Support, Sips & Stilettos: #CBC2018
Your favorite lab suppliers learned so much at the CBC this year.
Seriously, it was super educational.
The Craft Brewer’s Conference is always a highly entertaining and informative event, but this year was our best one yet. We spoke with brewers and suppliers from all over the world, learned how we can become an even better lab supplier to breweries large and small, and had a great time along the way. Our biggest takeaways:
- People are super friendly. Maybe it’s because we walk around with “Got Yeast?” emblazoned on our shirts, but we were constantly approached by sweet & smart folks eager to swap tips, tricks, and war stories. The world of beer is a generous and welcoming one (even before the first drinks are poured).
- There’s a lot of new blood. Quite a few baby microbrews are pouring—pun totally intended—into an already crowded arena, and they’re doing well. In this increasingly competitive world of craft brew, quality and differentiation matter more than ever (pssst: we can totally help with that quality part).
- Even though there’s a lot of competition, there’s a lot of support as well. Everyone seems to understand that they’re not really competing with each other, but with themselves—trying to create the best versions of their unique offerings instead of outdoing the other guys. There may be a lot of competition, but there’s a deep, overriding respect for the craft and each other (possibly because brewers are secretly the coolest people ever).
- Quality, diverse products require quality, diverse people. The Brewers Association’s formation of a diversity committee and the increased focus on inclusivity are exciting trends—there’s a big push toward diversity in the industry as a whole, and it seems to be a welcome one. The desire for more pluralistic pilsner purveyors, stout suppliers, and ale aficionados is found throughout the production and distribution of brew, even into formerly homogenous aspects like advertising. Now, it’s a careful, artisanal, exceptionally woke community. Beer has come a long way from the frat-boy pandering commercials depicting scantily clad women and dudes watching football. In a chicken-or-egg kind of way, it’s hard to say whether the increased numbers of women in beer are causing that particular shift, or if the shift caused more women to enter the industry (more on this to come).
It was an interesting year for awards as well. The Agapi team sends big congratulations to all the award winners, especially:
- Nancy Palmer, Georgia Craft Brewers Guild, winner of the F.X. Matt Defense of the Industry Award. The first woman to win this award! Her work dramatically improved the way craft beer is sold in Georgia, reducing restrictions and encouraging dramatic growth.
- Charles Bamforth, UC Davis, winner of the Brewers Association Recognition Award. This teacher and mentor (among other titles) literally wrote the book on brew.
- Tomme Arthur, Port Brewing Co./The Lost Abbey, winner of the Schehrer Award for Innovation in Craft Brewing. Arthur’s unique knowledge and application of barrels results in better brews for all.
- Tryon Distributing, Charlotte, NC, Craft Beer Wholesaler of the Year. This fiercely independent family business has made creative and smart moves that have benefitted the industry of a whole.
Additional kudos to Kim Collins, who won the PSU Business of Craft Beverages Scholarship Recipient and delivered an awesome talk entitled “How to Open A Brewery 1,000 Miles Away: Lessons in Education and Planning.” Kim was selected for this award by the fabulous females of the Pink Boots Society, a group committed to inspiring and encouraging women in brew. We’re so proud to be surrounded by such awesome ladies (and a little jealous of the pink steel-toed boots Kim receives as the winner)!
We can’t help but wonder how #CBC2019 will top #CBC2018. May we humbly suggest a new award for best lab supplier?