Craft brewers currently provide an estimated 100,000 jobs in the U.S.  Further, there is currently a Federal Excise Tax bill in Congress, which if passed, will generate an additional 4,400 jobs in the first year, followed by an average of 300 jobs each following year (over five years).  A booming industry that continues to attract top talent across the country, craft beer is more than deserving of new resources to help foster that growth.

Rather than having to rely on broad-scale, cross-market search engines to locate worthwhile job opportunities or high-quality candidates to fill them, Tap Hunter’s CraftBeerCareers offers a tightly-focused, exclusive and quick way for employers and candidates in the craft beer industry to connect.

Tap Hunter currently attracts tens of thousands of craft beer enthusiasts to its site each month, which will provide every job posting visibility among highly-skilled passive and active job seekers.  Employers (breweries, pubs, restaurants, etc.) will now also have the ability to find better candidates and cut costs by leveraging the following unique features:

• Resume Bank – employers have a pay-per-view option, where they only pay to view the resumes of job seekers who are interested in their posted position(s).
• Pre-Screening – employers can set up custom pre-screening filters to deliver the most qualified candidates at first glance, saving time and energy of reading through resumes.
• Enhanced Listings – employers can include their company profile and logo with every posting.
• Cost Efficiency – priced much lower than most competing career platforms, it only costs $79 for a 60-day job posting with Tap Hunter.

For job seekers, Tap Hunter is making it possible to search and target by market, state or zip code to locate relevant jobs in their proximity. Candidates can search through listings in their desired job categories and set up an advanced “Job Alert” system to notify them of new opportunities that match their specific pre-selected criteria.  Further, individuals can anonymously post their resume and job application, enabling them to stay connected to the employment market while maintaining full control over their confidential information.

To apply for jobs, candidates simply submit their resume and the corresponding brewery, pub or bar will receive an email and information that will be stored in their account profile to review at their leisure.

This new offering allows us to enhance our value even further, by acting as a facilitator who can help build stronger companies and exciting career opportunities for people with a shared passion for craft beer.

Come try Widmers Chai Spiced IPA a collaboration with San Diego Homebrewers at KnB Wine Cellars this coming Tuesday from 5pm to close. Come meet Paul Sangster and Chris Stawney. Originating from a recipe created by Paul Sangster and developed with Chris Stawney of San Diego’s Quality Ale and Fermentation Fraternity (QUAFF).

Order the Spiced IPA and take home a FREE Widmer Tulip glass. Like the Beer? Take home a 6 Pack – available only at KnB! 

Specialty Widmer Beers on tap:

- Brrrrbon

- O’Ryely IPA

- Spiced IPA

- Galaxy Hopped Barleywine

- Lemongrass Wheatwine

Here’s some more great insight from our friends at West Coaster on a behind the scenes look of how Widmer and San Diego Homebrewers were involved.

Paul Sangster, “Note that many of the QUAFF members participated in this competition and submitted great beers. We had about 20 entries in the 1st round and I believe approximately 5 made it to the final judging. My thanks go out to the Widmer folks for making this a fun event and of course to Chris Stawney my partner in brewing this beer. But fundamentally this is a collaboration between Widmer Brothers and QUAFF (we were just the guys with the chosen recipe).”

Ingredients:
6 cups homemade chicken stock (recipe below) or premade chicken stock
1 can (4 ounces) diced green chiles
1 can diced tomatoes
1 box Rice-A-Roni Spanish Brown Rice + 1/2 of the spice packet
2/3 cup frozen or fresh corn
1 avocado, cubed
The juice of 1 lime

1. Bring the homemade chicken stock to a boil.
2. Add the green chiles, tomatoes, Rice-A-Roni + 1/2 the spice packet and reduce to a simmer.
3. Let it simmer for twenty minutes, stirring occasionally, and add the corn.
4. Simmer for another 10-15 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and garnish with diced avocado and sprinkle with lime juice.

Homemade Chicken Stock
Remnants of a baked chicken, bones and all
6 cups cold water
4 carrots, sliced
1/2 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1-3 tsp hot pepper flakes, depending on spice preference

1. Place the chicken in a large pot, cover with cold water and bring to a boil.
2. In a pan, saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent (about 7 minutes).
3. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, salt, pepper and hot pepper flakes to the pot and let simmer for 1 to 3 hours.
4. Remove the chicken bones, keeping as much meat in as possible and bring stock to a boil.
5. Continue with the Bite Me Chicken and Brown Rice Stew recipe above.

Pair this with a seriously hoppy IPA like Dogfish Head 90 Minute or another dry pale ale. The hops will make the spice even more pronounced and clear your head of any congestion, guaranteed.

Becki is a  food and beer writer who spends her days wandering the Westerly states in search of local eateries and breweries. When she’s not solely consuming mass quantities of food, she spends her time homebrewing or working at Enegren Brewing Company doing such fancy tasks as weighing out hops, stirring mash, working the taps as a Cicerone Certified Beer Server and attempting to learn everything about beer.

We’re happy to announce the 2^nd Annual San Diego Brewery Awards, a web-based, fan-driven competition that highlights San Diego’s best breweries based on the experience of craft beer fanatics.  Last year, the top honor was awarded to AleSmith Brewing Company.

From January 13 – February 3, Tap Hunter is inviting craft beer fans to submit a unique story about an experience they have had at their favorite brewery in San Diego, via Awards.TapHunter.com.  Once the story submissions are in, public voting begins (from February 4-24) and fans can then encourage others to “Vote for My Story” at Awards.TapHunter.com or Facebook.

When we launched the SD Brewery Awards last year, we were thrilled with the overwhelming response from the craft beer community – the fans and breweries really got into it.  This year, we’re taking the program to a new exciting level, by engaging the fans and awarding them with prizes too.

On February 29, Tap Hunter will announce two sets of winners:

Top 3 Fan Stories – individual story submissions that received the most votes
- 1^st Place prize – $200 to Best Damn Home Brew Mart
- 2^nd Place prize – $25 gift cards Hamilton’s Tavern and Small Bar ($50)
- 3^rd Place prize – $25 to Local Habit

Top 3 San Diego Breweries– breweries that receive the most votes on the stories about them:
- 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place will be honored at an exclusive SD Brewery Awards party in March, and will each receive a Tap Hunter plaque commemorating their win.

A user may vote for any entry and only one vote per registered user per day allowed.

Submit your stories today!

Here’s to the New Year

With 2012 just around the corner, we wanted to take a moment to thank you for being a Tap Hunter supporter. We appreciate all of your feedback and comments and have enjoyed shaking hands with our biggest fans this past year.

Helping the craft beer industry grow is our passion. In 2011 we strived to deliver a great web and mobile experience for fans and businesses.

But 2012 is shaping up to be even bigger. Stay tuned as we have some announcements coming in January that will be sure to excite you. One specifically is a new craft beer job board. Our team is also currently hard at work on new mobile app plans.

May it be a great one.

San Diego Brews
1. Alpine Nelson, Golden Rye IPA
One of many outstanding IPAs brewed by Alpine this one is a standout. The New Zealand grown Nelson Sauvin hop gives this IPA a great citrus (grapefruit, tangerine, etc) aroma and flavor

2. Green Flash Hop Head Red, Red India Pale Ale
Green Flash “San Diego’ed” this Red Ale into a Red IPA with loads of hops. Think hoppy Red Ale or sweet caramel IPA, either direction you come at it you’ll arrive here happy.

3. Ballast Point Victory at Sea, Coffee Vanilla Imperial Porter
Get your nose down in there and inhale the coffee and vanilla aromas. Those along with chocolate come through in the flavor without it being too “big” a beer.

Other US Brews
4. New Belgium La Folie, Sour Brown Ale
This wonderfully tart, dry, and earthy Flanders style ale is only released once per year but it’s worth grabbing a few bottles (or more) when you can.

5. Allagash Curieux, Bourbon Barrel Aged Tripel
Pretty unique to see a Tripel aged in bourbon barrels but this really works. Drink this while enjoying some crème brulée and thank me later.

Belgian Brews
6. Rochefort 10, Belgian Quadrupel
Great dark fruits in the aroma and taste of this Trappist ale. Silky smooth for 11.3% this is a winter evening sipper.

7. Orval Trappist Ale, Belgian Pale Ale
Bright, floral, mildly fruity, with a little bit of funk from the late addition of Brettanomyces, enjoy this from a goblet while relaxing on your patio.

8. Saison Dupont, Saison/Farmhouse Ale
Our household’s go-to “food beer” this spicy, yeasty, slightly funky Saison is a standard. Buy a case and keep it around, you can pull one of these out to pair with any meal.

Full printed article appeared in San Diego Magazine

San Diego’s Top Brewers
Inside America’s Craft Beer Capital

Photography by Paul Body and Michael D. Pawlenty

• In depth profiles of 18 award-winning breweries
• More than two dozen beer-inspired recipes, from some
of San Diego’s Top Chefs
• Special profiles of San Diego’s key members in the
Craft Beer Community
• Video links let you “have a beer with the brewer” from each brewery
• Comprehensive Resource Guide

Paperback with flaps; full color; 8″x8″; 208 pages – ONLY $20

Manzanita Brewing Beer Float

Stone Brewing Co Duck Tacos

There’s no doubt that Prohibition had an enormous impact on American brewers. The popularity and fascination with the topic continues to be celebrated and talked about every year on December 5 (1933), the anniversary of the ratification of the 21st Amendment which repealed Prohibition. The 18th Amendment, which made Prohibition law, was arguably the only amendment in the United States Constitution to restrict rights rather than expand them.

Did you know it was common for families to make illegal alcohol to simply feed their families? For a sneak peek at Ken Burns and Lynn Nobick film, Prohibition, which aired in October on PBS and to view a complete Prohibition Timeline infograph click here to read more.

Tipsy Crow iw celebrating the REPEAL of the 18th amendment
& the return of the good ‘ol days with our special annual event!

*CLICK HERE TO PRE-PURCHASE
YOUR TICKETS ONLINE for ONLY $15!

MONDAY – DEC. 5th – 7PM
HOSTED Cask Beer from Local Breweries
including Stone, Green Flash, Lightning,
Manzanita, Ballast Point!
Unlimited Soup Line & Chance to Win Prizes!
LIVE Roaring 20s Music, Dancing & Picketers!
Plus Bulleit Bourbon Whiskey Toast!

that collection. Well, here are some suggestions to alleviate your holiday shopping blues.

Extra perk: visit TapHunter.com to get deep discounts on some of the above items!

1. Beer. Let’s just state the obvious! Next time you’re at your friend’s house, snap a picture of their collection and then walk this picture into your local specialty bottle shop. A good shop will recommend a rare find based on the styles in their collection. For example, my fridge is packed with double IPAs. A bottle shop owner would recommend a few rare finds like Newbraska Brewing’s Hop God or Port Brewing’s High Tide. Trust me when I say this will score you major points. Insider tip: Call Sid at Best Damn Beer Shop or visit BestDamnBeerShop.com 

2. Beer Magazine Subscription. There are a handful of great beer magazines out there, but Beer West Magazine isa personal favorite. From the surfing towns and hoppy IPAs of Southern California, to the snow-capped mountains and barrel-aged sours of Oregon and Washington, Beer West is a celebration of the unique Western beer-loving lifestyle.

3. Bottle Opener. From the “I didn’t know I needed this until I saw it” department: meet Be a HeadCase, a bottle opener phone case that comes with a FREE HeadCase app that counts the bottle tops and cans you pop. Celebrate and customize a song to play for every bottle or can of craft beer you open.

4. Recycled Beer Bottle Tumblers & Vases. Local company Bottlehood “rescues” beer bottles direct from breweries and restaurants and turns them into tumblers, juice glasses, vases, candles and necklaces. It’s good for the neighborhood!

5. Beer Journal. 33 Beers is the perfect gift for beer aficionados, geeks and other fans of the malted arts. This pocket-sized journal provides an easy way to record tasting notes by checking off simple boxes and entering a few basic facts. The best part is the flavor wheel, where you fill in the dots to recall a beer’s unique flavor. Never mind the wine, whisky, cigar, cheese and coffee version – this is all you need!  33beers.com

Full print article appeared in San Diego Magazine

With 1,716 craft breweries across the United States today, the harsh reality is that differentiating your brand has become more necessary than ever. Traditionally, this is done through the use of TV, radio, print, or outdoor advertising, but these mediums are often way too expensive for small companies. That’s where social media comes in. But, why should small local breweries use social media? Well, I’m glad you asked.

1. Brand Personality: Social media is branding in its purest form and allows a brand the constant opportunity to directly communicate who they are and why they do it. This is something that needs to be taken advantage of because it can really help one brewery stand out against the rest. For example, when someone mentions Stone Brewing Company, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? For me, I think of liquid arrogance, my degree of worthiness, and even a bit of Greg Face. Brand personality is a very real concept and social media should be used as an avenue to reinforce that personality with each post.

2. Brand Awareness: It seams that each time I walk through the beer aisle, I find something that I’ve never seen before. While this is great for a consumer, it makes it even more important to have strong brand visibility. With all of the selection these days, consumers are turning to the internet to help distinguish the best products. Showing up in this search process is critical and can really help consumers recognize your beer over others. Also, showing up in their news feed every day is an easy way to keep your brand fresh in their mind.

Iron Horse Brewery  point of sale displays are among the best uses out there with respect to a brewery using QR codes to engage with consumers.  They’re helping consumers make the right decision about the beer that they’re looking to purchase (whether that includes an Iron Horse beer, or not).

3. Community Building: I’m sure you’ve already heard a million times that it’s all about engagement. That’s true but what does that even mean? Is it thanking each person that includes you in their follow friday? Running special offers and contests? Posting industry related links and articles? Ya, it can be all of that but no matter what, it’s about making everyone feel included in the community. While posting a relevant question can garner responses, its necessary to keep these conversation going. Social media is not a one way street. 

Karl Strauss does a great job at this by posting a code each Friday for a discounted growler fill. Also, when people check in on Untappd, it isn’t unusual to get a response from Ryan Ross (@Karl_Strauss) asking me how I like their beer. This personal touch goes a really long way in building an engaged community. Use technology as a tool but never forget that what people really want is to interact with other people, not computers.

4. Cost Effective: Sure you can pay for advanced analytics, post automation software, and maybe even a dedicated employee but at its most basic level, social media is free. Unlike many traditional advertising mediums, which are often too expensive for startups, social media allows even the smallest of players to participate. For example, Hess Brewing is a San Diego “nanobrewery” that brews only 51 gallons per batch. Their 2,155 likes on Facebook is about 200 times the capacity of their tasting room, which is only open 4 days a week.

The potential to mobilize this group became clear with the release of their anniversary beer, Anno Unum. It was only promoted on Facebook and when it became available online, it sold out in 2 and a half hours. These are impressive numbers considering Hess is a small organization. Even our friends at Societe Brewing have 740 likes and they haven’t even opened their doors yet. Social media doesn’t have to be expensive or overly time consuming, it just needs to be personal and interesting.

5. Word of Mouth: Craft beer, like any niche product is highly dependent on word of mouth advertising. As a small brewery, it’s practically impossible to compete with the marketing budgets of the big players (Budweiser, MillerCoors). If however, you can get people talking about your next beer release online, it can really help boost sales. Whether you want to call it hype or social proof, it’s the same idea. Consumers like to be reassured that they’re making the right purchasing decisions.

As a brewery, it’s important to use social media to get discussions started and then remain in the conversation when it happens organically. Patrick Rue of The Bruery is often seen responding to threads on beer forums with questions about their releases. Having a presence can really help get the proper information out to the most influential customers. Social Media is a great way to capture a piece of the buzz.

- Philippe

Philippe Gagnon is the founder and writer for Craft Beer Culture. Currently residing in Orange County California, you can find him at the local brewery drinking craft beer or online through Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.