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              <tr align="left" valign="top"> 
                <td align="left" valign="middle" class="title">/// EDITORIALS 
                  &amp; LETTERS</td>
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                <td align="left" valign="top"><strong>EDITORIALS &amp; LETTERS 
                  2006</strong> &raquo; <a href="../tdalldorf" class="article">BACK 
                  TO EDITORIALS &amp; LETTERS INDEX</a></td>
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              <tr> 
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                            <td width="10" align="left" valign="top"><img src="../../images/trans.gif" width="10" height="1" /></td>
                            <td width="490" align="left" valign="middle"><span class="h1colored">August/September 
                              2006</span><strong><br />
                              GABF Turns 25!</strong><br /> <span class="byline">Tom 
                              Dalldorf</span></td>
                          </tr>
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                    <tr> 
                      <td align="left" valign="top">&nbsp;</td>
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                    <tr> 
                      <td align="left" valign="top">The Great American Beer Festival 
                        will turn 25 years old when it opens its run September 
                        28&#8211;30 at Denver's cavernous Colorado Convention 
                        Center. Now recognized as the granddaddy of all beer festivals, 
                        the GABF has had a long and circuitous path to becoming 
                        American beerdom's mecca. Yes, all true beer lovers must 
                        make this pilgrimage sometime in their beer-loving lives. 
                        <p>It all began in 1981 basically as a party thrown by 
                          the American Homebrewers Association in Boulder, Colo., 
                          that invited some 20 commercial breweries (a few of 
                          which were micros) to pour their products. As the festival 
                          grew, a &quot;People's Choice&quot; award was given 
                          for the &quot;Best Beer in America,&quot; an award that 
                          became somewhat solicitous and contentious and was ultimately 
                          dropped. The judging of beers was embraced, however, 
                          and each year seemed to see expanded categories and 
                          subcategories of the beer styles to be evaluated by 
                          some of the top beer judges in the world.</p>
                        <p>The GABF Blind Panel Judging is now recognized as the 
                          preeminent beer judging in the country. This year, over 
                          100 professional beer judges from the U.S. and around 
                          the world will consider more than 2,300 beers entered 
                          by over 450 domestic breweries. Truly a comprehensive 
                          effort.</p>
                        <p>Early on in the evolution of the GABF, there was some 
                          regional abstention from attending the festival by some 
                          breweries because of perceived &quot;unprofessionalism&quot; 
                          and sponsor-driven participation by the major players. 
                          This situation was addressed, and as the GABF evolved, 
                          it became all-inclusive of America's burgeoning brewing 
                          industry. This year, 370 breweries arranged by region 
                          will pour more than 1,600 different beers for attendees. 
                          Many of the beers will be served on draught, creating 
                          the largest draught beer dispenser in the world. Food 
                          demos, educational presentations and entertainment will 
                          keep the public sessions lively and informative.</p>
                        <p>This year, the GABF will cover 188,000 square feet 
                          in the newly renovated Colorado Convention Center. This 
                          will require over 2,700 volunteers from around the world, 
                          who will put in over 40,000 hours of volunteer labor 
                          to make the GABF happen.</p>
                        <p>Cheers to founders Charlie Papazian and Daniel Bradford 
                          (first GABF director); to succeeding directors Marcia 
                          Schirmer, Sharon Mowry and Nancy Johnson; and to the 
                          thousands of volunteer workers who have made the Great 
                          American Beer Festival the most significant beer event 
                          in the country. But mainly, here's to America's breweries, 
                          which give us so much to celebrate! See you at the GABF.</p></td>
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                            <td align="left" valign="top"><span class="articletitler">LETTERS 
                              TO THE EDITOR (Aug/Sep 2006)</span> <p><strong>Dear 
                                Editor:</strong><br />
                                I love a good draft IPA, and sometimes my only 
                                option is to bring the kids. Twice recently at 
                                two different Tri-Valley/East Bay [SF Bay Area] 
                                brewpubs, I have been unable to convince the server 
                                that a $4 pint of Thomas Kemper root beer is too 
                                much for a 3-year-old child. One server thought 
                                she was giving us a deal by charging only $2.50 
                                when I stressed that the root beer was for the 
                                children, but she still brought two full GLASS 
                                pints for two LITTLE kids! Can you say &quot;Cleanup 
                                at table 6&quot;?</p>
                              <p>Eric Heinitz<br />
                                Livermore, California</p>
                              <p><strong>Dear Eric:</strong><br />
                                <em>Try ordering a pitcher of root beer. They 
                                will bring smaller glasses. &#8212; Ed.</em></p>
                              <p><img src="../../images/bg_main_sep_horiz.jpg" width="239" height="11" /></p>
                              <p><strong>Dear Editor:</strong><br />
                                As a recent Midwest transplant living in Santa 
                                Cruz, Calif., it was nice to see Mark Conley's 
                                excellent article [CBN, June/July 2006] on this 
                                area&#8217;s breweries. I would like to offer 
                                one correction. Coastline Brewing in Santa Cruz 
                                is not a microbrewery or brewpub. All of Coastline's 
                                beers are contracted offsite.</p>
                              <p>Cheers,<br />
                                Brady Umfleet</p>
                              <p><strong>Dear Brady:</strong><br />
                                <em>Good catch. We should have listed them as 
                                a pub/restaurant until such time as they start 
                                brewing onsite. What size T-shirt do you wear? 
                                &#8212; Ed.</em></p>
                              <p><img src="../../images/bg_main_sep_horiz.jpg" width="239" height="11" /></p>
                              <p><strong>Dear Editor:</strong><br />
                                In a recent perusing of my most favorite beer 
                                publication, I noticed that our recent offering 
                                of North Coast Brewing's Brother Thelonious was 
                                revealed (thank you) as being available only at 
                                finer jazz clubs around the area. I would like 
                                to set the record straight and proclaim that we 
                                have no bias as to who sells our fine nectar, 
                                and we certainly would like to offer it to any 
                                who appreciate exceptional beer in their glasses, 
                                regardless of where they like to hear their music. 
                                My choice would be listening to Kenny Gross on 
                                the drums at The Bistro [in Hayward, CA].</p>
                              <p>Josh Charlton<br />
                                Pacific Libations<br />
                                Castro Valley, California</p>
                              <p><strong>Dear Josh:</strong><br />
                                <em>Thanks for setting us straight as a T. Monk 
                                bass line. Glad to hear of the ready availability. 
                                The Brother Thelonious is great! &#8212; Ed.</em></p></td>
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                            <td width="10" align="left" valign="top"><img src="../../images/trans.gif" width="10" height="1" /></td>
                            <td width="490" align="left" valign="middle"><span class="h1colored">June/July 
                              2006</span><strong><br />
                              Consolidation Blues &#8211; Take My Brewery, Please!</strong><br /> <span class="byline">Tom 
                              Dalldorf</span></td>
                          </tr>
                        </table></td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr> 
                      <td align="left" valign="top">&nbsp;</td>
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                    <tr> 
                      <td align="left" valign="top">The craft segment of the beer 
                        industry is on a tear, showing the only positive growth 
                        in overall lackluster domestic beer sales. The big breweries, 
                        stung by falling profits and pressured by wholesalers 
                        for higher-margin products, are looking for more profitable, 
                        upscale brands to fill the slack in sales. The recent 
                        gathering of beer-industry professionals in Seattle was 
                        awash in rumors of mergers, acquisitions and distribution 
                        deals in the works.
<p>Of the big three, Anheuser-Busch is the most proactive, 
                          introducing brands and styles never before offered by 
                          the brewing giant. A-B has also been successful in past 
                          investments/alliances with craft brewers (Widmer and 
                          Redhook). The brewer has even targeted the niche market 
                          with its Jack&#8217;s Pumpkin Spice Ale, Winter&#8217;s 
                          Bourbon Cask Ale and wit-style Spring Heat Spiced Wheat. 
                          Most recently, Grolsch and Rolling Rock have been added 
                          to the A-B roster. We can assume there will be more 
                          of these in the future.</p>
                        <p>Foreign-owned SABMiller and Molson Coors have made 
                          similar arrangements. Miller's acquisition of the Czech 
                          Republic's crown jewel, Pilsner Urquell, has resulted 
                          in the &quot;original&quot; pilsner now being made in 
                          Poland and Russia under contract. While you may hear 
                          Czech hearts breaking, Miller hears increased sales. 
                          Canada's Sleeman Breweries purchased famed Unibroue 
                          in Quebec.</p>
                        <p>The consolidation on the distribution tier of the beer 
                          industry is brutal, leaving some very large markets 
                          with only one or two distributors wielding massive books 
                          of beer, wine, spirits and such. Faced with diminished 
                          access to market, some small breweries look at alliances 
                          or acquisition as their only hope for survival.</p>
                        <p>InBev (formerly Interbrew) of Belgium is notorious 
                          for its own role in &quot;consolidation,&quot; buying 
                          up struggling breweries and shutting them down to enhance 
                          its own market share. Most recently, InBev announced 
                          that it would shutter the famed Hoegaarden Brewery in 
                          its namesake town and continue producing the beer at 
                          its Jupiler Brewery. Pierre Celis, who reintroduced 
                          the extinct wit style in his hometown and named it Hoegaarden 
                          some 40 years ago, was understandably outraged.</p>
                        <p>Brewery consolidation in some cases may be beneficial 
                          and necessary, but in other situations it can be a travesty 
                          to the character and quality of the beers we so admire. 
                          This is a time for beer lovers to pay attention to the 
                          business side of beer appreciation. The Brewers Association 
                          recently released statistics that indicate that nearly 
                          every American lives within 10 miles of a brewery. Find 
                          the breweries, frequent them and let your local brewers 
                          know that you care about what you are drinking. Respect 
                          for the flavors and traditions of brewing begins with 
                          production and ends with consumption. Lack thereof can 
                          lead to the loss of your local brewery. Let&#8217;s 
                          keep it real in this, the age of good beer.</p></td>
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                            <td align="left" valign="top"><span class="articletitler">LETTERS 
                              TO THE EDITOR (Jun/Jul 2006)</span> <p><strong>Dear 
                                Editor:</strong><br />
                                I recently had an unfortunate beer experience 
                                that necessitated the addition to the beer lexicon 
                                of a new word: beerbarian (noun), one, or more 
                                than one, who feels free to invade another's house 
                                and consume the craft beer found in the refrigerator, 
                                either replacing it with Bud or not replacing 
                                it at all. Take a lesson from the pirates and 
                                consider burying a fridge in the back yard with 
                                your liquid treasure safely secure from the greedy, 
                                bony hands of the foul beerbarians. I hope to 
                                warn others so that these marauding predators 
                                cause no more harm than they already have.</p>
                              <p>Ken Klemm<br />
                                Oxnard, California</p>
                              <p><strong>Dear Ken:</strong><br />
                                <em>The beauty of craft beer is that it is not 
                                so expensive that we can&#8217;t share it with 
                                the taste-challenged &quot;beerbarians.&quot; 
                                I like the concept and hope you will join us in 
                                converting them. That way, when you go to their 
                                house, you can return the favor. &#8212; Ed.</em></p>
                              <p><img src="../../images/bg_main_sep_horiz.jpg" width="239" height="11" /></p>
                              <p><strong>Dear Editor:</strong><br />
                                During my long drive back to Wyoming after the 
                                &#8217;06 Craft Brewers Conference, I got to thinking 
                                about the people I saw at the conference. Ralph 
                                Woodall came to mind. You can always count on 
                                seeing Ralph at any major event, even small ones. 
                                He's everywhere. The GABF, the CBC, the North 
                                American Beer Awards, the Mountain Brewers Beer 
                                Festival, the Oregon Brewers Festival and many 
                                others. What is amazing is that Ralph never seems 
                                to tire. He is always smiling, jolly and full 
                                of good jokes. I asked myself, &quot;How does 
                                he do it?&quot; I am almost convinced that <A HREF="http://www.realbeer.com/cgi-bin/realbeer/cust_redir.cgi?18303&http://www.hopunion.com">Hopunion</A> 
                                has made a scientific breakthrough and is cloning 
                                Ralph. Let's all raise a hoppy pint of brew and 
                                give &quot;cheers&quot; to Ralph&#8230; Or should 
                                I say Ralph's?</p>
                              <p>Richard Strom<br />
                                Bottoms Up Brewing Company<br />
                                Pinedale, Wyoming</p>
                              <p><img src="../../images/bg_main_sep_horiz.jpg" width="239" height="11" /></p>
                              <p><strong>Dear Editor:</strong><br />
                                Thank you and John Rowling for the flattering 
                                article on our business, the Howe Sound Inn &amp; 
                                Brewing Company, in &#8220;Pubbing Around B.C.,&#8221; 
                                Celebrator Beer News, February/March 2006. We 
                                are writing to correct an omission regarding our 
                                brewing operation. Our brewery is actually run 
                                primarily by two talented brewers. Fabian Specht 
                                joined Franco Corno in our operation over a year 
                                ago. Fabian brings a wealth of brewing knowledge 
                                and makes a huge contribution to our facility. 
                                Thank you again for your interest in craft brewing 
                                in Squamish, B.C.!</p>
                              <p>Deborah Laishley &amp; Dave Fenn, Owners<br />
                                Howe Sound Inn &amp; Brewing Company<br />
                                Squamish, British Columbia, Canada</p>
                              <p><img src="../../images/bg_main_sep_horiz.jpg" width="239" height="11" /></p>
                              <p><strong>Dear Editor:</strong><br />
                                Once again, the necessity of including such far-flung 
                                brewing scenes as Philadelphia; Washington, D.C.; 
                                Tampa; Atlanta; and Oakland in Don Erickson's 
                                &quot;L.A. Scene&quot; column conclusively proves 
                                one thing: There is no L.A. brewing scene. It 
                                still sucks. I remain your loyal, &quot;half-in-the-bag 
                                on San Diego beer&quot; foot soldier.</p>
                              <p>Brian O'Hare<br />
                                Los Angeles, California</p>
                              <p><strong>Dear Brian:</strong><br />
                                <em>I feel your pain, brother. I'm just back from 
                                Seattle and Portland (Craft Brewers Conference 
                                and Spring Beer Fest). Talk about an active beer 
                                scene! I sure hope L.A. comes along. Also, because 
                                of Don's real job, he gets to travel a lot and 
                                loves to write about new beer finds. Please let 
                                us know if you run across something that doesn't 
                                suck in the L.A. area, and we'll include it. &#8212; 
                                Ed.</em></p>
                              <p><img src="../../images/bg_main_sep_horiz.jpg" width="239" height="11" /></p>
                              <p><strong>Dear Editor:</strong><br />
                                Read with interest your article on Vietnamese 
                                beer-making. I saw you made mention of 333 beer. 
                                We had a beer called Ba Muy Ba 33 Bi&egrave;re 
                                when I was stationed in Vietnam. We were told 
                                it had formaldehyde in it. Secondly, do you ever 
                                make comparisons of non-alcoholic beers? Do any 
                                of the microbreweries make non-alcoholic beer?</p>
                              <p>George Estabrook<br />
                                Livermore, California</p>
                              <p><strong>Dear George:</strong><br />
                                <em>Don&#8217;t know about the formaldehyde but 
                                could believe it. A lot of older Vietnamese seem 
                                well preserved. The NA beers are done via an industrial 
                                process too expensive for small beer production. 
                                Our favorite non-alcoholic beers include Erdinger 
                                Alcohol Free and Clausthaler. &#8212; Ed.</em></p></td>
                          </tr>
                        </table></td>
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                          <tr> 
                            <td width="50" align="left" valign="top"><img src="../../photos/pic-tomdalldorf.jpg" width="50" height="59" /></td>
                            <td width="10" align="left" valign="top"><img src="../../images/trans.gif" width="10" height="1" /></td>
                            <td width="490" align="left" valign="middle"><span class="h1colored">April/May 
                              2006</span><strong><br />
                              Craft Brewers Conference 2005</strong><br /> <span class="byline">Tom 
                              Dalldorf</span></td>
                          </tr>
                        </table></td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr> 
                      <td align="left" valign="top">&nbsp;</td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr> 
                      <td align="left" valign="top">America's craft brewers will 
                        gather in Seattle this April for the annual Craft Brewers 
                        Conference, and the mood will likely be more optimistic 
                        and upbeat for the industry's future than at any time 
                        in the last 10 years. Recent statistics released by the 
                        Brewers Association in Boulder, Colo., state that the 
                        &quot;craft&quot; segment of the beer business sold 9.0 
                        percent more beer in 2005 than in 2004, making this the 
                        fastest-growing segment of the U.S. beverage alcohol industry 
                        for the second consecutive year! 
                        <p>&#8220;Craft beer volume growth far exceeded that of 
                          large brewers, wine and spirits in 2005,&#8221; said 
                          Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association. &#8220;And 
                          even though imported beer grew nicely in 2005, craft 
                          beer grew at a faster rate.&#8221; Bear in mind that 
                          the import category consists of both all-malt beer and 
                          adjunct beer. America's tastes are changing, and its 
                          expectations for full-flavored beers of substance are 
                          at an all-time high.</p>
                        <p>&#8220;Consumer enjoyment of the flavor and diversity 
                          of craft beer continues to fuel healthy, steady growth 
                          in this segment,&#8221; said Ray Daniels, director of 
                          craft beer marketing for the Brewers Association. &#8220;Small 
                          brewers lead the entire industry by offering flavorful, 
                          interesting beers.&#8221;</p>
                        <p>Consider also that there are young beer drinkers today 
                          who have never known a time when there weren't craft 
                          beers widely available. The first wave of breweries, 
                          born in the early &#8217;80s, are now over 20 years 
                          old, and some are transitioning to second-generation 
                          management.</p>
                        <p>As the craft-beer segment matures, have no doubt that 
                          the major brewers are taking note. Brewing giant Anheuser-Busch 
                          introduced a variety of beers at last year's Great American 
                          Beer Festival in Denver, including a fresh-hop ale, 
                          a pumpkin beer and Michelob Celebrate &#8212; a 10% 
                          abv monster made with imported whole vanilla beans and 
                          aged on heavily toasted bourbon oak barrel wood. Definitely 
                          not your father's Budweiser.</p>
                        <p>Should small breweries fear this intrusion into their 
                          brewing bailiwick? Consider that Gallo Winery, still 
                          the largest winery in the world, has replaced much of 
                          its jug wine business with premium varietal wines, and 
                          it prospers side by side with the thousands of small 
                          artisanal wineries that continue to blossom across the 
                          country. Indeed, it could be suggested that A-B's entry 
                          (or reentry, considering its earlier efforts in this 
                          category) will be a positive force in bringing flavorful 
                          beers to an increasingly curious beer drinker.</p>
                        <p>The result can be even more consumers brought around 
                          to the &quot;savor the flavor&quot; category of beer 
                          drinking. Building on this momentum, we could have many 
                          years of continued positive growth ahead with even more 
                          demand for exotic, richly flavored beer. Truly, this 
                          is a great time to be a beer drinker! Spread the word 
                          and create more demand for honest beer.</p></td>
                    </tr>
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                          <tr> 
                            <td align="left" valign="top"><span class="articletitler">LETTERS 
                              TO THE EDITOR (Apr/May 2006)</span> <p><strong>Dear 
                                Celebrator:</strong><br />
                                Congratulations on 18 years of publishing the 
                                Celebrator Beer News! You and your staff do a 
                                great job of putting together a publication that 
                                truly &quot;celebrates&quot; the enjoyment of 
                                beer. Here at <A HREF="http://www.realbeer.com/cgi-bin/realbeer/cust_redir.cgi?22940&http://www.brewingwithbriess.com/">Briess</A>, we're happy to be part of 
                                your publication and wish you continued success 
                                for many more years. Cheers!</p>
                              <p>Bernadette Wasdovitch<br />
                                Marketing Communications Manager<br />
                                <A HREF="http://www.realbeer.com/cgi-bin/realbeer/cust_redir.cgi?22940&http://www.brewingwithbriess.com/">Briess</A> Malt &amp; Ingredients Company</p></td>
                          </tr>
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              <tr> 
                <td height="25" align="left" valign="middle"> <table width="700" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="CBNmain">
                    <tr> 
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                          <tr> 
                            <td width="50" align="left" valign="top"><img src="../../photos/pic-tomdalldorf.jpg" width="50" height="59" /></td>
                            <td width="10" align="left" valign="top"><img src="../../images/trans.gif" width="10" height="1" /></td>
                            <td width="490" align="left" valign="middle"><span class="h1colored">February/March 
                              2006</span><strong><br />
                              18 Years of Cheers and Beers!</strong><br /> <span class="byline">Tom 
                              Dalldorf</span></td>
                          </tr>
                        </table></td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr> 
                      <td align="left" valign="top">&nbsp;</td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr> 
                      <td align="left" valign="top">When the first issue of the 
                        California <em>Celebrator</em> hit the pubs, we were covering 
                        an industry of some 20 brewpubs and microbreweries and 
                        a few &quot;enlightened&quot; beer-savvy pubs and restaurants. 
                        Distribution of the nation's first &quot;brewspaper&quot; 
                        took about three weeks of driving all over the state in 
                        a Jeep Cherokee and visiting all these great beer destinations. 
                        <p>Today, the <em>Celebrator Beer News</em> covers key 
                          beer true believers around the country and internationally, 
                          with our corps of regional beer-evangelist reporters 
                          keeping us abreast of beery developments where and when 
                          they find them. The beer industry continues to grow 
                          but in a curious new direction. The growth of craft 
                          beer hit a wall around 1997 while the imports and large 
                          domestic brewers continued to expand.</p>
                        <p>In our new century, the beer &quot;pie&quot; seems 
                          to have hit its own wall, and indeed it shrank slightly 
                          in 2004. The craft segment, however, showed positive 
                          growth, hitting an impressive 7 percent for both 2003 
                          and 2004, posting the only positive numbers for all 
                          the categories! The good-beer movement is real and healthy 
                          as the American beer scene continues to evolve. Good 
                          food, good wine and, increasingly, good beer are on 
                          the average consumer's radar. Things &quot;artisanal&quot; 
                          are valued for their uniqueness and honesty, and those 
                          who make them are revered for their dedication and sometimes 
                          lack of commercial remuneration.</p>
                        <p>Life is about choices. We chose to cover the good-beer 
                          scene in 1988 and are humbled by the support and continued 
                          interest we have received. Your choice of good beer 
                          keeps us on the job, expanding our collective knowledge 
                          of and appreciation for those who make the good beer 
                          we love. Onward towards 20.</p></td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr> 
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                          <tr> 
                            <td align="left" valign="top"><span class="articletitler">LETTERS 
                              TO THE EDITOR (Feb/Mar 2006)</span> <p><strong>Dear 
                                Editor:</strong><br />
                                Great article on Bas and Hildegard from Urthel 
                                (CBN December 2005/January 2006). I was excited 
                                to see the word &quot;Urthel&quot; on the cover, 
                                and the nice little account of your conversation 
                                with them was a great read. They are two truly 
                                unique and wonderful people and a credit to the 
                                beer business.</p>
                              <p>One clarification I would offer is that of the 
                                importer. Artisanal Imports, Inc., formerly affiliated 
                                with Manneken-Brussel Imports, is actually the 
                                exclusive importer for Urthel in the United States. 
                                A few weeks ago, we split off from MBI entirely, 
                                and Bob Leggett (the former MBI head) is now working 
                                full time as president of Artisanal Imports and 
                                overseeing our national structure. As always, 
                                I am directing sales in the east, and another 
                                MBI-alum, Sean Knoll, is doing the same for the 
                                area west of the Mississippi.</p>
                              <p>Keep up the great coverage on all things beer!</p>
                              <p>Lanny Hoff<br />
                                Artisanal Imports, Inc.<br />
                                Minneapolis, Minn.</p>
                              <p><img src="../../images/bg_main_sep_horiz.jpg" width="239" height="11" /></p>
                              <p><strong>Dear Editor:</strong><br />
                                Longtime reader, first-time writer. I love and 
                                value your publication. I try not to travel without 
                                a copy for the invaluable resources of the regional 
                                writers and the Hop Spots listings. I look forward 
                                to being able to find the Hop Spots on your Web 
                                site for those times when I'm traveling too light. 
                                Accordingly, I feel it's my duty to warn you of 
                                a serious faux-pas.</p>
                              <p>I am glad to see you've made it possible for 
                                fans of great beer and cycling to get their hands 
                                on those Duvel cycling jerseys. They're really 
                                great. I own one myself, and aside from its undeniable 
                                style, it is a technically excellent piece of 
                                cycling equipment. Alas, there's the rub. It's 
                                a riding jersey. Yes, armchair quarterbacks love 
                                their official NFL gear (and it may suit their 
                                armchair physique quite well), but a cycling jersey 
                                is meant to have a certain fit toward a specific 
                                purpose.</p>
                              <p>While the now-ubiquitous NASCAR casual gear shouts 
                                out our nation's love for great drivers and left 
                                turns, even NASCAR fans instinctively know not 
                                to hang out in NOMEX suits. My point (and straight 
                                to it) is: Will the esteemed Mr. Dalldorf please 
                                refrain from &quot;rocking&quot; the Duvel jersey 
                                everywhere but on a bicycle? Thank you in advance 
                                for your continuing commitment to the highest 
                                quality in all things beer.</p>
                              <p>Jesse McCann<br />
                                Portland, Ore.</p>
                              <p><strong>Dear Jesse:</strong><br />
                                <em>Thanks for the great photos of you and your 
                                friends biking down to the Boonville Beer Fest 
                                in your Duvel jerseys. We are delighted to be 
                                able to sell them to our readers and would assume 
                                that most people buy them for riding. The Duvel 
                                tech vest that the &quot;esteemed&quot; Mr. Dalldorf 
                                was wearing during a Rolling Boil Blues Band gig 
                                at Falling Rock in Denver was actually a gift 
                                from a fan in Boulder. Since our publisher rides 
                                his Trek mountain bike regularly and his Cannondale 
                                road bike less often, we feel he's entitled to 
                                it. Hope to see you at this year's event in Boonville. 
                                &#8212; Ed.</em></p></td>
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                <td align="left" valign="top" class="byline">Tom Dalldorf is publisher 
                  and editor of the <em>Celebrator Beer News</em>.</td>
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