Billed as the world鈥檚 largest commercial beer competition, the gets underway Thursday in Denver.
This year the GABF sold out all of its nearly 50,000 tickets in less than an hour, emblematic of a broader boom, that鈥檚 going on within the craft beer industry according to Julia Herz of the Boulder-based .
鈥淭hings are on fire right now for breweries in planning, we actually have 1,300 breweries in planning in the US that we鈥檝e recorded right now, on top of the 2100 breweries that are in existence.鈥�
With , we got to wondering how new breweries try to stand out in a market that鈥檚 becoming increasingly crowded?
As it turns out, some brewers are staying competitive by entering the market as hyper-local.
Going 鈥淣ano鈥�
Scott Witsoe scoops up a heavy sack of oats and hoists it over his shoulders.
鈥淭hese are the kinds of things you do as a nano,鈥� he says.
That鈥檚 nano, as in nano-brewer.
When Witsoe was laid off from his job last year, he decided to take his passion for home brewing and go commercial, opening up his , his new full-time job.
Wit鈥檚 End is housed in this converted garage in a remote warehouse area south of downtown Denver.
No frills, just how Witsoe likes it.
鈥淔or me, I thought, why can鈥檛 a brewery be like your corner bakery, or your corner meat shop,鈥� he says. 鈥淲hy does it have to be at this grand scale.鈥�
The term nano-brewery is so new defining it is a work-in-progress. But Witsoe and others in this emerging sector have collectively agreed a 鈥渘ano鈥� is one that has a brewing capacity of just three barrels or less, that is, there are never more than about two kegs of a particular beer on hand and ready to sell at once.
Running a beer operation this small has its downsides for sure, says Witsoe. But at the same time, he can鈥檛 imagine being a larger craft brewery with investors behind him.
鈥淚 also have very specific beers I want to make, a very specific thing I want to do,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to always articulate that, and for me to be able to have a small system that I can play with, to not have to take on investors and do any of that, I can just sort of do it my way.鈥�
Crowd Pleaser
One of those 鈥渟pecific鈥� beers is the Wilford, Witsoe鈥檚 take on a Belgian-style Oatmeal IPA, one of several experimental beers he鈥檚 entering in this week鈥檚 Great American Beer Festival.
The beer has gotten quite popular with his customers in the tap room up front, for now, the only place around town where you can drink it.
鈥淭he less refined the physical space, the better the beer,鈥� says customer Harneet Sethi. 鈥淢aybe that鈥檚 not a true rule, but I go by that theory because they鈥檙e focusing their energy on the beer.鈥�
Sethi and his friend Mark Dziedzic happened upon Wit鈥檚 End while visiting town from New England this week where they are both home-brewers.
鈥淚 think it will take off, because this is how it used to be, every city had their own beers,鈥� says Dziedzic. 鈥淵ou had Germany, little towns where there鈥檚 little breweries, so I can see neighborhoods having their own beers.鈥�
The Local Beer Movement
In many ways, the phenomenon fits right in with the theme of the localization of beer.
鈥淏ecause they鈥檙e mainly only selling to their backyard network,鈥� says Julia Herz of the Brewers Association, which now counts about 300 nano-breweries among its members.
Herz says it鈥檚 an appealing business model for many up and coming brewers. There鈥檚 not a lot of overhead or capital needed, and many build off of some of the home brewing equipment they鈥檝e already acquired.
That鈥檚 how many 鈥渉eritage鈥� craft brewers such as in Delaware or in Fort Collins got their start, after all.
鈥淸They] started as very small breweries, delivering one case at a time and brewing one batch at a time and then they grew,鈥� Herz says. 鈥淚t all depends on the business model of the brewer.鈥�
鈥楾he Oscars of Beers鈥�
Wits End owner Scott Witsoe isn鈥檛 ruling out an expansion, but for now, he just seems to be savoring his early success.
The brewery just celebrated its one year anniversary. And another milestone came recently when Witsoe decided he needed to hire an employee to run his tap room and help out with brewing.
Sales are continuing to rise.
鈥淚t鈥檚 so surreal to me, I never thought I would be the type of person that would actually employ someone,鈥� Witsoe says. 鈥淚t still sounds kind of formal when I鈥檓 looking over the payroll and signing checks.鈥�
Also surreal for Witsoe, this year he won鈥檛 just be going to the Great American Beer Festival, he鈥檚 competing. Nano-breweries don鈥檛 have their own category, so that Oatmeal IPA will go head to head against the big boys like New Belgium.
But even if he doesn鈥檛 win, Witsoe says the exposure alone is worth the price of admission to the Oscars of Beer.
