(I have submitted the following letter to the editor of the Madison Courier)
For the seventh straight year, the New Albanian Brewing Company (my company) was delighted to serve beer at the RiverRoots folk music and culture festival in Madison.
Kudos to Don Clapham and Nick Ellis, organizers of the RiverRoots craft beer component. They went the extra mile to assemble a beer lineup second to none at any regional music festival of which I’m aware.
Again this year, NABC was joined by our friends at Upland Brewing Company (Bloomington) and Great Crescent Brewery (Aurora). Making their RiverRoots festival debut this year were Sun King from Indianapolis, and Madison’s own Mobreki.
Indiana now is home to more than forty craft breweries, which in addition to revitalizing the art of brewing, also promote localism, provide jobs and help revitalize communities.
Breweries like these are American-owned and operated. Conversely, it may surprise readers to learn that the largest American-owned brewery is no longer Anheuser-Busch, Miller or Coors, but Yuengling. Sam Adams is in second place.
Primarily through the efforts of Don and Nick, RiverRoots has had the intuition to put its finger on the pulse of what is happening in modern beer, as well as modern music. It’s a wonderful combination, and we appreciate it.
