Craft beer has seen phenomenal growth over the past 30 years and is now a serious player in the current beer marketplace.

Decimated by prohibition, and inhibited by the rise of consolidation after World War II, local craft style breweries were nearly extinct until the 1970′s. At the close of the 1970′s there were only 44 brewing companies in the entire United States. Today there are over 2000; and they are a fundamental (and fun) component of contemporary American culture and business.

Good read here

Lagunitas Brewing Co., one of the fastest-growing craft brewers in the country is undergoing a brewery expansion to bring on a 600,000 capacity brewery in record time. Their plan is to increase production and go national with distribution to cover most of the U.S. market by the end of the year.
National distribution and that new capacity will put Lagunitas on a track to join the biggest national craft breweries.

See full story here

The Celebrator Beer Festival at Trumer Bruerei in Berkeley was the closing event for SF  Beer Week 2012
and a major fundraiser for the CCBA

Check out the video from the festival here

Fortuna, Calif. – Congressman Mike Thompson of California’s 1st Congressional District visited Eel River Brewing Company in Scotia, CA on September 1st, 2010.

Eel River CEO Ted Vivatson invited Representative Thompson to tour Eel River Brewing during the Congressman’s most recent visit to his district and took the opportunity to inform him about both the difficulties currently facing craft brewers, as well as some of the benefits and rewards of running a craft brewery.

Congressman Thompson supports both the House Small Brewers Caucus (formed in 2007) and H.R. 4278 (excise tax reduction legislation)  which are both in place to give craft brewers a greater chance to succeed.

“As a craft brewer, an organic craft brewer, we’re targeting a niche market and it can be hard to compete with the big guys,” explained CEO Ted Vivatson. “We really appreciate what Congressman Thompson is doing here; it gives us a chance to be competitive and has really helped our company grow.”

Eel River Brewing Co. is the first certified organic brewery in the United States and is currently certified organic by both the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF). They produce eight year-round styles of beer as well as seasonal beers. Not only does Eel River Brewing Co. have a commitment to handcrafted, traditional, organic beer, but they also believe in sustainable practices. The brewing facility is a reclaimed redwood lumber mill and is powered by bio-mass power, a 100% renewable energy.

In addition to the brewing facility in Scotia, California, Eel River Brewing Co. has a pub restaurant in Fortuna, California which features the largest beer garden on the California North Coast. The Eel River Brewing Co. pub serves locally produced and organic foods as much as possible and offers all of their year-round beers on tap. The pub is open 7 days a week and is located at 1777 Alamar Way in Fortuna, California.

The California Small Brewers Association is a 501(c)6 non-profit trade association protecting the political and legal rights of the California craft brewing industry. The primary role of the CSBA is to monitor these issues at the state Capitol and to employ our industry’s voice as needed. The CSBA acts as one coherent and powerful voice for all small brewers in California.