model. Absolution’s answer is to ensure scale in any one location doesn’t exceed a volume that becomes unsustain- able without automation. “Our model is about the 6,000-barrel brew house. And the model allows for us to replicate that in multiple loca- tions, rather than the 6,000 becoming a 50,000, becoming a 100,000-barrel brew house, and then the machines take over.” Heath stresses that they are adamant about main- taining the ‘artisan’ production model, and the only way to grow within this model is to create a series of smaller brew locations. For the time being, all the beer is being produced and shipped out of their South L.A. location. But Heath explains that their future growth revolves around how successful their distribution becomes in markets away from Southern California. “Everything is handmade every day.” Texas and Arizona are currently on their distribution map, but Absolution is looking to give beer lovers east of the Rockies a chance to sample a ‘Shelby Snake Bite’ or navigate a ‘405 No Coast IPA’. “Up north and even the East Coast are basically all on our radar for future distribution and poten- tial expansion… And our last phase includes international markets. We have a number of distributors, particularly in the Far East, that are showing great interest in carrying our beer. But again, that would be our last phase. We’re looking at getting a stronghold in the U.S. markets first.” Looking at Absolution’s website, you’ll note that there is a vast range of beer styles, from a Milk Stout to a number of IPAs representing different ranges on the bitterness scale. Heath points out that their own personal palettes initially drove the decisions on styles. “My unofficial title is CTO. That’s Chief Tasting Officer!” he says with a chuckle. “We like to experiment but we do have a core set of beers that are distributed.” Those beers are: ‘TheAngel’s Demise English-Style IPA’, very popular because the hops and alcohol are well balanced and give a much smother mouth experience; the ‘Cardinal Sin’, an Irish Red Ale; ‘Purgatory’, a lighter Bavarian style Hefeweizen; a West Coast hop-forward IPA called the ‘405 No Coast IPA’; a unique lager called ‘The Convert’ and the South Bay Blonde, which is light, easy drinking with hints of citrus. Stouts and Porters and an extensive barrel-ageing program fill out the remainder of the list. The Absolution website sums up their company best, ‘Farm to glass’ artisan beers and ales. Old World style and New World ingredients. Absolution means freedom, the nail represents unity and hard work; put them together and you get Absolution Brewing Company.”
brewers on the Pacific Coast. Heath points out that the ales of previous centuries have been lost, in many cases for economic and mass production reasons. “It’s not the cheapest way to make beer. But we believe truly in the ‘artisan’ aspects. So my Head brewer and our brew team are looking, smelling, listening, and tasting every brew, the way things used to be made.
Making beer through complete automation, you lose all that personal art and skill.”
Absolution’s attitude toward artisan craft brewing with natural ingredients, no preservative and old-world tech- niques has resonated with larger corporations in other related industries such as Whole Foods with similar ethos and commitment to ‘real’ ingredients. “Literally we have water, grain, yeast and hops. That’s it,” Heath says. When he conducts brewery tours, one of his favourite lines is that, because there are no chemicals, Absolution beer is hang-over free! Of course, the jury is still out on this one, but Heath explains with a bit of a chuckle, “All joking aside, if you buy cheap wine, it’s the non-nat- ural ingredients that give you the splitting headache the next morning. My ‘go-to’ beer here is the Fallen Archangel, which is an English Imperial Double IPA. Very smooth. Not the West Coast mouth-wrenching hop bom The skill comes in the balance of the alcohol and hops, so you don’t get alcohol burn on the back end and you don’t get that palette destroyer, when you can’t taste food or coffee for the next week!… I’ll have three Archangels (10.2% ABV) and go for a run on the beach the next morning and still feel right as rain.” Ok, I’m sold. But back to the battlefield and the war between ‘craft’ and ‘big’ beer, one could look at Absolution’s logo and labeling and draw from it that they are hammering the last nail in the coffin of mass-produced beer. While ‘big beer’ may not be shaking in their yellow fizzy boots just yet, the market share is definitely shifting. In many jurisdictions, this has caused major breweries to re-assess their strategies moving forward and, in fact, has led to their absorption of some of the smaller craft brew- eries. It has become a “if you can’t beat ‘em, buy ‘em” scenario, which is adding fuel to the battleground fire for the sophisticated consumer and the independent craft brewer alike. Distribution channels and supply chains are being purchased by large corporations, effectively blocking many independents from their lifelines. Absolution has done an end-run around these potential blockades, for the time being anyway, by using independent distribution channels and suppliers. This speaks directly to their ‘hands-on’ and ‘old world’ philosophy of producing and operating independently. “We’re not compromising. As our volumes have increased, we have resisted automat- ing brewing. Everything is handmade every day.” As the brewery grows, this naturally puts pressure on the compa- ny’s commitment to their original business and production
Join the revolution and beat the fizzies, one pint at a time!
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NOVEMBER 2017 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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