EDITOR’S NOTE |
If you love craft beer today, thank a homebrewer. Almost everything we love about craft beer today can be traced back to homebrewing, and one homebrewer in particular deserves particular accolades on the occasion of his retirement.
Yes, homebrewing legend Charlie Papazian is retiring early next year, and it’s hard to argue that anyone has been more influential in the growth of craft beer in America than the cofounder of the American Homebrewers Association and Association of Brewers (now known as the trade group the Brewers Association). The tiny shoestring organization he launched to provide resources and support to homebrewers in 1978—the year that President Jimmy Carter signed a law legalizing homebrewing in the United States—has since grown into a powerhouse that represents tens of thousands of homebrewers while also representing almost 5,000 commercial breweries as the industry’s largest trade organization.
That connection between the hobbyist and professional sides of brewing has been a compelling link from the very beginning of legal homebrewing, and the explosive success of the craft-beer market over the past decade or two is a direct result of folks making beer themselves, honing their skills over the homebrew kettle, then making the leap to the commercial ranks. From all of us who love the creative and compelling thing that craft beer has become, we say, “Thanks, Charlie.” And as you move into the next phase of life, we all hope you’ll have many more chances to “relax, don’t worry, and have a homebrew.”
That spirit of homebrewing—of taking chances, of figuring out what’s possible, of visualizing some crazy idea and executing on it, of not being satisfied with the status quo or lowest common denominator stuff that multinational corporations deign to sell to us—is alive and well in the commercial craft-brewing world today. It’s why we (here at Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine®) love both homebrewing and commercial craft breweries and have focused on the connections between the two by talking to the pros about brewing in a way that homebrewers can apply to their own craft.
If you’re a beer enthusiast but not yet a homebrewer, maybe it’s time to give brewing a try. The reasons for doing it are different than they were when Charlie got started—retail choice, today, is rather endless— but nothing helps you appreciate the art and craft of great brewers like trying your hand at it, and the satisfaction of doing it yourself and making something that other people enjoy is itself intoxicating.
Whether you’re a wait-in-line-for-the-next-release beer nerd, an avid homebrewer, or even a professional who has made the jump from the homebrewing ranks, we hope you enjoy this issue. We made it for you.