1986 a year of small brewer subterfuge, ill feelings and perceived arrogance

Rob Widmer and Widmer Brewing Company were featured in a 1986
New Brewer magazine interview. Photo by David Bjorkman

1986 was the year of the 5th annual Great American Beer Festival.  The event was barely surviving.  Homebrewers met separately from microbrewers for the first time in Estes Park, Colorado.  Shakeups were happening with editorial staff of the New Brewer magazine.  Controversy evolved from both the Portland microbrewers conference and the Great American Beer Festival.

With Maureen Ogle’s Part 7 assessment of the History of the American Homebrewers Association she reveals to me 23 years later what people perceived in 1986. I had to read her post many times before I realized what she was writing about was not necessarily an indication the factual history about events, but a recounting of people’s perceptions of what was going on. 

Fact versus perception.  Both are valid indicators of mood and events, but mixing the two was confusing to me, though it makes for some emotional reading.  Maybe that is why some of this stuff never made it into her excellent book, Ambitious Brews.   The fact remains, 1986 was indeed a rough year.

The insurance industry was in turmoil late in 1985 and early 1986.  This was crucial.  Many businesses were unable to get business insurance, including the Association of Brewers. Additionally 1984 was a disastrous year for Great American Beer Festival financially.  We were on the ropes.  As a result the Great American Beer Festival almost came to an end, but managed to continue in the fall.  1986 was also the first year we took a major event outside of Colorado; to Portland specifically.

Photo left: The late Wynkoop brewmaster Russ Scherer (left - at the time a homebrewer) discusses beer with Anchor Brewing icon Fritz Maytag (right) at the 1986 homebrewers conference. Photo by David Bjorkman.

Controversy at the Great American Beer Festival intensified in 1986.   Boston Beer Company was a newcomer and a contract brewing company without a brewery at the time.  There were lots of microbrewers that took passionate offense and cried “foul” that Boston Beer’s Sam Adams Lager won the popularity contest.  That a “brewers organization” would allow a “non brewer” to achieve recognition as a “winner” at their own event was despicable to many small brewers.  To say the least there were lots of bad feelings floating around at that time, especially in Portland.

There was a lot of subterfuge happening, more than I wish to get into 23 years later.

Perhaps I may have delegated too much to others that year.  The association was growing rapidly.  We were small, but, the day to day demands on me exceeded my skills at the time. I believe anyone who starts a business goes through this stage.  Some handle it better than I did.   I made mistakes.  Fortunately I wasn’t literally taken to the shed and thrashed.  But at times it felt like it.  I do remember deciding to have our conference in Portland without first consulting the Portland brewers.  That was an unholy blunder.  What was I thinking?

I see history being assessed by those I recall who at the time were quite emotional or had reason to harbor a grudge.  Their agenda’s I simply could not agree with.  End of story.  Shakespeare could have written his plays in 1986 too.  Now it is 2009.  Let it be.

It’s certainly interesting for me to view employee (at the time) Daniel Bradford’s comments in Maureen’s historic assessment: “Daniel Bradford acknowledged, the Boulder empire was “run by zealots” operating on “passion” and “emotion”; “amateurs doing professional work” and producing a “loosey goosey” mishmash of ideas and ambitions.”

It fascinates me how history can be implied.  I reflect now, trying to analyze my past state of mind at the time.  “Zealots?”… producing a “loosey goosey mishmash of ideas and ambitions?”  “Empire?”  I have high regard for most of the people that worked for the Association during those early years.   Most of them were the most professional of professionals. I'd go to bat for them in an instant - even to this day.  It pains me to see such accusations leveled at people I have such high regard for.  

I can reassure everyone who is reading this, that I for one, did not feel loosey goosey.  Nor did I feel zealotic.  Of course there were times when we stumbled and blew it with regard to protocol and deserved to be thrashed.  Skin heals.  Life happens.  Being damned occasionally is healthy.   Being damned twice for the same thing is not healthy.  I did not like making the same mistakes twice; never did, never will. 

Image right: Clipping from my 1980s bulletin board.  I can't believe I saved it.

The development of the microbrewery and homebrew community had been a continual learning experience. We were a cast of tens thousands independent minded characters and we still are to this day. 

Retrospectively I concede bouts of naivete, incompetence and inexperience. I harbor no regrets.  Anyone who has been an entrepreneur can imagine and relate. You’ve got to confront the fact that you’re simply going to blow it many times along the way.  Grow, learn, take risks, keep doing what no other has done before and strive to improve.  Never believe you know it all.  In fact never believe you know jacksh- t.  Look to learn everything you can possibly learn.  Listen.  If something is broken, learn that it’s broken, don’t dwell on blame.  Fix it.  Sometimes it takes longer than you thought it would.

But “arrogance?”  Perhaps it’s true that this was a perception by some.  But from my perspective it was never a core value that was tolerated.  My question would be: How does an organization grow, thrive and provide value if it were true that arrogance prevailed?  It just doesn’t work that way.  Does it? 
 

Also See

Relax don’t worry have a homebrew insights on history

Early history of American Homebrewers Association - introduction

Papazian lays his cards on the table

Papazian wanted to push Joy of Brewing to the next level

Daniel Bradford comes on as a hired gun

Spring boarding from the first Great American Beer Festival

Beer relevance - establishing a reason to exist

Beer and homebrew - I never asked anyone to trust me
 
Another roadside attraction and other homebrewed beer tales