ABR Diatribe

Hey all- I received a number of emails regarding ticket sales for the ABR, so I think it's best we just get this over with in one fell swoop. For those of you that know me, you've seen me in heated arguments about the liquor laws in Minnesota, why I don't like the other beer festival in town, and probably a lot more than I care to admit. The burning question seems to be "Is there a limit on the amount of tickets that we will sell for the ABR?" A simple question, on the surface, but a very tough answer in reality. We need to order glasses, get programs printed, decide if we will get t-shirts printed, and most importantly, decide if we will do it again next year. First, a bit of history. The Minnesota Craft Brewer's Guild was formed because my good friend John Haggerty and myself were sitting in a local watering hole one night and were frustrated at the lack of representation of Minnesota breweries. It wasn't "Man I wish Water Tower/Town Hall" was on tap here. It was more "Where's Page, Mantorville, Gluek, Lake Superior, and St Croix?" Why do I see Bud, Bud Light, Michelob Golden Draft Light, etc? The last one, by the way, is a particular thorn in my side because I have now been forced to carry that beer in bottles. So, we started the Guild to promote Minnesota Breweries. And, we've had many private and all-to-public arguments of what we were doing. But we've been an inclusive group. We did the ABR last year. How many of you would have ever had the chance to try "Jackson Five IPA" if not for the ABR? We had Winterfest, our Strong beer/Jazz Fest. This spring we'll be doing the Food and Wine show as a group. In my own small, misguided view of the world, we're trying to do what we think is best for the industry. I say this while thinking how sad I am that Minnesota Brewing closed, yet how happy I am that Schell's picked up the brands. Which brings us finally back to the ABR. Are tickets limited? Does it matter? Is it worth $20, even if it turns out that you can't attend, to insure that there will be an ABR 2003? Does what we are doing make any sense? Sometimes, I don't know. See the above part where I've been *forced* to carry Mich Golden Light in bottles. I guess the answer is "Yes." Tickets are limited. They are limited to the amount I'm willing to sell and still guarantee that everyone in attendance will have a great time. If you want to talk to a brewer, I want to make sure you have that chance. I'm not sure when or how we became people anyone would want to talk to, but it seems there is an interest. I want this to be the best damn beer festival this state has ever seen. Mark my words, it will be, regardless of whether there are 5 or 5000 people there. I said the same thing last year in private to my co-organizers Paul and Colleen. I don't expect it to be any different this year. I hope to see all of you there. Direct any comments/hatemail directly to me. This was my doing as an individual, and is not meant to reflect the attitudes of the organization for which I am but a humble (well, maybe not humble) servant. Cheers! David Berg President, Minnesota Craft Brewer's Guild Head Brewer, Water Tower Brewing Company ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.