Just as they showed up, the party began to wind down.
We’re talking about craftbrewing’s Generation Y: those breweries that came on-line in the mid-1990s or later, long after the pioneers had blazed a trail. They entered a market where competition was keener, bad beer no longer tolerated, and outlets to retailers fewer as a result of distributor consolidation. The great shake-out of the late ’90s was just around the corner. They had to be leaner, meaner and smarter to survive.
Ron Barchet and Bill Covaleski at Victory Brewing
Mac and Jack’s Brewery is like a sapling growing up in the shadow of two redwoods. The brewery stands in Redmond, WA, about 15 miles east of Seattle, where industry giants Redhook and Pyramid hold sway. Even in one of the country’s most mature markets, newcomer Mac and Jack’s grew about 120 percent between 1998 and 2000, topping the 20,000-barrel mark.
Asked how he managed such growth, partner Malcolm Maclean Rankin answers, “I wish I knew the answer. I’d bottle it and sell it.” Of course, he can’t bottle anything because Mac and Jack’s is a draft only brewery—probably the largest such operation in the country. That lends the products a certain mystique, allows Rankin. “You have to go to a bar to try our beer.” But he and partner Jack Schrapp have also invested a lot of sweat equity in the business since they started in 1994 with a 7-barrel brew house in Jack’s garage.
Mac and Jack’s sticks to basics, making only three beers: a wheat, an amber and a porter. “We don’t work in styles too much,” admits Rankin. “Our porter is edging into a sweet stout.” You can find the brews on tap only in Washington, Oregon and northern Idaho.
When questioned how much further he can grow the business, Rankin replies, “I wish I had a crystal ball. I don’t know. We don’t set goals that we have to be at such an amount at such a time.” But he and Schrapp will have to make some decisions soon. Their current facility will max out at 24,000 barrels, and they’re about to bump their heads on that ceiling.
I was immersed in the “micro” brew culture in the mid to late 90′s in the Carolina’s. Every one wanted to brew beer, but sadly a few didn’t want to take the time to make better than average beer. It’s nice to see things changing.