As the new year unfolds and resolutions abound, we are proud to present this new
publication. We resolve to bring you a great new magazine on a bimonthly basis. We
distributed the "First Sip" of Brew ® at the Great American Beer Festival SM last
October; for those of you who got a copy and have been "thirsting" for more, here it is;
we hope you like it!
Since we are based in Des Moines, IA, we experienced firsthand "the Great Flood of 1993"
which, among other things, meant going without water for a month. We were also
remodeling at home, and anyone who's gone through a remodel will know what I mean when I
say "we survived" both events. We made some real memories-have you ever tried to take a
shower under the down spout while it's raining? It makes a great picture. Now, "we
survived" putting together a new magazine in 1994, and we are looking forward to 1995 as
a we begin publishing Brew ®, where you'll find beautiful color photographs and very
interesting stories about micros across the country.
We are pleased to be a part of the spectacular expansion of the hand-crafted beer
industry. We've been in the commercial printing and design business for 22 years,
printing other people's publications; seeing this first issue come to fruition has been
an incredible experience, and our entire staff is excited to be a part of this new
project. We have met many talented and creative people while visiting the various
establishments and interviewing the owners and brewmasters. It's been great fun to
attend the festivals and talk with attendees about their interest in hand-crafted beer.
We're looking forward to hearing from our readers, and we welcome ideas that you'd like
to see in future issues. In the "Letters to the Editor" column in this issue, we have a
letter from a 10 year old who thinks the microbrewery business is really neat. We've
published it in its entirety for your enjoyment.
We hope you'll subscribe to Brew ® so that you can learn all about the 400+ brewpubs and
microbreweries in the United States- what makes each of them unique, their history, and
their location. We are publishing this magazine with the intent to inform, entertain,
and entice our readers-we hope you'll be one of them.
Happy New Year to you all!
Beverly Walsmith, Editor
We dedicate this first issue to our sons, both of whom are on the photography staff:
Jason, who deserves credit for the name of the magazine, and Ben, who's also doing some
editorial work for Brew ®.