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Sam Adams steps up

Submitted by Patrick Orr on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 1:38pm.

East Coast craft brewing titans Samuel Adams showed once again this month why they totally rock by helping out small craft brewers across the US who are struggling to find and pay for hops.

As reported in the Idaho Statesman and other media organizations over the last several months, there is a major hop shortage in the beer world this year — meaning if you can even find hops, they are incredibly expensive. But Sam Adams is helping out the little guy by selling hops to small breweries.

The hop shortage has put a significant financial strain on a lot of small operations, who don’t have contracts with set prices like the big brewers do. Some small operations have even considered closing.

That is where Sam Adams founder and brewmaster Jim Koch decided to step up and help.

The Sam Adams folks checked out their inventory decided they had 20,000 pounds of hops they could share with small brewers at normal cost. It wasn’t a surplus —Sam Adams is taking a risk here — but if the 2008 hop harvest goes as planned, the brewing operation should be OK, spokeswoman Erika Schermerhorn said.

So last month, Sam Adams had a lottery for small brewers interested in getting East Kent Goldings and Tettnang Tettnanger hops at cost. Almost 400 breweries applied for the program. By the time a random lottery was completed March 24, 108 breweries were selected to get the hops. This is an undeniably cool and altruistic act by Sam Adams.

“The program is a real source of pride for everyone who works here,” Schermerhorn said. “Jim remembers the early days of starting the company ... he wanted to help.”

In a posting on the Sam Adams Web site announcing the results of the lottery, Koch said “Here’s to a great hops crop this year so that we can all go back to brewing great craft beer instead of scrambling for hops.”

Amen to that. And hearty cheers to Koch and Sam Adams for stepping up. Craft beer culture can be as competitive as anything else in modern society, but there also exists a real camaraderie among beer freaks. Props to Koch and Sam Adams for leading the way.

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That's very nice of them...A-B/Molson/SABC? should follow.

Submitted by foreignoregonian on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 3:10pm.

Don't Hold Your Breath!

Submitted by wildaho on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 3:52pm.

And Miller just merged with Molson-Coors a couple of months ago so now it's just AB/SABC (Miller was already part of SABC).

So, the old catch phrase of "BMC" (Bud-Miller-Coors) when refering to fizzy yellow bland american lagers can now be shortened to just BM!

Still, it was noble gesture on Koch's part. Bud and Coors both own their own hop and barley fields, some of them right here in Idaho. Not much use for the hops they use in craft beers though. They could loosen up on some of the barley however. There is a shortage there too thanks to the corn lobby.

It hasn't affected driving while blind?

Submitted by foreignoregonian on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 3:58pm.

And you'd think one would hurt the other except po'folk just exchange Cheerioats for barley and hops when Arab Yosemite Sam yells, "Woah, infidels, I SAID WHOOOAAAAH"!

We'll be back to Meet the Press after these messages from GE and Cargill.

Hopping the prices

Submitted by outdoors on Sat, 04/05/2008 - 9:25am.

From Zimo:

Hey Patrick! You're right. The shortage of hops is hopping the price of beer. Wow. I'm on a beer-tasting mission in Seattle (eat your heart out) and paying about $5 a pint for choice micro brews. Even paid $7.50 at one restaurant.
But it's still worth it. Found Manny's Pale Ale. It has a rich, malty taste and you can't miss a unique hoppiness. It's brewed by the Georgetown Brewing Company of Seattle. Can't get it in bottles, just at bars and the brewery.
Had it while eating fish and chips at the Celtic Swell Irish pub on the shores of Elliott Bay.
Here's to Manny's.

Manny's

Submitted by wildaho on Sat, 04/05/2008 - 12:11pm.

Zimo,

Manny's and the other Georgetown beers have been available here in Boise for months now. No need to go all the way to Seattle to get them! I really liked their Nine Pound Porter. Look around when you get back and you'll find Manny's on tap somewhere here in town.

Cool - thanks for the tip

Submitted by outdoors on Sun, 04/06/2008 - 9:54am.

I'm definitely going to be adding it to the shopping list.

-Zimo

BMC

Submitted by wyattwerner on Thu, 04/10/2008 - 10:18am.

...all use mostly galena hops anyway, which are pretty neutral as far as flavoring hops go. They're more for bittering, and thus pretty useless the NW microbrewers making IPAs and winter warmers. All that being said, I hope we see a good representation of low-hop beers coming in the fall (read: Oktoberfests) from brewers who might normally ignore the style.

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