If you’ve paid attention to this blog at all, you can tell that I was not overwhelmingly thrilled with Anat Baron’s Beer Wars film. I made my points assertively, and some may 
have come across as too harsh, as in my assessment of the creator’s motives and experiences. I don’t apologize for that, and don’t feel that I have the need to exclude them from my original argument, as more ”official” beer writers have suggested.
Regardless, this post is not entirely about the film, but it is related. In the interest of fairness, and in light of the fact that I’ve been given a rare opportunity, I thought it pertinent to interview Rhonda Kallman - the de facto star of Beer Wars, co-founder of Sam Adams and current head of New Century Brewing Company – to get her side of the story, and get it directly from the source.
1. How has your life, and in particular your business (New Century Brewing), changed since the release of Beer Wars? Have you seen an increase in sales or more industry interest in your products? Made any substantial changes to your products or business approach?
Well, the business hasn’t changed substantially as the movie wasn’t viewed by too many. There was tremendous interest in the movie as beer has a tendency to bring people together, though I believe people just missed the one night only event. I get many requests for a DVD though. I tweaked our recipe before the movie came out to be “all malt” vs. corn that was previously used. Frankly, I’d been watching an “anti-corn” trend in all products and when I saw the movie trailer, I decided to give all malt a try. Both beers are now 100% malt and still easy enough to drink to give beer drinkers a better alternative to their mainstream beers.
2. Do you feel your story and company were accurately portrayed in the film? Are there any parts the audience wasn’t privy to? Any thoughts on the film’s overall story about smaller brewers and the three-tier system in general? Where do you see New Century in that mix, and did it fit the tone the filmmaker adopted?
The movie is called Beer Wars, not Craft Beer Wars, which I think many people missed. It is a story about entrepreneurship, a David and Goliath portrayal. Brewers are the consummate entrepreneurs. Anat selected my story because I’m credible. I’ve spent 25 years at the forefront of a movement, been very successful with Boston Beer Company and have started yet another brewing company to make innovative American beer styles to fit the lifestyle needs of today’s consumer. As I saw it for the first time when you did, there was much to absorb sitting there in Royce Hall watching myself and my colleagues on the big screen. It triggered much emotion for many reasons. One is that I’ve been battling breast cancer over the past year and it was a bit surreal to see myself with a “full set” and long hair. It was also incredible to see my family and home on the big screen. It was the first time I had heard Jim Koch explain why I left BBC too.
3. Recently, I posted on this blog about a potential for market saturation when it comes to the specialty beer market. Do you feel that New Century has potential to overcome that with its beers? Are there any new developments on the horizon that consumers should be aware of in regard to your products or efforts?
When I started in this industry in 1984, there were 35 breweries in the US. Today, with 1400 breweries and many thousands of brands available, a “shake out” is inevitable. The brands that have built an emotional connection with their consumer and have a clear differentiation will survive. New Century’s Edison and Moonshot are “brands of the future”. I purposely zigged when the craft brewers zagged, not because I don’t like their beers and what they represent, but merely because I couldn’t do it any better. The consumer didn’t need another hopped up IPA or great German lager or wheat beer. So I went a different route.
4. Continuing off that last question, what is your perception of the beer industry as a whole? Do you think that from all levels (microbreweries to brewing giants) the public is saturated with too much of every kind of beer? Do you see a ceiling or breaking point in the market?
The beer industry has changed markedly since the repeal of Prohibition. Therefore, there will always be trends and cycles. I believe the model for brand building and distribution is broken. The big get bigger and therefore, the distributors become commodity-based vs. brand builders. At Boston Beer, we changed the model by adding value to the system by having our own people to interact throughout the whole system. Now with NCBC, that model is not feasible. I believe the big brewers and distributors need to align to give their customers (the retailers) what they want by going direct to the major retailers (i.e., Costco; 7-11 etc). There is absolutely a need for distributors on premise and up-and-down-the-street independents and therefore, they should get “overcompensated” for those accounts and leave the big trailerload orders to the brewers to get more efficiencies and better pricing overall for the consumers.
5. What are some of New Century’s target goals (basically, the “where do you see yourself in 5 years” question)? And how big of an operation would you like to manage on your watch?
Let me just say that managing a big operation is easier in many respects than managing a little one, as I’ve now had the opportunity to do both. My immediate goals are to make NCBC a viable company with cash flows that enable me to have a core group of people working together to build something long lasting, and still be able to feed our families too!
6. What do you have to say to the naysayers of the world, to the Todd Alströms who call your beer nothing more than a gimmick? Do you feel that your beers target a more mainstream audience rather than the beer-geek sector?
I have two awards from the Brewer’s Association–1) as the pioneering woman in the beer industry, and 2) in recognition of commitment and service to the industry. I have those awards because I’ve been a trail blazer in this industry for 25 years. I was out there opening doors for the craft industry way back when some of these guys were still sucking their thumbs. I know what it is like to be an outlier and to do things that others think aren’t 
worthy or impossible. It’s a lonely road, though I do it for the love of beer. I’m hurt by the reactions of my so-called peers as I’ve done more for the industry as a whole (and continue to) than most will ever dream of. For some reason, I haven’t been invited into their “club”. With that said, I am very proud of the beers I have on the market. Edison is a great light beer. As you know, light beer accounts for >50% of all consumption in the US. Why not make a better one for that part of the market? Do all “better beers” have to be darker, heavier, hoppier? Moonshot, the original premium beer with caffeine, tastes great too. Why not keep beer drinkers drinking beer when they need a pick-me-up instead going to spirits or energy drinks? The more we stick together, the better it will be for the industry as a whole.
7. Do you find user-driven beer-centric Web sites, such as RateBeer and BeerAdvocate, to be a positive or a negative when it comes to the beer industry? What about social networking sites such as Facebook? In your opinion, are they purposeful or superfluous?
The more places consumers can get educated on beer, the better. My goal is to keep people talking about beer. For example, this summer, with the limited resources we have at NCBC, we are pushing a beer cocktail initiative. GASP! Well, we have some of the country’s best bartenders making cocktails with beer and consumers are loving it. We are using the social networking sites as a way to get that launched. Beer should be top of mind at all times!
8. What do you enjoy most about the beer world and the work that you do?
It’s an adventure, not a job. The people that I meet and the connections that I make are incredible. I donate beer to charities every week to give back. Beer makes good friends and puts a smile on everyone’s face.
9. What’s next for New Century in particular and Rhonda Kallman in general?
NCBC will continue to find the cracks in the beer industry and innovate as much as possible. After 25 years, I feel like I’m just getting started!
Special thanks to Rhonda Kallman for taking the time to respond and Chandra at New Century Brewing Company for setting this up. I’m hoping to do more interviews like this with a particular focus on local and regional brewers and beer industry types. If you’re interested, gimme a shout.
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