The American Craft Beer Hall of Fame was introduced in August 2024 to honor and remember those individuals who contributed to the growth and success of the USA’s craft beer industry. (We reported the news here.) On February 15th, The Hall announced the list of its initial inductees. The Pacific Northwest was well-represented in the inaugural class. Congratulations to all of the inductees!
One of the inductees, Charles Finkel, tells me, “I received notice that Rose Ann and I were selected for the inaugural inductees of the American Craft Beer Hall of Fame. Each of the other inductees were, or are, friends. I am honored and know that Rose Ann would have been too!”
Northwest Inductees
Bert Grant
Bert opened America’s first modern brewpub in Yakima in 1982 and created one of the nation’s first craft beer brands: Bert Grant’s Real Ales. The brewpub in Yakima held the distinction of being the first brewpub to open in the USA post-Prohibition. After a career working as a brewer and brewing scientists for big beer companies back east, why did he choose Yakima? Bert wanted his brewery to be close to the hop suppliers.
Charles and Rose Ann Finkel
The Finkels began importing then-uncommon European beers in the 1970s and helped prime the pump for the craft beer revolution of the coming decade. Their company, Merchant du Vin, still survives today under new ownership. Old school homebrewers will remember Liberty Malt Shop, a homebrew shop they operated near Pike Place Market in the 1980s. They founded Pike Brewing in 1989 and built it into one of the Northwest’s most iconic craft beer brands. Charles and Rose Ann were omnipresent on the craft beer scene for decades and helped shape the craft beer world we know today.
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Fred Eckhardt
Widely considered the Dean of American Beer Writing, Fred was a highly influential Portland-based craft beer advocate, writer, and brewing enthusiast. He wrote hundreds of beer columns for outlets such as The Seattle Times, The Oregonian, Celebrator, Zymurgy, and All About Beer. He even penned several beer-focused newsletters long before newsletters were a thing. He also wrote several books. His list of works is too long to mention here.
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Suzy Stern (now Suzy Denison)
A resident of Seattle since 1988, Suzy was instrumental in getting New Albion Brewing up and running. ICYDK, New Albion is widely considered the very first American microbrewery. It was founded in 1976 in Sonoma, California by Jack McAuliffe with the help of two women. Jack gets most of the credit, but there were two strong women doing much of the heavy lifting. Suzy is one of them. Read more about Suzy and her role at New Albion here.
The Inaugural Class
Twelve individuals were included in the inaugural class of the American Craft Beer Hall of Fame:
- Fritz Maytag (Anchor Brewing)
- Michael Jackson (esteemed beer writer)
- Charlie Papazian (past President of the Brewers Association, etc.)
- Ken Grossman (Sierra Nevada Brewing)
- Fred Eckhardt (see above)
- Jim Koch (Boston Beer Co.)
- Bert Grant (see above)
- Charles and Rose Ann Finkel (see above)
- Jack McAuliffe, Suzy Stern and Jane Zimmerman (New Albion Brewing)
The Hall’s mission is to inspire current and future generations to continue innovating and collaborating to help the American craft beer industry continue to grow and thrive. A Board of Advisors consisting of many of craft beer’s most respected and notable analysts, commentators, and advocates reached a consensus on the initial list of nominees. The Board of Advisors then voted on the nominees. You can read more about the intricate process of nomination and induction here.
