The Hoppy Times January

The Hoppy Times
January/February 1998 Online Edition
"Every beer we make greets you with a Smile"™

In This Illustrious Issue:

HOPPY GETS FEET WET IN AMERICAN RIVER!!!
HOPPY GOES ORGANIC IN '98...
HOPPY HOLDS CONTEST!!!
HOPPY MAKES NEW PRODUCTS AVAILABLE ON TAP...
HOPPY STAFF MEMBER STARTS HER OWN BUSINESS!!!
HOPPY UPCOMING EVENTS!!!
SEE ALSO...

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HOPPY GETS FEET WET IN AMERICAN RIVER!!!

AUBURN, CA - Hoppy Brewing officially took over the reigns of American River Brewing on October, 17th, and have been literally getting their feet wet ever since. "We started filtering and kegging beer the very next day," adds company president, Mr. Troy Paski. "The place has floor drains, but there are significant portions of the floor where water refuses to find a drain; so we squeegee a lot, continues Mr. Paski.

"The place is a work of art, and the previous owners did a wonderful job building the place from scratch, but right now it can be compared to someone shopping for a house and buying the worst house on the block - it just needs tons of tender loving care to turn it into a top-notch microbrewery," continues Mr. Paski.

"We began brewing a couple of days later, and since we don't have a lot of excess space, we found a local worm farmer who would come and pickup the empty grain bags and spent grains whenever we call," comments Mr. Josh Williams, Hoppy's Head Brewer. "Our worm farmer, Steve, sells worms all over the world for people doing composting and for those going fishing," continues Mr. Williams. "He says that since he's started feeding his worms our spent grains, his worms are bigger than ever before. It seems that normal barley has too much starch, but after the brewing process has removed the sugars and starches, it is just perfect for the little guys to munch on," finishes Mr. Williams.

With clean up and remodeling in full swing during the holidays, if one stops by the brewery tasting room for a taste and tour, do not be surprised if you are handed a paint brush or broom to help the Hoppy Crew turn this little microbrewery into a first class operation.

Currently, Hoppy is producing the American River brands, which are their Paradise Gold Pilsner, Vienna Amber Lager, Oatmeal Stout, an Organic Paradise Ale, some private label brews for some of the ski resorts, and their own line of brews - Liquid Sunshine™ Blonde, Hoppy Face™ Amber, and Total Eclipse™ Black Ale. They plan to continue producing these brands with the introduction of new packaging in early '98 for the American River line of products. Also look for Liquid Sunshine and Total Eclipse to become available in six-packs sometime in '98 as well.

The American River Brewing Company can be found at 100 Borland Avenue in the historic gold rush town of Auburn. The town is having a Sesquicentennial (150 year) celebration on January 24th to commemorate the founding of gold in the nearby hills. Feel free to stop by the brewery for your very taste of locally brewed gold. The brewery phone number is 530.889.0841, and their virtual online address is "http://www.1arbeer.com" for those interested in checking out their website.

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HOPPY GOES ORGANIC IN '98...

SAN JOSE, CA - Riding the wave of a growing number of health conscience Americans, Hoppy, after doing some market research recently, has determined that it is now feasible for them to go that extra mile in the pursuit of providing the very best "hand-crafted" beer possible to their loyal consumers. "A couple of years ago it was very difficult to find enough organic grains to make our beers at an affordable price," comments Hoppy's Head Brewer, Josh Williams. "In addition, it will allow us to stand apart from the large number of microbrewed beers out there on the market," adds Hoppy's Consumer Sales Manager, Mr. Bob Utley.

"Organic" means, among other things, products raised/produced without pesticides or synthetic fertilizers, using agricultural methods that preserve the soil and its fertility. Although organic products account for only about 1 percent of food sales nationwide, sales have grown by more than 20 percent annually since 1990 and account for $3.5 billion in annual sales. Agriculture Department officials forecast a fourfold increase in sales the next decade.

"This segment of the food industry is soaring in popularity," adds Hoppy's director of Sales, Mr. Andy Brinck. "Products marked organic are increasingly available in conventional supermarkets, and with our generally well-educated, health-oriented, and affluent Bay Area consumer that places a higher value on the more expensive food, we felt that our products were a natural addition to this market. In addition, we looked at the stores where our products were doing really well, which by the way are your more up-scale supermarkets, and we felt that in order to further separate ourselves from the rest of the competition, we would incur the cost of going the organic route," finishes Mr. Brinck.

Consumers are willing to pay extra for these products because they want food that does not contain pesticides or other contaminants. They want meat and milk free of antibiotics and hormones. Beyond that, they want to support farming that contributes to soil fertility and that avoids the worst cruelties of the agri-business approach to livestock. "In addition, we've got one of our distributor/trucking companies interested in carrying our whole portfolio organic brands when they become available," adds Mr. Utley.

If you picture organic food by once finding shriveled produce with brown spots sold in a tiny store with sawdust strewn on a wooden floor and potted ferns hanging from the rafters, those days are over. Today it is a mainstream multibillion-dollar segment of the U.S. food supply.

"It's amazing to compare an organically grown pale malt kernel, with that of a normally grown pale malt hull, adds Mr. Williams. The organic kernel is almost twice the size of a normally grown kernel," finishes Mr. Williams. "In addition, it's about twice the cost of normal pale malt," concludes Patrick McKenzie, Hoppy's Chief Financial Officer.

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HOPPY HOLDS CONTEST!!!

AUBURN, CA - Working feverishly alongside the railroad tracks of the Union Pacific railway, those ever creative folks at Hoppy have run into a mental roadblock. "We've been trying to come up with a new packaging design and logo for our American River brands, and nothing seems to click," comments Troy Paski, Hoppy's head creative dude. "We've got a couple of ideas, but even in the shower (where Troy does his best thinking) nothing seems to be jumping out and saying [pick me]," adds Mr. Paski. "So rather than hiring an expensive advertising firm, I thought we would turn to our loyal supporters for input," concludes Mr. Paski. "We haven't exactly come up with what the contestant will win, should we use their idea(s), but I'm sure it will involve something in or at the brewery, and possibly even an all expense paid trip in Tahoe," finishes Mr. Helms.

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HOPPY MAKES NEW PRODUCTS AVAILABLE ON TAP...

SAN JOSE, CA - Consumers longing for a freshly poured pint of Liquid Sunshine™ Blonde Ale and Total Eclipse™ Black Ale in their neighborhood pub will finally be able to do so starting in February. "With the new brewery we will now be able to deliver all of our fine products on tap," adds Mr. Williams. "We've been so limited with the amount kegs we have available, which has been barely enough to keep the Hoppy Face™ Amber Ale at a number of locations around the Bay Area. Now we've got extra kegs here that we can put to good use and get our products out to our faithful consumers to enjoy," finishes Mr. Williams.

"Most likely the first place they'll be available, outside of the brewery tasting room here in Auburn, will be the Shark & Rose Seafood Restaurant & Pub in San Jose," comments Hoppy's director of Promotions, Mr. Robert Helms. "If you're interested in attending a debut tasting party, just send me a note at "robert@hoppy.com" and I'll make sure to let you know the date of the debut tasting," concludes an excited Mr. Helms.

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HOPPY STAFF MEMBER STARTS HER OWN BUSINESS!!!

SAN JOSE, CA - Hoppy's Events Coordinator, Ms. Theresa Cleary, along with her sister, Mrs. Edssa Taylor, have decided to venture into their own small business. Personal Best - Domestic Management Services, offers a complete line of services for that Bay Area professional who is just [too] busy to pay their bills, pick up their pet from the veterinarian, pick up groceries for that upcoming party and etc. "We sort of got the idea from looking at Troy's life and going, gee he sure needs someone to manage his personal affairs," adds Personal Best President & CEO, Ms. Cleary. "In addition, with Silicon Valley moving at next to warp speed, and time becoming an ever increasing commodity, we've already found a number of clients just by word of mouth," adds Ms. Cleary.

Therefore, if you are a busy professional who could use a little extra help to make your life run more smoothly, we are quite sure you will appreciate what they provide. For more information on Personal Best, please contact them at 408.615.1545, or feel free to send Ms. Cleary an email at "teeehee@aol.com".

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HOPPY UPCOMING EVENTS!!!

Ms. Cleary is looking for, not only events to attend, but for volunteers for the '98 season as well. Therefore, if you are interested in helping out at an event, or know of a good event for Hoppy to attend, please send her a note at "theresa@hoppy.com". I know she will be glad to hear from you.

In addition, if you would like a complete listing of what we currently have on our calendar, please click on the following web address.

http://www.hoppy.com/future.htm.

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