The reporting for this book was a group effort by Zester Media contributors who traveled to craft breweries, distilleries, and cideries across the country to interview the artisans, owners, and supporting players driving this dynamic business sector. In particular, I would like to thank Zester’s Ruth Tobias, Sylvia Wong Lewis, Terra Brockman, Emily Grosvenor, Amy Halloran, Kathy Hunt, Caroline Beck, Brooke Jackson, Julia della Croce, Susan Lutz, and Hannah Rehak. And a special thank you to Chris Fager, Zester Media’s co-founder and my steady editor on this project.
This book would not have been possible without the generosity of the many craft brewers, distillers, and cider makers who welcomed us into their facilities and spent hours with us explaining their operations: Ken Grossman, founder of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company; Nicole Austin, master blender at Kings County Distillery in Brooklyn; David Walker, cofounder of Firestone Walker Brewing Company; Jim Koch, founder of Boston Beer; Steve Hindy, cofounder Brooklyn Brewery; Justin and Sarah Walsh, cofounders of June Lake Brewing; Andrew Caspary, cofounder of Ventura Spirits Company; Jörg Rupf, founder, St. George Spirits; Mike Beck, owner, Uncle John’s Fruit House Winery; Ralph Erenzo, founder of Tuthilltown Spirits; Ben Roesch, owner/brewer at Wormtown Brewery; Brock Wagner, founder of Saint Arnold Brewing Company; Ron Extract, founder of Jester King Brewery; Cris Steller, executive director of the California Artisanal Distillers Guild and founder of Dry Diggings Distillery; Chris Trudeau, cofounder of Rolling Meadows Brewery; Mike Halker, president of the Florida Brewers Guild; Kent Rabish, owner of Grand Traverse Distillery; Tony Yanow and Meg Gill, cofounders of Golden Road Brewing; Charlotte Shelton, co-owner of Albemarle CiderWorks; Alan Newman, cofounder of Alchemy & Science, a division of Boston Beer Company; Melkon Khosrovian, co-owner, Greenbar Craft Distillery; Kurt Widmer, founder of Widmer Brothers Brewery and a Craft Brew Alliance director; Mark McTavish, owner of Troy Cider; Celeste Beatty, owner, Harlem Brewing; Michael Cameron, co-owner, Green Star Brewing; Greg Koch, cofounder of Stone Brewing Company; Tom Potter, cofounder of New York Distilling Company; Evan Weinberg, owner of Cismontane Brewery; Ted Fourticq, partner in M Special Brewing Company; Kelly McDonald and Mark Vickery, co-owners of Grain Station Brew Works; Dry Dock Brewing founders Kevin DeLange and Michelle Reding; Stone Brewing Company cofounder Greg Koch; David Perkins, founder of High West Distillery; Paul Hletko, founder of Few Spirits; Keith Greggor and David King, owners of Anchor Brewers & Distillers; and Brian Shanks, founder of Bold Rock Hard Cider.
We are also grateful for the knowledge and expertise shared by the many suppliers, financiers, association leaders, journalists, regulators, and other players in the craft alcoholic beverage industry: Charlie Papazian, president of the Brewers Association; Peter Toombs, president of DME Brewing Solutions; Jake Keeler, director of marketing at craft supply company BSG, Brewing Supply Group; Benj Steinman, editor of Beer Marketer’s Insights; the staff of Brewbound; James Rodewald, author of American Spirit: An Exploration of the Craft Distilling Revolution; American Craft Sprits Association; Bill Owens, founder and president, American Distilling Institute; Keith Lemcke, vice president of Chicago-based Siebel Institute of Technology and marketing manager for the World Brewing Academy; Larry Clouser, northwest sales manager for Brewcraft USA; Michael Lewis, professor emeritus, Brewing Science, University of California, Davis; Krista Johnson, the cider and craft beer buyer for K&L Wine Merchants in San Francisco; New York State Liquor Authority chairman Dennis Rosen; Eugene Pak, an attorney with the law firm of Wendel, Rosen, Black & Dean; David Fleming, a Portland, Oregon-based brewery consultant; Marcus Reed, an attorney with Miller Nash LLP; Tom McCormick, California Craft Brewers Association; Lester Jones, chief economist for the National Beer Wholesalers Association; Christian McMahan, a principal in Smartfish; David Hayslette, a marketing strategist with MeadWestvaco; Demeter Group Investment Bank, IBISWorld; Thomas Touring, director of restaurant operations for House of Blues; Dennis Hartman, manager of the craft beer department with Wine Warehouse; Lars Burkholder, regional account executive for Latin America and Brazil, Craftport; Michael Vachon, founder of Maverick Drinks; Rick Wehner, with Brewery Finance, a division of Pinnacle Capital Partners; Community and Economic Development program at the University of North Carolina School of Government; David Dupee, founder of CraftFund; Travis Benoit, founder of CrowdBrewed; Terry Cekola, founder of Colorado distributor Elite Brands; Ann George, executive director of the nonprofit, Hop Growers of America; Arthur Shapiro, former head of marketing for Seagram; Daniel Wandel with IRI Worldwide; and Leah Hutchinson, American Craft Spirits Association.