Jim Koch reflects on The Great American Beer Festival and shares he "still hears the bells"

The following is a recent memo from Founder and Brewer, Jim Koch, to Boston Beer Company coworkers following The Great American Beer Festival in Denver:

BBC Coworkers,?

The Great American Beer Festival is an event I look forward to each year, and after a three-year hiatus, it was great to be back in person in Denver. It’s an event that holds a special place in my heart because as you know it’s where Boston Lager was named “The Best Beer in America” in 1985 and for three more years. Looking back, it’s one of the memorable moments of my career. Thirty-eight years later, I still remember the magic of that moment and I’m proud to say that we are still making some of the best beers in America, as we found out later in the weekend.?

The weekend kicked off by bringing back our annual Beers & Brunch media event, where Sam and I had the chance to connect with several trade media who follow our industry. We highlighted some of our upcoming beers such as Crimson Cru, Wake Up Wide World Stout, and Boston Lager Remastered, but also had a chance to reflect on how far the craft beer industry has come. As I shared, we’re no longer the same revolutionaries as when we first started out, and that’s okay. The revolution has succeeded. That’s what we dreamed of. It’s something we have all strived for – to make craft brewing a permanent fixture of the beer landscape here in the United States and all over the world.?

Following the great media event, it wouldn’t be GABF without the beer! Over the three-day weekend, we served more than 4,000 samples of Boston Lager and more than 6,000 samples of OctoberFest – our most popular beer! And over at the Dogfish Head Booth, the team kicked all 10 kegs with one hour to spare?on Friday night?– the first time ever this happened! It was an extremely busy weekend at the booths and the teams onsite did a great job keeping the samples flowing.?

But overall, what I am most excited to share is that we once again found ourselves at the top of the list for awards. The 2022 competition awarded 300 medals to the best breweries in the United States, with Sam Adams bringing home two awards.?Samuel Adams Just the Haze?brought home gold out of 67 entries?in the non-alc beer category and?Vacation Sam Pina Colada IPA took silver out of 118 entries?in the experimental IPA category. This is only the second year the non-alc category was included, so we are thrilled that our juicy, hazy IPA was selected as the best non-alcoholic beer in America. Nearly four decades after making The Best Beer in America with Boston Lager, we were recognized for making the best non-alcoholic beer in America. This recognition highlights our steadfast commitment to the BBC mission, and most importantly, the U.S. beer drinker.?

As we continue to push boundaries to produce the most wonderful, innovative, delicious products on the market, I wanted to share a favorite quote of mine from the last page of a children’s book, The Polar Express, on the importance of believing. I shared it with the media leading into the weekend and following our recent awards, I think it still stands true.?In The Polar Express, the narrator recalls when, as a child, he went with Santa Claus on a magical trip to the North Pole and was given a jingle bell that only children who still believe in wonder can hear.?

“At one time, most of my friends could hear the bell, but as years passed, it fell silent for all of them. Even my sister Sarah found one Christmas that she could no longer hear its sweet sound. Though I've grown older, the bell still rings for me, as it does for all who truly believe.”?-- The Polar Express

I’m 38 years in, and the bell still rings.?I hope it still rings for you and that you all feel an enormous sense of pride for our showing in Denver last week - I know I do. Congratulations to all!?

Cheers!?

Jim