Hansen: The inside baseball of brewers

Somewhere along the way, they stopped calling it microbrew.

The reason? The specialty beer was no longer a micro industry. Microbrewing has become big business, and with it came a name change to “craft beer,” which now represents one out of every 10 beers sold.

While that may still seem small, the growth rate over the last five years has been impressive. The revenue in the U.S. from craft beer now accounts for almost $20 billion, a 22% increase over 2013, according to the national Brewers Assn.

Orange County is home to increasing numbers of craft beer establishments, from brewpubs to restaurants.

One of the newest entrants is The Brewhouse in San Juan Capistrano, a tasting room that opened in November at 31896 Plaza Drive, Unit D3, not far from the historic mission. It offers highly specialized beer from mostly local breweries.

Owned by Andrew Reed and Ron Bland, The Brewhouse is emblematic of the casual, friendly atmosphere that defines the industry. On any given night, a mix of people can be seen playing cards or board games or lounging on futons and eating food from the food truck outside. The vibe is different from that of a traditional bar, which is one of the things that attracted Reed.

“There was an opportunity in craft beer, but more importantly, the whole craft beer scene is interesting,” he said. “It’s inviting. The people involved in it are generally very welcoming.”

Reed said he likes his location because it’s midway between Los Angeles and San Diego, which is considered the powerhouse of the craft beer industry. San Diego has more than 100 breweries and often takes top spots in international beer competitions.

But by its nature, the craft beer industry is not prone to heavy competition.

“Even if someone is trying to make money with craft beer, whether it be a tasting room, a brewery or a brewpub restaurant, there is a lower sense of competitiveness,” Reed said. “And it’s more about a rising tide lifts all boats. So breweries don’t mind being in close proximity to each other, because people will often visit two or three.”

Reed said that contrary to popular belief, L.A. is underrepresented when it comes to the proportion of breweries, especially compared with San Diego.

“The L.A. beer scene is immature for the size of the market if you look at San Diego with over 100 breweries,” he said. “Orange County is starting to pick things up; there’s probably 20 breweries or so now, and then L.A. has about five that I can name. There are more than five, but for a metropolitan area of its size, there is a huge amount of room for growth in craft brewing.”

Nationally, California, Washington and Colorado dominate the market in terms of the number of breweries. California has over 430 breweries, almost double that of Washington and Colorado.

But in craft beer, it’s not about size. It’s about quality. By definition, craft beer has to be less than 6 million barrels per year. It has to be independent, which means that not more than 25% of the brewery is owned by a large conglomerate.

And for the regional craft brewers, that’s not a problem. Even the larger successes in San Diego, like Stone Brewing Co. and Ballast Point, stay low-key and focused on their original priority: good beer.

As Stone CEO and co-founder Greg Koch likes to say, “Fizzy yellow beer is for wussies!”

Reed said he’s constantly surprised by the level of adventure and generosity that he sees.

“People in our environment tend to be more conversational,” he said. “Some random strangers will turn around and say, here, take a sip off my glass. It just lends itself to that, and I don’t know what the secret sauce is. I suppose the beer itself helps, but it’s a point of common interest and conversation.”

While the crowds tend to be heavily male, Reed said that’s changing. More women are realizing that not all beers are created equal.

“Most brewers tend to be men,” he said. “Having said that, there are some women brewers who have gained a lot of respect. There’s even an organization called the Pink Boots Society, which is a coalition of women brewers. I think it’s starting to shift, especially with people discovering that beer is not all about super dark, heavy, high-alcohol stouts or super-hoppy IPAs.

“There are a lot more nuanced beers, and right now, we have beers on tap that are lemongrass-flavored and have camomile and honey. So the styles of beer coming out are hitting a woman’s profile in terms of what she might be seeking.”

Breweries, brewpubs and tasting rooms are not usually fancy. Most are hard to find — sometimes they are located in industrial areas. But that’s kind of the point.

Craft beer is all about the unexpected. Something you like today might not be around tomorrow, which means you have to savor the taste while you can.

It’s crafty that way.

DAVID HANSEN is a writer and Laguna Beach resident. He can be reached at [email protected].