Enough AB-InBev stuff: Three good craft beer stories to read this week

So, enough AB-InBev stuff. It’s Friday. Let’s talk about some good stuff. How about administrators from the U.S. Small Business Administration heading to Denver, one of craft beer’s capitals, to specifically talk up the success of the craft beer industry. Good stuff!

Colorado’s craft brewers discuss loans

From the Durango Herald:

Doug Kramer, deputy administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration, said his agency has focused on small-business loans because of the return on investment. The craft beer industry serves as a shining example.

“A huge priority is to make sure that we are working with small businesses. Not only do they end up employing half of all Americans in the private sector, they create two out of every three new jobs. That’s where the real growth in employment happens,” Kramer said, speaking at Ratio Beerworks in Denver, which benefited from the agency’s loan program.

When you really look at the crazy success of the industry, being comprised entirely of small, local businesses, and you read the thoughts of Kramer in that article above (which you should do), you can totally see why misdirected regulators will probably allow AB-InBev to control the entire marketplace and ruin everyone’s fun.

Berkshire Mountain Distillers teams up with 15 craft brewers

From the Boston Globe:

Chris Weld is a distiller. But he can’t help but concede he’s a craft beer fan as well.

That’s one reason Weld is embarking on a new venture, one that will involve distilling whiskey from beer made by 15 craft brewers. Weld is calling it the Craft Brewers Whiskey Project.

Craft beer, it turns out, already has been good for Weld’s Sheffield company, Berkshire Mountain Distillers. Nearly three years ago, Weld started working with 10 craft brewers around the country to age his Berkshire Bourbon in recently emptied beer barrels for up to three months. The goal was to see what changes the beer residue that lined the barrels would impart on his bourbon.

Innovation and experimentation keep the craft beer industry exciting, and it’s nice that our brothers in the distilling world, bringing along their own revolution, are ready to team up or even brew their own beers, like Cleveland’s awesome new Portside Distillery (where the CBB team went on an in-depth, nerdy brewery tour for its Christmas party). Read the full article, which pairs nicely with this story of innovation from our archives: Treat coffee beans like hops: An innovative approach from Wolf’s Ridge Brewing.

The sacrifice of brewing craft beer

This story is just what everyone needs right now — a good reminder of what craft beer is at its core.

From Hyattsville Life & Times:

Washington City Paper recently posted it’s annual “Beer Issue,” reporting on the DMV’s surging craft brewery scene. In a series of posts, beer enthusiasts highlighted the more glamorous aspects of craft brewing: the taste and taxonomy of micro-brews. But for Hyattsville resident Matt Humbard, brewing requires sacrifice.

“We brew in Virginia, but are based in Hyattsville. It’s an hour commute to the brewery. Every weekend I drive out there. … And that’s time away from my kids,” said Humbard, whose Handsome Beer label became available to the public in September. Humbard has a Ph.D. in cell biology and previously worked as a cancer researcher at the National Cancer Institute. He writes the homebrewing blog A Ph.D. in Beer.

Handsome Beer is a newcomer in the world of craft brewing, and co-founder Humbard is still balancing a full-time job with his new project. “I have another source of income because I have a family. We self-finance the entire brewery, no loans, ” said Humbard.

Seriously, I know what the second B in CBB stands for, but business isn’t always that ugly, competitive thing that’s only about profits and power. It can be about passion and people, and of those mighty 4,144 brewries there are thousands of Humbards out there. Be sure to read the full story above. It pairs well with this one from the archives: Why craft brewing businesses rarely fail (and why they are tough work).