chapter 3

Breweries: The Exclusive Club

Like anything with a dedicated following, there are certain seemingly intangible qualities that the leaders of the pack possess. These qualities often reflect a mix of the respected old guard and the boundary-pushing contemporary scene.

Take music, for example. Bands like the Rolling Stones have been around forever and they’re well respected because they’ve not only created a new sound that inspired countless bands, they’ve also continued to innovate and remain relevant for decades. Their following is loyal, and even the most flippant music bloggers will begrudgingly give them some props.

At the same time, just about every month there is some hot new band—the new favorite of the music geeks — that is at least temporarily the greatest group ever to strum a chord. The brewing industry is no different. We’ve got our Stones and we have our one-hit wonders too.

Formula for Cool

Many factors can catapult a brewery to the national forefront, be it for a fleeting moment or for decades, but there is actually a method to the madness. Geeks, whether for music or for beer, want the crafters of their obsession to be geeky too. They want them to care uncompromisingly about creating the finest end product, not about making money or pleasing the masses.

Here is a list of everything a brewery needs to do right to set itself apart. Nailing one of them can get you a ticket to the demolition derby, but only the determined and crazy survive.

1. Quality

First and foremost, a brewery must make good beer. Or at least some good beer. Or, okay, one great beer.

2. Styles

To be relevant, a brewery needs to be brewing whatever styles are popular at the time, be it aroma-forward IPAs, spontaneous sours, or barrel-aged bruisers. To have staying power, they have to be adaptable and talented enough to meet the Beer Geek’s ever-changing tastes, and to do it well.

3. Homerism

When asked about the long-term success of Russian River Brewing Company, brewmaster Vinnie Cilurzo said, “You can’t forget your locals.” If they’re happy, your brewery will succeed, he reasoned. Easy to say when you make some of the best hoppy and sour beers America has ever seen, but it’s a valid sentiment. Beer Geeks love to talk about beer. The gossip starts with the locals and can spread like wildfire across online forums. When Beer Geeks cross paths a quick geographic pissing match often ensues, starting something like this:

• BEER GEEK #1: Where are you from?
• BEER GEEK #2: Random City, California.
• BEER GEEK #1: No way, I love Random City Brewing Company! Their double IPA is the best I’ve ever had after [insert Geek #1’s hometown brewery’s DIPA].
• BEER GEEK #2: Meh, Random City used to be great, but ever since they expanded, their beers totally suck.

Beer Geek #2’s lack of homerism greatly hurt Random City’s popularity, as in the next 24 hours, Beer Geek #1 will tell 302 other Beer Geeks that Random City’s DIPA now tastes like garbage.

4. Parentage

As mentioned, Beer Geeks want their favorite breweries to be totally committed to making the best-tasting brews, profit be damned. Because of this, a brewery’s parentage is key. Who created the brewery and why? All businesses need to make money to be successful, but is there any passion behind the product, or just dollar signs? After decades of being limited to three terrible-tasting, profit-driven brands, Beer Geeks are very wary of breweries that seem too focused on the bottom line.

5. Heritage

Beer Geeks are intensely devoted to the brewers who craft their favorite beers. Right or wrong, they often see a beer as the product of an individual, not a collaborative effort. Therefore, brewers can achieve celebrity status among Beer Geeks. When one of these brewers leaves to join another brewery or start their own venture, that brewery instantly has a leg up in the cool department.

The same goes for assistant brewers who worked under celebrity brewers or at star breweries. It is assumed, sometimes incorrectly, that the magical pixie dust has surely rubbed off.

6. Distribution

Again, first and foremost, a beer must be good. But, as previously discussed, the more difficult it is to acquire, the more sought after it will be. Look no further than some of the past decade’s honorees dubbed #1 Beer in the World (as determined by BeerAdvocate.com):

• Westvleteren 12: An absolutely delicious Belgian strong dark ale. Can be acquired only at the brewery in Belgium, and even then only with advance reservations.
• Pliny the Younger: The world’s first triple IPA, a powerhouse of hop resin, caramel, and alcohol. Brewed only once annually and released in the month of February. Available solely on draft and at very exclusive bar accounts.
• Heady Topper: An intensely fruity, unfiltered double IPA. Brewed in a tiny 15-barrel brewery in Vermont and typically available only in-state at select stores.

A vast distribution is not necessarily beneficial to a beer’s popularity. Nor is it always detrimental, as evidenced by well-respected breweries Stone and Sierra Nevada, but it is never helpful in earning Beer Geek adoration.

7. Flagship Beer (or Lack Thereof)

A good example of a flagship beer is Fat Tire by New Belgium. Beer Geeks see flagship beers as beers brewed to “keep the lights on.” They will tolerate breweries that rely on a flagship beer, but just like national distribution, it is never a draw. Beer Geeks look for breweries to constantly push the envelope and evolve, which can be hard to do when a flagship is sucking resources.

Just a few years back, the thought of opening a brewery without a flagship or six-pack beer was considered unfathomable. However, the rise of craft beer has allowed breweries like Anchorage Brewing Company and The Bruery, both of which create only high-end bomber-sized brews, not only to exist but to be incredibly successful.

8. Cost

It is an indisputable fact that the more expensive something is, the better it is.

Beer is no exception, and breweries that have high-priced beers are automatically known as creators of a superb product. If a brewery starts selling its beer for too cheap, they must be cutting corners and therefore not worth getting excited about.

Beer Geeks do have their pricing limit, though, as demonstrated when Against the Grain brewery began distributing. When the brewery first opened, bottles were available only locally. But after developing a cult following and seeing their beers become a hot commodity on the national beer-trading scene, they began distributing their bottles nationwide. Beer Geeks’ initial excitement quickly turned to disgust when bottles of Against the Grain IPA started retailing for upwards of $18. While barrel aging or special ingredients may justify a high price tag, it’s a hard thing to understand for a normal IPA. The brewery’s cool factor took a very big hit, and it’s taken subsequent (substantial) repricing to bring them back into Beer Geeks’ good graces.

9. Not Trying Too Hard

Pretty self-explanatory. Baby, be cool.

10. Quantity of Offerings

Beer Geeks love it when a brewery gives them choices and variations. This is viewed as dedication to the craft and a showcase of a brewery’s creativity. However, a threshold exists beyond which too many beers can be a detriment to a brewery’s coolness. As previously noted, Beer Geeks love to talk shop about a brewery, and it’s important to stay in the know about new beers arriving on the scene. God forbid someone asks what you think about the barrel-aged version of Wee Black Mamba and you’re thinking, What in the world is Wee Black Mamba??

For the most part, a brewery can only maintain a handful of beers in the forefront of the national Beer Geek consciousness. A Beer Geek’s memory is only so-so, and she has only so much time, so many dollars, and so much liver capacity. Some breweries (ahem, Jester King, Bruery) are churning out different beers so fast that Beer Geeks can’t keep up with them, which is not a good thing.

11. Scant Advertising

Advertising is for the masses, not the connoisseurs. Years of bitter-beer-face commercials have led Beer Geeks to believe that the quality of a beer is inversely proportional to the amount of dollars spent promoting it. Beer Geeks make it their responsibility to know everything there is to know about a beer through their own research and a collective knowledge base. Therefore, advertising is an unnecessary waste of money that could have instead been spent on crafting a better beer.

In addition, it’s generally thought that the simpler the packaging and labels, the better the beer. Anybody who disagrees should look no further than Russian River’s continued success despite their insistent use of the Comic Sans font.

12. Awards

Though by no means a guarantee, winning certain awards can help catapult a brewery onto the national scene. Typically, the only awards that matter are medals from the Great American Beer Festival or the World Beer Cup, while awards like the East Kansas Brewers Cup don’t mean much. However, winning a GABF or WBC medal does not necessarily mean the world, either. The medal needs to be in a category that is currently captivating the Beer Geek mindset. Gold for an IPA, for example, is a huge deal. This is what pushed Societe — a previously unknown brewery, now with a cultish following — to the national forefront. On the other hand, if Joe’s Bucktooth Brewery in Bumblebrook, Missouri, wins the gold in the Roggenbier category, they don’t need to worry about securing the doors from the hoards of Beer Geeks.

The Classics: Pioneers of the Geek Frontier

Let’s continue with the music industry analogy: Which breweries are going to be the ones that make it to the classic rock and oldies stations? Who are the Beatles and the Rolling Stones of the beer world? As with music, these breweries have to be popular and groundbreaking when they first hit the scene but also have the staying power to remain applicable today.

The following is a list (in no particular order) of those breweries — the golden oldies, if you will — that have long been revered and respected by Beer Geeks:

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. Sierra Nevada made hoppy beers way before it was cool, or even really a thing. In fact, they made it okay to be audacious with hops. The Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (SNPA) forever changed the face of the American beer scene and blazed the path for hop lovers. Released in 1981, SNPA was unlike anything else out there. Bursting with in-your-face, we-don’t-care-if-you-like-it hoppiness, it was quintessentially American. And while they could have sat back and rested on their laurels, they instead continue to push the envelope with new, fantastic, boundary-shoving beers.

Boston Beer Company. Whoa, many will say. Sam Adams? The archetypal, there-is-nothing-else-but-shitty-BMC-beers-on-tap-so-I-guess-I’ll-drink-it beer? Yes, those guys. While now relegated to airport bar consumption, their most popular beer led the charge against the flavorless, watered-down beer scene of the ’80s. Boston Beer and a handful of others fought the David vs. Goliath battle to share tap space among the BMCs in many bars, and for that Beer Geeks owe them a debt of gratitude. They make this list because, while not with stunning fashion, they do continue to create occasionally progressive beers in their Brewmaster’s Collection and have a handful of cult-worthy offerings like Utopia and Millennium.

Bell’s Brewery. Any Beer Geek knows that Michigan is a helluva beer state. Of course, where there is snow and dark, there will be lots of beer, but it is because of Bell’s that Michigan is the beer mecca it is today. Their incredible attention to detail when crafting immensely drinkable, balanced beers won over the swill drinkers of the Wolverine state. While Bell’s is not necessarily known for putting out new beers, the same ones that put them on the map, like Two Hearted Ale, Expedition Stout, and Hopslam, continue to be beloved by Beer Geeks today.

Brooklyn Brewery. The East Coast beer scene was a tough horse to break in. Stubborn and loyal, the beer drinkers along the Atlantic seaboard weren’t too interested in new, fancypants beer. Brooklyn helped break down those walls, particularly with their incredibly approachable Brooklyn Lager. And by offering more aggressive beers like Black Chocolate Stout and Sorachi Ace, they’ve been able to maintain a seat at the cool kids’ table.

Authentic Lambic Blenders. The various lambic brewers and blenders in the Senne Valley (Cantillon, Drie Fonteinen, Girardin, Hanssens, etc.) are about as cool as it gets right now. Just a decade or so ago, these guys were on the brink of extinction, their own countrymen abandoning this offbeat style in favor of more “approachable” beers. But then, wandering Beer Geeks discovered and fell in love with this funky, tart beer style and have since slowly built them up to godlike stature.

Russian River Brewing Company. After breweries like Bell’s and Sierra Nevada forged a path for good beer in America, a new guard of breweries popped up in the early 2000s and pushed the scene even further. Russian River took hoppiness to a whole new level with beers like Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger and then really blew the roof off the scene with funky, sour, barrel-aged beers like Consecration and Beatification. Even a decade later their beers are the high-water marks that most in these styles are judged against.

The Lost Abbey. The Lost Abbey was created to allow then Pizza Port brewmaster Tomme Arthur a chance to play in his Belgian beer sandbox. Before The Lost Abbey, the thought of an American brewery making only high-end specialty Belgian-style beers and selling them in corked 750-mL bottles for $10 or more was considered financial suicide. Arthur’s beer proved them wrong and helped give birth to the beer bomber scene we enjoy today.

Allagash Brewing Company. While Belgian-style beers are made everywhere in America today, this was definitely not the case in the mid ’90s. Allagash founder Rob Tod decided to do something about that in 1995 and released White, a wit-style beer that most agree can go toe-to-toe with any of the Belgian classics. The rest is history, and Allagash continues to make really awesome, really expensive Belgian-style beers in small enough batches (mmmm, rarity) to keep Beer Geeks drooling and happy.

Goose Island Beer Company. Starting as brewpub in 1988, Goose Island made then-progressive beers, like ambers, hefeweizens, and IPAs, and managed to make a bit of a name for itself. The beer world continued to turn, though, and breweries like GI became a dime a dozen. Seemingly destined to be forgotten, GI was instead forever enshrined in the Beer Geek Hall of Fame when it released its 14% ABV Bourbon County Brand Stout (BCBS) in 2003. This beer changed the barrel-aged strong beer scene. Just like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale did with hops, BCBS brought an American attitude to oak and alcohol, and Beer Geeks absolutely adored it. Not quite satisfied yet, GI began releasing variants of the beer made with additional ingredients (coffee, vanilla, coconut, blackberries) or aged in different types of spirit barrels. These small batches of variants fed the Beer Geek fever and helped spawn a movement of one-off batch variations of classic beers from breweries across the country. When Goose Island was purchased in 2011 by AB InBev (the multinational alcohol corporation best known for stepping on the throats of craft brewers everywhere), Beer Geek Nation assumed the worst.

Instead, the moneymen at AB InBev realized that not only were Beer Geeks not going anywhere, their money didn’t actually smell too bad.

The amount of BCBS increased, the number of variants doubled, and Beer Geeks responded with an ever-growing frenzy for this delicious bruisin’ ale, proving that it’s ultimately about what’s in the bottle.

Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales. Along with Lost Abbey, Jolly Pumpkin is definitely the youngest of the “pioneers” to make this list. And just like Lost Abbey, the brewery is known for being a trailblazer in the I’m-only-going-to-make-the-kind-of-beer-I-want-and-sell-it-in-bombers scene.

But, while Lost Abbey was making Belgian-inspired ales, Jolly Pumpkin was making beers that nobody had ever dreamed of — beers that fit no style category but were damn delicious.

The average person didn’t know what to make of this, but Beer Geeks felt like they finally had a guide.

Deschutes Brewery. Opened in 1988, Deschutes will always remain beloved for being part of the original group of trailblazers responsible for the beery choices we experience today. Even though it resides in the midst of Pacific Northwest hop country, it became best known for its unhoppy Black Butte Porter, which opened beer drinkers’ minds to the idea that a roasted beer could be sessionable too. They truly gained the Beer Geeks’ admiration, though, when they began releasing ultra-progressive, ultra-limited, barrel-aged vintage beers like Abyss and Dissident.

Hair of the Dog Brewing Company. In 1993, when Alan Sprints opened Hair of the Dog with the sole offering of a smoky, 10% ABV German barleywine, set to retail in single 12-oz. bottles for a then-outrageous $5, people told him he was nuts. Now, more than 20 years later, it’s become apparent how wrong those people were.

Stone Brewing Company. The brewery originally made a name for itself in 1997 with its oh-so-cleverly named Arrogant Bastard Ale. In the ’90s, the beer’s moniker seemed to strike a chord with bar and restaurant owners wanting to appear hip. This, paired with the fact that the beer was damn good, made Stone a nationwide success. Founder Greg Koch has a dangerous combination of kookiness, creativity, and business savvy that has kept the brewery on the leading edge of beery trends.

Avery Brewing Company. Another ’90s-era trailblazer that helped the Rocky Mountain region gain its well-earned reputation as a craft beer destination. While its six-pack offerings don’t elicit as much excitement from Beer Geek Nation nowadays, its massive dedication to making extremely small-batch, high-ABV, barrel-aged beers has recaptured the fervor of beer traders worldwide and made Avery relevant once again.

Dogfish Head. With a penchant for creative flair, founder Sam Calagione is probably the most recognizable craft beer celebrity in the world, starring in the Brew Wars movie as well as his own TV show, Brew Masters. While Dogfish Head has never made boring, run-of-the mill beers, it has made its name by continually pushing the boundaries of what is considered beer. Some feel this puts it more often on the bleeding edge rather than the cutting edge, resulting in a very tumultuous relationship with many Beer Geeks. Regardless, most Beer Geeks know of Dogfish Head’s indelible impact on the craft beer movement and give it its due.

New Belgium Brewing Company. Along with its East Coast brethren Allagash, New Belgium was created by beer lovers tired of being unable to enjoy their favorite Belgian beer in America. Through the ’90s and early 2000s, it helped educate Americans on all the delicious styles of beer we’d been missing out on. The release of its tart Flanders red ale, La Folie, in 2001 helped spark the sour beer revolution, which has led to a new generation of sour beer lovers in America.

Has-Beens, Sellouts, and Other Garbage

There are not too many hated breweries in the Beer Geek world. For the most part, Beer Geeks reserve their disdain for the BMC conglomerates, the band of evil super-businessmen out to rid the world of good beer through DC lobbying, legal strong-arming, and shady distribution tactics. They’re giant for a reason, and the rise of craft beer has not gone unnoticed by them, as evidenced by the rise of their faux craft breweries. You’ve certainly seen these beers — made by the big boys, but marketed and sold under the guise of a small independent craft brewery — but you may not have realized it.

The most notable of the faux crafters are probably Shock Top and Blue Moon, though how these beers/breweries are viewed by Beer Geeks is interesting. To say that Blue Moon is beloved by Beer Geeks would not be true, but most will begrudgingly give it props as a decent Belgian-style wit. After all, it’s not like the BMC guys are bad brewers — in fact, this couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s just that rather than aiming to craft the most flavorful, enjoyable beer, their criteria are often based on creating flavorless, low-cost lagers that can be consumed in large volumes. And they do it exceptionally well. When they want to apply their talents, beers like Blue Moon can happen. Shock Top, however, is at the other end of the spectrum. Sugary sweet and tasting of sickly artificial flavoring, it drinks more like a Belgian wit–inspired soda pop. Again, it’s all about the beer.

Besides those from the low end of the faux breweries, the other looked-down-upon beers are those from foreign macrobreweries. Back in the ’80s and ’90s, the American beer scene was dominated by the BMCs, and imported beers like Bass, Guinness, and Fosters were relished as flavorful exotics. And compared to a Miller Lite, it was certainly true.

However, in this current era of craft beer bliss, these beers now come across as being as bland and stale as day-old Cream of Wheat.

The last category that draws the ire of the Beer Geeks is the has-been crowd. These are the once-great breweries that, at some point, sold out to the giant global beer conglomerates. The purchasing companies are all about the bottom line and drive their newly acquired breweries to gradually make their beer more “palatable” to the masses by stripping out anything that resembles character and flavor.

Cult Breweries: The Pinnacles of the Brewing World

Within the group of breweries that get Beer Geeks in a frenzy there is the constantly rotating upper echelon, an elite class of the world’s hottest breweries. The buzz around these outfits goes far beyond your average joint with a loyal following. Rather, they command a cultish devotion among Beer Geeks: pilgrimages are made to visit the sacred grounds, brewing logos are tattooed on bodies, and rare white whales are preserved in cellars as relics to be viewed but never drunk.

To get a pass into this exclusive club, breweries must not only meet the prereqs of the Formula for Cool, they must do at least two of them — and usually more — exceptionally well. If you make a world-class IPA and happen to be in the middle of nowhere, you’ll manage to garner a few fans. But treat your locals right to build up that homerism angle and you could have a brewery that Beer Geeks will plan their vacations around.

In addition, cult breweries almost always have some sort of intangible element that contributes to their rabid following. It’s an elusive thing, and varies from brewery to brewery. Crooked Stave’s comes from creator Chad Yakobson’s groundbreaking master’s thesis on Brettanomyces, while Hill Farmstead’s rises from their (somewhat uncomfortable) obsession with naming beers after obscure philosophical arguments. But all cult breweries have that something special that seems to separate them from the pack.

The last thing that they all seem to have in common is that they’re relatively new to the scene. With few exceptions (such as Cantillon and Russian River), once a brewery bursts on the scene Beer Geeks develop an intense, devoted following . . . until the next big thing comes along. Cult breweries aren’t immune to the fickleness of Beer Geeks.

While the secret to attaining cult status may seem a bit muddy, the most important aspects are actually very simple. A brewery needs to do only two things:

1. 1. Brew at least one beer that’s considered a whale, and
2. 2. Be a destination-worthy brewery.

If it doesn’t meet both of these criteria, it doesn’t count. For example, Boston Beer has Millennium, a beer considered by any standard to be a whale. However, Boston Beer is not going to be the focal point of any Beer Geek’s beercation, and is thus not a cult brewery.

While this may seem an appropriate place to include a list of cult breweries, such a list would be out of date by the time you finish reading this chapter. Instead, any burgeoning Beer Geek looking to get the current cult breweries on her radar would be best served by checking out the breweries whose beers are on the Top 250 Beers list on BeerAdvocate.com, which is constantly updated and is based on user reviews. While there are certainly a handful of breweries on their list that don’t really have a cult following (Brasserie de Rochefort, for example), the vast majority do, making it a great barometer of Beer Geeks’ latest loves.

The Beer Geek Hall of Fame

Behind every great pioneering brewery is a personality — sometimes the brewer, sometimes not — that helped launch the operation into Beer Geek stardom. It’s for these individuals that the Beer Geek Hall of Fame was created.

Entrance to the Beer Geek Hall of Fame is an honor bestowed only on those select few who have helped to both create and inspire the Beer Geek lifestyle. These individuals have elevated beer from merely the sticky substance that coated fraternity floors (or at least one of the substances) to the sophisticated craft beverage it is today. Their contributions have made them Beer Geek household names.

Tomme Arthur

Co-founder and director of brewery operations at The Lost Abbey

Tomme Arthur is known primarily for bringing Belgian-style beers to the forefront of American beer culture with his brewery The Lost Abbey. He is also the creator of such white whales as Yellow Bus and Duck Duck Gooze. Though his serious nature (think John Wayne stare-down) can been misinterpreted, he’s proven to be nothing but gracious to his legions of fans, and his role in helping create the all-important San Diego beer scene will forever enshrine him in the Hall of Fame.

Vincent Cilurzo

Co-owner and brewmaster at Russian River Brewing

The Golden Boy of the Beer Geek scene, “Vinnie,” as he is affectionately known, can do no wrong. His résumé of both sour and hoppy beers, which includes numerous whales (Beatification, Pliny the Younger), is unmatched in the modern Beer Geek era. His generosity in sharing knowledge with both brewers and beer drinkers alike has helped cultivate the spirit of brotherhood found in the craft beer industry today.

Van Roy Family

Lambic brewers/blenders at Brasserie Cantillon

Without the vigilance of the Van Roy family over the past century, there is a good chance the world would have lost the lambic beers that Beer Geeks drool over today. Jean-Pierre Van Roy made a name for Cantillon by making unapologetically dry and tart beers with a variety of creative ingredients. Now son-in-law Jean carries the torch and, with it, a particular aptitude for knowing just what Beer Geeks want . . . before they know it themselves.

Greg Koch

Co-founder and CEO of Stone Brewing

Having the audacity to name a beer Arrogant Bastard — and have it actually be good — was critical in setting the tone and expectations for the ’90s craft beer boom. By continually managing to remain relevant (despite a rather trying love affair with seemingly endless three-way collaborations), Koch has elevated himself to Beer Geek stardom. No relation to Jim.

Garrett Oliver

Brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewery

Never has the beer world seen a man so media savvy as Garrett Oliver. When your co-worker excitedly tells you that she saw a guy on TV talking about how beer is made and how it pairs with food, there’s a 99 percent chance it’s him. No one has done more to bring craft beer to the forefront of American culture.

Sam Calagione

Founder and president of Dogfish Head Brewing

He’s the brewmaster who has shaken more hands than a presidential candidate. You’re not really a Beer Geek until you’ve had your picture taken with Sam at some beer festival, tap takeover, or other event. The man seems to be in a million places at once, but Dogfish Head still manages to crank out quality, boundary-pushing beers on a regular basis. Though he almost lost admittance to the hall with the release of Chicha (a beer made with maize and brewers’ saliva), with a few flashes of his dazzling whites all was forgiven.

Michael Jackson

Beer writer extraordinaire

When a Beer Geek hears the name Michael Jackson, his thoughts don’t turn to a one-gloved singer but rather to an eloquent, wild-haired English writer. Known as the Beer Hunter, Jackson began scouring the globe in the 1970s in search of then-obscure beers. His tireless travels resulted in the legendary books The World Guide to Beer (1977) and The Great Beers of Belgium (1991), both of which forever changed the way we view beer.

Armand DeBelder

Lambic brewer/blender at Drie Fonteinen

A second-generation lambic blender, Armand, like Jean-Pierre Van Roy, fought valiantly to ensure that Beer Geeks of today can enjoy authentic gueuze. Famously refusing to sell an entire year’s worth of lambic because he deemed it subpar due to a heater malfunction in the cellar, he forever captured a place in all Beer Geeks’ hearts.

Ken Grossman

Founder and CEO of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company

Who knows what the beer world would be like if it weren’t for Ken Grossman’s iconic Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. This first mainstream craft beer was a showcase of American hops and built the foundation for the Headys and Nelsons that we relish today.

Jim Koch

Co-founder and chairman of Boston Beer

By creating Samuel Adams Boston Lager, Koch (Beer Geeks know it’s pronounced “cook” and don’t awkwardly mumble “cock”) waged the war to bring craft beer to the masses and now satisfies the thirst of thousands stuck in airports during long layovers.

The Alström Brothers

Founders of BeerAdvocate.com

Commonly known as “the Bros,” Jason and Todd Alström created the website BeerAdvocate.com in 1996 as a “global, grassroots network, powered by an independent community of beer enthusiasts and industry professionals who are dedicated to supporting and promoting beer.” Anybody who has searched the web for beer info has surely come across this website. The internet has heaped fuel onto the raging bonfire that is the world of craft beer, and the Bros have been instrumental in directing and focusing that fuel. Though some may grumble that they moderate their website with an iron fist, all can agree that the craft beer scene would not be where it is today if the Bros had instead decided to create CheeseAdvocate.com.

Staying Current: Internet Forums

No Beer Geek lives on an island. In this rapidly trending world of craft beer, staying up to date requires constant monitoring. While information can come from blogs, friends, social media, and the like, the bulk of information seems to be disseminated through a few online beer discussion websites, most notably RateBeer.com and BeerAdvocate.com. In fact, most will admit that our current beer renaissance can be credited, in part, to them.

Before Al Gore turned the final screw on his magical World Wide Web machine, many beer lovers were left stranded in BMC-swilling parts of the world with no like-minded individuals with whom to share their beers, ideas, and frustrated tears.

Now, thanks to these websites, we have a flourishing global Beer Geek network.

The focus of both sites is about evenly split between user-supplied beer reviews and a hodgepodge of various discussion threads. However, the two sites have decidedly different tones that attract different types of Beer Geeks.

BeerAdvocate (BA) was founded by two brothers, Jason and Todd Alström, and is operated out of Massachusetts. They’re known to rule their site with an iron first. The motto is “Respect Beer,” and everything on BA is about beer. Off-topic posts, trolling, inflammatory reviews, etc., are deleted immediately, and they have no problem canceling the accounts of repeat offenders. Posting memes will get you a digital hand-smack. People with an anything-goes attitude regarding the internet are apt to get up in arms about this policing. However, BA is a treasure trove of information, and there is no better place to connect with regional beer lovers. Plus, a tyrannical rule helps keep some of the snobs in check.

Ratebeer, based out of Sonoma, is a more relaxed forum. “Macho Man” Randy Savage GIFs float through discussion threads, and Beer Geeks are free to talk sports trash on random posts. Beer reviews are typically very short (fewer than 50 words), with simple descriptors rather than sentences (BA beer reviews are usually in essay form and contain all sorts of flowery language). RateBeer seems to attract a much larger international community, probably due to the less intimidating, more laissez-faire approach. This can be a boon to Beer Geeks looking to make some transcontinental connections.

Regardless of the website you choose, it is absolutely essential to follow at least one of them to stay up to date on beer releases, trends, and happenings. The beer world is ever-changing, and it takes constant vigilance to stay on top of current events. After all, part of being a Beer Geek is knowing all about everything going on in the world of beer.