Where to begin? Another night of senseless drinking, and by senseless I mean the kind of drinking that you do not because you are thirsty, but because it will make you feel normal again from the night before. It worked. We were abnormally normal.
I spent Thursday and Friday days cruising exhibits, meeting beer legends, old friends, new friends, BNer’s and future Session guests. The atmosphere here in Austin is really amazing. Not the atmosphere that is filled with smoke and BBQ aroma, although that’s not so bad either, but the atmosphere of an industry in motion. It makes me curious how this event has been during the years Craft Beer had struggled. The buzz is infectious this year and I’d like to think it will be the norm in years to come.
I had a hard time deciding what you would like to hear about and see at this event. It’s not like the festivals where we can show JP and Jamil naked, save the towel. Although there may have been some JP nudity, as that’s pretty much standard practice for him. It’s also not so much a convention where pictures of speakers and exhibits will do any justice to the real thing (although I have some that I will share). It’s not that kind of event. Instead, think your average trade show drudgery, only with beer and no drudgery. Rather than cover those things, I have decided it’s the experience that’s worthy of reporting, and since I am new to all this, you can be too.
Aside from meeting the folks behind the companies participating here, the exhibition floor has very little for you and me. Sure there are cool things to look at; huge stainless tanks, massive kegging systems, bottling lines, flashing bling tap handles and of course beer on display (and by on display I mean free to take, which makes it pretty much impossible to make that early morning decision that I’m not going to drink again today, or perhaps ever again). But among those mildly entertaining sights, there are also insurance brokers, cardboard carrier manufacturers, turnkey systems managers, and myriad others who handle the less glamorous side of the beer biz but nonetheless keep it moving the way we have come to expect it to. After all, the exhibition hall exists to sell goods and services. However, the way it does that is truly unique.
Over a conversation on the showroom floor Friday afternoon between Shaun O’Sullivan and me, we share that this industry is fascinating in that we are encouraged to drink beer early and often, and we are also expected to be upright and professional to conduct business with others. It’s a gift and challenge indeed. We are scheduled to rise early and attend lectures, but also to party late at sponsored events and industry hot spots to seal those relationships we’ve been forging all week over cold beer and the occasional bourbon and soda (F you Chris White!).
Shaun and I imagine that there is no other industry quite like this and because of its act like a pro, drink like a pro nature, we are in a room full of people who will surely enjoy life to the fullest, right up to a ripe young age where we will suffer from various ailments that all the health benefits of beer didn’t quite catch no matter how much of it we threw at them. We don’t seem to mind this conclusion one bit. Ask us again in 20 years or for Sully…well, never mind.
I think throughout the day how I will describe all this to you, as it is happening. I think about how all the cards I’ve exchanged and hands I’ve shaken will turn into knowledge for you in the form of interviews and information. I also think about how maybe you and I are really a part of all this now. We are an entity in this business, and ladies and gentleman of The BN Army; we are turning into a force to be reckoned with. So as I think about how to describe all this to you, I think about how I am here not only because of you, but for you as well. So maybe to describe it, I just need to write all these thoughts down as if you were here with me, and meeting all the guys as I do, and getting to know how all this works right along with me.
I should tell you that you brokered deals this week BNer’s. And not merely deals for The BN, but deals between past guests and distributors who found each other through the popularity of The BN, deals between guys who make amazing beer that nobody knows about yet, and the folks who exist to get that word out. You have proven to many in these halls and seminars that grass roots operations don’t just start in garages anymore, they simultaneously start all over the world as you listen, share, talk amongst yourselves about what all these folks are doing, and how you really care about learning as much as you can. You are no longer a stranger to these brewers. You are the fifth ingredient the Reinheitsgebot forgot to include.
And that is the experience here for you and me. That is the most important part we have learned this week. That and also that it really is possible to survive four days on free hours-devoirs and beer, along with the occasional complimentary bottle of water and a multivitamin.
There are a few details I can share with you that are also of interest though. First, as I’m sure you’d like to know, there are tons of lectures going on all day at the CBC. Speakers like Mitch Steele from Stone Brewing Company sat on brewery troubleshooting panels and Sam Calagione from Dogfish Head advised on funding and developing capital to reach a ten percent share. Dr. Charles Bamforth of UC Davis discussed approaches to quality in one lecture, while Kim Jordan of New Belgium Brewing Co. discussed staff management and education in another. I’ll admit that almost every topic was intriguing in its own right, but as I could not accurately deliver their contents back to you, I think it is better that I simply let you know what’s available so you can decide whether or not to attend future conferences. I’ve only scratched the surface here so I must recommend, if you are going to open a brewery at any point in your life, even if there is a chance, this is the conference for you. And don’t be shy either, I met about half a dozen attendees that are yet to begin their venture and most of them are also listeners, which really made me proud of what we do.
I did not attend any of the lectures on brewery strategy, save a couple media related topics. I don’t plan to open a brewery, we all know I’ll never brew good beer, and aside from that, I would not have been allowed to record any of the lectures for you anyway. Instead, I met people and networked so that we can push our thing forward to the next level, which is, by the way, decidedly undecided. I have a feeling that you will be just as surprised as me. And because of that time I spent, I can assure you of some quality programming to get us through the year and into the next.
After that, it was nights out and more beer. There are three very notable things I have to report about Austin nightlife. First, the whole place is full college kids, which is at times a little overwhelming, but simultaneously adds to the “scenery”, which is rarely dull. Which is notable point number two; the scenery is incredible, and I’m not talking landscapes here folks. And third, the beer sucks. I’m sorry Austinites, but I was extremely hard pressed to find a single beer worth telling anyone about. In fact, I have nothing to report and no recommendations other than; if you’re looking for great beer, go somewhere else. With that said, there is one place in town that is the Toronado of Austin, called The Ginger Man, which has an impressive 80 tap handles and an equally impressive bottle list. This, my friends, is the place in Austin for beer.
6th Street in Austin is the main drag and they barricade its ends Thursday through Saturday nights to allow for all the foot traffic. There is great live music at every other bar on the strip, and rarely a cover charge. So while it is not the home of fine ales and lagers, it is the home of live music, and in my book, that’s nothing to shake a stick at. For example, passing by a great little spot near the front of 6th St., sorry I was well into the night at this point so don’t have the name for you, we stumbled across an 80 year old blues legend tapping the keys in front of a packed house. It was Pinetop Perkins and he blew us away. All together mellow, soulful, and profound, the man had us mesmerized for the entirety of his one hour set. Thank you Pinetop for doing what you do, as it made what we were doing entirely unforgettable.
Other bars had multiple floors showcasing multiple musicians. Some just ran the jukebox. But all held a better atmosphere than anyplace I’ve been in a long time. Or perhaps it was just the atmosphere we had brought with us. You know the one…the brotherhood of beer…which seldom disappoints.
And that folks, minus a few hundred other details that may have been just as worthy of reporting, but for whatever reason escape my malt filled mind at this time, was our CBC in a nutshell. I’ve come to a few determinations on the trip that I’d like to share as I wrap this up. First is that there are other articles and blogs that may serve the content of the CBC or any other conference better than I have. I have decided that I can only cover the nature of the thing. The esoteric contents of feeling and camaraderie. I am not, if I could be called a journalist at all, the type that can solely distribute the facts. In truth, most often the facts bore me to tears. It’s the life of the thing that interests me, and the only thing I can cover with any modicum of accuracy. So for only the facts my friends, from here forward, do not come here. Next is that there are people who will impact this industry more than anyone knows, and many of them are yet to be discovered. It is very easy to get caught up within the rock stars of beer, but does no justice to the folks that will inevitably take this business to the next level. They are out there. Shake their hands and give them thanks, for the quiet ones will be kicking ass with thunderous roar the more this grows, and the loud ones will thank them too. And last, this is the most serious I’ve seen the business take itself in my miniscule tenure within it. And even as that is happening, all are relaxed, enjoying each others beer, and seriously having a fucking good time. That is the way to do business, if not to live life in general.
I’ll have pictures to post as a visual wrap-up, but have not the brain for that now. Now it’s time for rest…or…who am I kidding? I think the fellas are meeting for a final final and my liver just gave me permission to say goodbye the way any self respecting member of the BN Army should…over a pint.
Prost!
Justin
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