offers the ultimate in convenience. No mixing of ingredients necessary – just pop open the can and they are ready to drink. Millennials appear to have embraced them. In 2022, sales of RTDs grew 35.8%. Between 2017 and 2022, spirits enjoyed their fastest growth in decades. RTDs were a primary driver of this growth.

However, it is more than convenience and variety that is attracting millennial drinkers. Once saddled with a reputation for being overly sweet and made with cheap ingredients, the makers of RTDs have upped their game in recent years, using high quality spirits and other ingredients that are often organic and gluten-free. In other words, they have underwent a process known as premiumization. Moreover, millennials, more than any other demographic cohort, are purchasing these higher quality RTDs. According to Drizly, 62% of RTD purchasers are millennials.

While beer is traditionally a male drink, RTDs have a broader appeal. Sixty percent of Drizly’s RTD customers are female. Appealing to both males and females undoubtedly gives RTDs an advantage over beer.

In addition to RTDs, millennials are also driving sales of tequila/mescal and American whiskey, the second and third fastest growth segments in 2022 respectively. Premiumization is also apparent in both segments, as consumers trade-up to higher price products, some of which are made by the 2,000+ craft distillers in the United States.

How can millennials afford to trade up to higher-price spirits? Quite simply, they are making a classic quality vs. quantity trade-off. They are consuming less alcohol, but that they are consuming is of higher quality. The same trade-offs are made by millennials choosing pricier craft over cheaper mass produced beer.

While spirits have slowly eaten away at beer’s market share, it should be noted that the craft beer segment is still performing well. In 2021, while overall beer sales grew by just 1%, sales of craft beer increased by 7.9%. For many millennials, it is not a question of spirits or beer. Many consume both; those consuming RTDs and premium spirits are also drinking craft beer.

Breweries, International

Beer in the “City of Peace”

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In October, I spent 4 days in Osnabrück, Germany. I was there attending the annual conference of the International Geographical Union’s Commission on the Dynamics of Economic Spaces. I flew into Frankfurt – there is a direct flight from Detroit – and then took the train to Osnabrück. It was a 3.5-hour train journey from Frankfurt Airport to Osnabrück.

Osnabrück, with a population of just over 168,000 is in Lower Saxony. Historically, it is famous for being one of the cities (the other being Münster) where the Peace of Westphalia was negotiated, thus ending the Thirty Years’ War (1618–1648). As a result of its part in these negotiations, the city adopted the title Friedensstadt (“City of Peace”). The city was heavily bombed during the Second World War, requiring large parts of it to be rebuilt. Today, Osnabrück is a welcoming and vibrant city, and a great place to spend a couple of days.

Inside Osnabrück City Hall where the Peace of Westphalia was negotiated

I arrived in Osnabrück in the afternoon before the start of the conference and thought that this would be an ideal time to visit the city’s only brewery – Hausbrauerei Rampendahl. The brewery was one of the few buildings in Osnabrück to avoid damage during the Second World War.

Hausebrauerei Rampendahl
Hausebrauerei Rampendahl

Like most German breweries, the beers at Rampendahl are brewed in accordance with the German Purity Law (the Reinheitsgebot) of 1516. This means that all of Rampendahl beers contain only four ingredients – water, barley, hops, and yeast. On the evening that I visited, three different beers were available – a Dunkel Lager, a Weizen (Wheat), and a Helles Lager. Needless to say, I tried all three. Having only three of the brewery’s beers to choose from was something of a different experience from the vast choice that is available at most American craft breweries that I visit. I am not sure if such a limited range of beer styles is common in German breweries, or if this was simply an exception. Perhaps one of my readers with knowledge of German breweries can answer this question for me. As I write this entry, on its website the brewery lists four beers that it has available – Rampendahl Special, Rampendahl Hell, Rampendahl Wheat, and Rampendahl Maibock.

Dunkel Lager
Weizen
Helles Lager

The brewery’s website has a short history of the brewery. The translation from German to English is such that it is difficult to clearly identify brewery’s back story. It appears that it may have once been a townhouse. The date of the building’s construction is not listed, but at least part of the building dates to 1177. Assuming this to be correct, the date at which it became a brewery is not provided. The brewery got its name from a group of disgruntled citizens, who called themselves the Rampendahl Society. Rampendahl was the owner a local restaurant where the Society met to discuss their grievances over beer and wine. In 1430, the Society led an uprising against Osnabruck’s elite (wealthy merchants). The nature of their grievances is not specified, but the uprising failed, and its leaders executed.

As I noted above, I was in Osnabrück to attend a conference. As part of the conference, we had dinner in a venue called Lagerhalle. The literal translation of “Lagerhalle” is “Warehouse”. Lager, of course is one of the two main types of beer (the other being Ale). The word Lager is a German word, which means “to store“. Lager can take between 4 and 8 weeks to produce, during which time it has to be stored (a stage in the brewing process called lagering) at the appropriate temperature. The Lagerhalle, where we had dinner is a community cultural venue and event space which puts on a wide variety of programing, including cinema, theatre, cabaret, lectures etc. Housed in a former hardware warehouse. the use of Lagerhalle as a community center dates from the mid-1970s and was a response to the youth center movement that swept Germany at that time.

Lagerhalle in Osnabrück

Finally, during one of my walks through the streets of Osnabrück, I came across Bierstraße (Beer Street). Given Germany’s love of beer (its citizens consume over 90 gallons per capita per year) it should not be surprising to see a street in a small German city thus named.

Bierstraße in Osnabrück
Community, Events, Experiential Drinking, Health

Experiential Drinking: Building a Terrarium

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Back in September, I went with my wife and daughter to HEAVY Beer Company, one of the newer breweries here in Toledo, OH. I was going to drink beer, but that was not the primary reason why my wife and daughter were heading to the brewery. They were going to build a terrarium – yes, a terrarium. In case you are not familiar with a terrarium, definitions range from “a jar of dirt and some weeds” to “a sealed or unsealed container that contains elements of a terrestrial ecosystem“. More about the construction of my wife and daughter’s terrariums later, but first a little background on these living ecosystems.

Regardless of how it is defined, the word “terrarium” has its origins from the Latin word for earth, terra. The first terrarium was created by a British botanist by the name of Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward in the 1820s. It was something of an accidental creation on the part of Ward. Investigating how different gases effected plants, Ward discovered that plants sealed in glass containers did pretty well. His first terrarium was a simple affair – a fern sealed in a jar. Ward’s discovery significantly increased the survival rate (from 5% to 95%) for plants being shipped long distances. As proof of concept, Ward had a carpenter build two large terrariums which he filled with ferns. In July 1833 the terrariums were loaded on a ship bound for Sydney, Australia where they arrived six months later “alive and thriving“. In 1842, Ward published a small book in which he documented the results of his work which focused on the benefits of putting plants in glass cases.

The cover of Ward’s book on terrariums

Terrariums (or Wardian Cases as they were originally known) were popular in Victorian Britain. Their popularity soon spread to the United States.  In the late 19th century “terrariums were all the rage“. Their popularity declined during the early 20th century, but “experienced a resurgence in the 1970s” and remain popular today. The appeal of terrariums is multi-faceted; they are low maintenance, do not take up a lot of space, and can be good for your mental health.

Whatever the motivation for owning one, a group of approximately twenty gathered at HEAVY Beer Company for a “Plants and Pints” workshop, where they would make their own terrarium. Helping these folks achieve their lifelong dream of terrarium ownership were Greer and Matt, owners of The Green Crow, which they describe as “Toledo’s First and Only Mobile House Plant Store“. During the course of an hour or so, Greer and Matt led the group through the process of making a terrarium. Of course, participants enjoyed a number of the brewery’s excellent beers while doing so.

Making a terrarium at HEAVY Beer Co. in Toledo, OH
Making a terrarium at HEAVY Beer Co. in Toledo, OH

Making a terrarium at HEAVY Beer Co. in Toledo, OH
A completed terrarium

All of those making a terrarium at HEAVY Brewing Co. were engaged in a practice called “experiential drinking” – that is drinking a beer while engaged in some other type of activity. Examples of experiential drinking abound. At Prison City Brewing in Auburn, NY a group of fifteen folks met one evening recently for a painting lesson from artist Christy Lemp. While Lemp’s usual medium is watercolors, on this occasion she used the brewery’s imperial stout. While being instructed in the art of painting with beer, many of the participants sipped on one of Prison City’s own brews. At Black Cloister Brewery in Toledo, OH, on the first Monday of every month, a group of women (and the occasional man) met for a knitting and crocheting session. While doing so, many of these fiber artists enjoyed one the brewery’s many beers. Sadly, the Black Cloister closed its doors in September 2019. Beer yoga (drinking beer while doing yoga) is another example of experiential drinking. Beer Yoga has grown in popularity in recent years, Apparently, there is a style of yoga called Vinyasa, which is conducive to holding a beer while transitioning from one posture/pose to another. For those not into painting or yoga, other common examples of experiential drinking include playing cornhole, a board game, or pinball. Trivia Night is another common activity at craft breweries.

As noted by Beth Newhart in BeverageDaily.com, “drinkers are now more drawn to experience-based locations for their alcohol consumption than typical bars with no extra incentives”. A 2011 study published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology examined the relationship link between how consumers spend their money and their happiness. One of the study’s key findings was that buying an experience resulted in more happiness than buying a material good. There are several reasons for this. First, people anticipate and remember experiences with more frequency than material goods. Second, (and this is a defining characteristic of experiential drinking), experiences are more likely to be shared with other people. The social aspect of experiences is good for human well-being. According to an article posted on the website of The Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford University, “heaps of research suggest that social connections make people happier. Satisfying relationships not only make people happy, but they also associated with better health and even longer life.” In a previous blog entry, I cited the work of British anthropologist, Robin Dunbar, whose research has demonstrated the health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption, especially when done so in a social setting such as a British pub. So next time you go to a craft brewery with your friends, whether or not you build a terrarium, not only will you enjoy yourself, but you may add a few extra days to your life.

International

North, South, East, and West

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As a Professor of Geography at the University of Toledo one of the classes that I teach is called People, Places, and Society. Ostensibly it is an introduction to Human Geography course. During the first few weeks of the semester I spend quite a bit of time introducing the students to basic geographic concepts – things like absolute and relative location, spatial distribution, spatial interaction, spatial diffusion, distance-decay, etc. Of all the basic geographic concepts. absolute location is probably the most straightforward and easiest to understand.

Absolute location is the location that something occupies according to some agreed upon system. One of the most common methods that we use to measure the location of a place is by using lines of latitude and longitude. – think of these as “imaginary” lines drawn on the surface of the Earth.

Lines of Latitude and Longitude

Lines of latitude (also called parallels) run in an East-West direction. The Equator is 0 degrees latitude. All lines of latitude are numbered between 0 degrees and 90 degrees latitude and are designated as either North or South, depending upon how far they are north or south of the Prime Meridian. The North Pole is 90 degrees North, while the South Pole is 90 degrees South.

Each place on the surface of the Earth can be precisely located according to how far (north or south) they are from the Equator. So for example, New York City, NY is 40 degrees north of the Equator, while Sydney, Australia is 33 degrees south of the Equator. Toledo, OH, where I live, is 41 degrees north of the Equator (just a tad further north than New York City).

Lines of longitude (also called meridians) run in a North-South direction and connect the North and South Pole. All meridians designated as either East or West are numbered between 0 degrees and 180 degrees, depending upon how far they are either east or west of the Prime Meridian. The Prime Meridian. The Prime Meridian is the internationally agreed upon starting point for numbering meridians. It runs through the Royal Observatory at Greenwich in the United Kingdom and is labeled 0 degrees longitude. The meridian on the opposite side of the globe from Prime Meridian is 180 degrees longitude.

The Prime Meridian in Greenwich, United Kingdom

Each place on the surface of the Earth can be precisely located according to how far (east or west) they are from the Prime Meridian. The aforementioned New York City, NY is 74 degrees west of the Prime Meridian, while Sydney, Australia is 151 degrees east of the Prime Meridian. Toledo, OH, is 83 degrees west of the Prime Meridian.

So now we have all the information we need to identify the absolute location of these three cities:

  • New York City, NY – 40 degrees north, 74 degrees west
  • Sydney, Australia – 33 degrees south, 115 degrees east
  • Toledo, OH – 41 degrees north, 83 degrees west

The last time that I was teaching this material to my students, I started to wonder about the furthest north, south, east, and west that I had travelled to visit a brewery. So I pulled up a map on my computer screen, and here is what I came up with:

Nya Carnegiebryggeriet (New Carnegie Brewery), Stockholm, Sweden (59 degrees north)

At 59 degrees north, Nya Carnegiebryggeriet (New Carnegie Brewery) in Stockholm, Sweden is the most northerly brewery I have visited. My visit occurred in January 2016. I was in Stockholm attending a conference at the Royal Institute of Technology. Opened in 2014, the brewery is a joint venture between New York’s Brooklyn Brewery and Danish brewing giant Carlsberg.  The brewery is housed in an old 1930s lightbulb factory in the Hammarby Sjöstad district of the city. Hammarby Sjöstad (translated as Hammarby Lake City) is an area of Stockholm that has gained fame as an exemplar of eco-friendly urban redevelopment. The brewery has contributed to the redevelopment of the neighborhood. The brewery’s name, Nya Carnegie, is a nod to Carnegie Porter, a classic Swedish beer. Carnegie Porter traces its origins to 1836 when Scottish businessman David Carnegie Jr. (1813-1890) purchased the Lorent sugar refinery and brewery in the Klippan neighborhood of Gothenburg.

Al old lightbulb factory is home to Nya Carnegiebryggeriet
Nya Carnegiebryggeriet has contributed to the redevelopment of the the Hammarby Sjöstad district of Stockholm
A ferry arrives and docks close to Nya Carnegiebryggeriet

Monteith’s Brewery, Greytown, New Zealand (41 degrees south, 175 degrees east)

At 41 degrees south and 175 degrees east, Montheith’s Brewery in Greymouth, New Zealand qualifies as both the most southerly and the most easterly brewery that I have visited. I traveled to Greymouth on December 2014. I had been in Christchurch, New Zealand attending the annual conference of the Australia-New Zealand Regional Science Association. I had a couple of days after the conference was finished, so decided to visit Greymouth. Christchurch and Greymouth are on opposite coasts of New Zealand’s South Island. With a population of ~8,300, it is the largest town on New Zealand’s west coast. Rather than drive or travel by bus, I decided to take the TranzAlpine train. Identified by Lonely Planet as one of the world’s most amazing train journeys I was keen to take it. I was not disappointed. The 139 mile (223 kilometer) journey, which takes four and a half hours one way took me through the fertile Canterbury Plains and the spectacular southern Alps.

Greymouth is the largest city of the west coast of New Zealand’s South Island
The TranzAlpine Train
Some of the scenery enjoyed from the TranzAlpine Train
Some of the scenery enjoyed from the TranzAlpine Train

Established during the West Coast Gold Rush of the 1860s, Greymouth, transitioned into a major coal mining and forestry center. Most of the jobs in these two sectors have disappeared and for a number of decades the town has been struggling to revitalize its struggling economy .

After checking into my overnight accommodation I headed for Monteith’s Brewery. I would be one of the 35,000 visitors who visit the brewery annually. Founded in 1868, the brewery was originally family-owned, and is named after the founder Stewart Monteith . In 1970, the brewery became part of Dominion Breweries Group, who were acquited by Heineken in 2013.

It is a brewery with something of a tumultuous history. Two times in past, the owners of the brewery have announced the cessation of brewing operations in Greymouth. The first was in 2001, when closure of the brewery was announced. Such was the public outcry, the brewery was re-opened four days later. The second occasion was in November 2020, when, DB Breweries announced that it would cease brewing operations in Greymouth, citing the uncertainty created by COVID-19 as well as the high cost of transporting raw materials to and the finished product from the brewery. The brewery’s onsite restaurant would remain open. Despite the closure, beer drinkers could still buy Monteith’s beer as it is brewed at two other locations (Auckland and Timaru) in New Zealand. Not surprisingly, the local council were not happy when hearing DB’s plans for the brewery. Indeed Mayor Tania Gibson of asked DB to consider handing over the brewery to the people of Grey District. In January of 2021, DB and the local council reached an agreement whereby the brewery’s bottling plant would be given to the district.

Monteith’s Brewery

Kona Brewing Company, Hawaii, USA (155 degrees west)

At 155 degrees west, Kona Brewing Company in Kailua Kona on Hawaii’s Big Island is the most westerly brewery I have visited. I visited Kona Brewing in February 2016, while in Hawaii attending the annual conference of the Western Regional Science Association. Kona Brewing Company was founded in 1994. When I visited the brewery in 2016, Kona Brewing Company was a member of the Craft Brew Alliance family of craft breweries. Craft Brew Alliance, established in 2008 with the  merger of Redhook Ale Brewery and Widmer Brothers, acquired Kona Brewing Company from its original owners (Cameron Healy and Spoon Khalsa) in October 2010. In December 2010, AB InBev purchased a 32.2% share of Craft Brew Alliance . In 2020, AB InBev purchased the outstanding 67.8% share of Craft Brew Alliance. In order to not be in violation of Federal Anti-Trust laws, Kona Brewing had to be sold, with the brewery being purchased by PV Brewing Partners, a Delaware limited liability company headquartered in Kansas.

Kona Brewing on Hawaii’s Big Island

As a brewery, Kona is probably best known for its Big Wave Golden Ale, Longboard Island Lager, and Firerock Pale Ale. You may have seen a number of Kona Brewing’s beers for sale at your local liquor or grocery store. If you live on the mainland, however, the Kona beer that you purchase was not brewed in Hawaii. Partly to save on the costs of transporting beer from Hawaii, Kona beer is brewed  on the mainland United States. I recently enjoyed a bottle of Kona’s Longboard Lager and on the label it indicated that this particular bottle was brewed in one of three locations – Fort Collins, CO, Portland, OR, or Portsmouth, NH. The listing of mainland brewing locations is an outcome of a 2017 class action lawsuit brought against Kona’s then owners, Craft Brew Alliance, for deceiving customers on the mainland into thinking their beer was produced in Hawaii. In 2022, Kona opened a new 30,000-square-foot brewery that can produce 100,000 barrels of beer annually This is ten times the production capacity of the brewery that I visited.

Some of the beers on tap when I visited Kona Brewing in 2016
Map of the three breweries

Further Reading

Walton, Sara, Shane Grice and Bevan Catley. 2003. The Monteith’s affair: Bitter to the loyal end. Journal of the Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management, Voulme 9, Issue 2, pages 69-74. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5172/jmo.2003.9.2.69

Community, Culture, Diversity, Food, International, Pubs

Britain’s Desi Pubs

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Last month I participated in an online webinar on “Public House: The Culture and Society of the London Pub“. It was organized and hosted by the The Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain, an organization which brings together academics, architects, heritage experts, and others with an interest in the history of the built environment. The presentation on London pubs was made by Dr David Knight of the Royal College of Art in London. During his presentation, Dr Knight identified over a dozen different types of London pub. Some types, such as Coaching Inns, no longer exist, while others such as the Community Pub are alive and well. Of the different types of pub that Dr Knight mentioned during his presentation, one in particular peaked my curiosity – Desi Pubs. When I first saw the term I thought that perhaps “Desi” was short for “Destination” and that a Desi Pub was a type of pub that was a destination for visitors to a city – for example, The Temple Bar in Dublin, Ireland. As it turns out, I was wrong in my assumption. A Desi Pub is, in fact, a colloquial term for a pub which is owned or managed by a landlord of Indian origin. In a Desi Pub, along with traditional English Ale, you can enjoy a lunch comprising traditional Indian cuisine. This got me curious, so I thought I’d do some research into the origins and current status of Britain’s Desi pubs.

Desi Pubs have their origins in the 1960s, and were primarily a response to racism experienced by British Asians. Desi Pubs provided a “safe space” where British Asians could enjoy a couple of pints of beer, and some traditional (primarily Punjabi) cuisine, without fear of harassment. This harassment was experienced first hand by the American civil rights activist, Malcom X, who visited the Blue Gate pub in Smeth

The term “Desi” means “local“, “home”, or “from the country” and is geographically linked to the south Asian countries of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. There are over 4.3 million individuals of Asian ancestry living in the UK. This constitutes 7% of the U.K. population, making them the second largest ethnic/racial group after Whites. Most of Britain’s Asian residents have their family roots in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. British residents of Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi origin constitute 2.3%, 1.9%, and 0.7% of Britain’s population respectively. India’s Punjab region, Pakistan’s Mirpur District, and Bangladesh’s Sylhet region, in particular, were the main sources of Asian migrants to Britain in the post-1947 period. Britain, of course, developed strong ties with the Indian sub-continent as a result of both trading and its colonial exploits. Post World War II labor shortages in the United Kingdom provided an opportunity for Indians, Pakistanis, and Bangladeshis who sought a better life outside of their country of birth.

As a student at the University of Glasgow, Scotland between 1981 and 1985, I was well aware of the presence of the city’s Pakistani and Indian populations. Indian restaurants were (and still are) numerous and hugely popular and were often my restaurant of choice before heading our for an evening of drinking beer with friends. Newsagents and convenience stores, many owned by Pakistanis, were equally ubiquitous. Every Wednesday, I’d pop into the same one and purchase a copy of The Celtic View, the weekly newspaper of the soccer team I supported. It was only after doing this for a couple of months that I discovered that the owner of the store, Hassan, supported Celtic’s arch enemies, Rangers. After that discovery there was a lot of friendly banter back and forth between myself and Hassan every time I frequented his store. But I digress.

Curry is an enormously popular dish in the United Kingdom, so much so that so that it has been dubbed the “UK’s adopted national dish”. In 2001, the then British Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, referred to Chicken Tikka Massala (chunks of chicken in a spiced curry sauce) as “a true British national dish“. There are an estimated 12,000 curry restaurants (often referred to as curry houses) in the United Kingdom, employing somewhere in the region of 100,000 people. Such is the importance of curry to British culture that in 2015, the British Parliament established a British Curry Catering Industry All-Party Parliamentary Group, whose purpose is to “provide a forum for parliamentarians to consider and discuss the role and contribution of the British curry catering industry”.

While many curry houses are branded as “Indian” restaurants, most are in fact owned by immigrants and/or their descendants from Bangladesh. Indeed, between 80% and 90% of British curry-house owners can trace their roots back to the Bangladeshi city of Sylhet. The Red Lion is one example of a Desi Pub. Located in Birmingham, England it has been in the hands of the Purewal family since 1997. The Red Lion website emphasize the quality of their food, noting that “the standard of food matches that of high end Indian restaurants”. The Red Lion also boasts that “our chefs are well experienced, coming from some of the top restaurants in India”.

Part of the Red Lion’s menu

While the clientele of Britain’s original Desi Pubs were primarily from Britain’s Asian community, today they function as integrated, multi-ethnic, spaces. One observer notes that Desi Pubs are “a celebration of multiculturalism . . . offering Indian food to white and brown customers alike”, while another suggests that they are an “East meets West story, where the classic English pub with its ale, darts and dominoes meets Punjabi food and Bhangra”. According to Bera Mahli, who runs the Red Cow and Grill in Smethwick (just outside Birmingham) with his brother Gamy, “the curries served up in old boozers are now bringing people together in a positive way – rather than be used as a negative marker to highlight racial differences.”

Some Desi Pubs have become what are termed Third Places (community gathering places).  The aforementioned Bera Mahli observes that, “the pub is more a community centre than anything else – for everyone.  One of the big changes is seeing Asian families in the pubs. Back when I was younger,  pubs in the Indian community were just for men only. These days as they are no longer places just to drink,  we have Asian girls, aunties and grandmas”. The aforementioned Red Lion pub in Birmingham promotes itself as “an easy going and family friendly pub“

For several decades, the United Kingdom has seen a decrease in the number of pubs, as closures have outnumbered openings. A 2014 report showed that the United Kingdom had lost around 21,000 pubs since 1980, with most closures having occurred since 2006. Reasons for this decline include the smoking ban, increased taxation on alcohol, and a reduction in alcohol consumption. Many of Britain’s Desi Pubs are former pubs that had closed and have, in fact, been resurrected by their Asian owners. In addition to saving some old British pubs, the owners of the Desi Pubs may become one of the last bastions of authentic Indian cuisine. The authenticity of the great British curry is under attack.

Musings on Beer