American Craft Beer Hall of Fame announced its first ever ‘Landmark Craft Beers” and every one of them is legend…We’ve that, “Words to Drink By” and more.

5 “Landmark Craft Beers” Honored

On August 12^th, the American Craft Beer Hall of Fame announced its first ever ‘Landmark Craft Beers,” a new program to honor individual beers that have left a lasting mark on American brewing and drinking culture.

“In the story of American craft beer, certain individual beers stand out not just as commercial successes, but as cultural and historical milestones,” explained Marty Nachel, Founder and President of the American Craft Beer Hall of Fame. “Landmark Craft Beers is our way of shining a spotlight on those truly pivotal creations—beers that helped start revolutions, inspired brewers, and changed how Americans think about what beer can be.”

The inaugural class of Landmark Craft Beers includes five foundational brews, as voted on by the Hall’s distinguished group of electors and advisors:

• Sierra Nevada Pale Ale – The beer that brought Cascade hops to national prominence and helped define the American Pale Ale style.
• Samuel Adams Boston Lager – An icon that helped to bring full-flavored beer to mainstream audiences in the 1980s and put American craft beer on the global map.
• Anchor Steam Beer – The resurrection of a truly American beer style, and one that helped define the image and concept of craft beer for decades to come.
• Celis White (Witbier) – A revival of a nearly extinct Belgian style that brought traditional wheat beer to American craft drinkers.
• Anchor Liberty Ale – An early pioneer in the creation of the modern concept of American IPA, and an early standard bearer for what would become the country’s most important style of beer.

Each beer in the Landmark Craft Beers program will be featured on the Hall of Fame’s website——along with historical context and reflections on their cultural impact. Additional inductees will be announced annually, with nominations open to the public and evaluated by a panel of beer historians, brewers, writers, and industry veterans.

Words to Drink By

Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.”– Steve Jobs, American businessman, investor, and inventor

Jim Koch: Courtesy Boston Beer Company)

Jim Koch Returns As CEO At Boston Beer

Jim Koch is heading back to the driver’s seat at Boston Beer Company. The Sam Adams founder will retake the CEO role on August 15, 2025 — a post he hasn’t held in nearly 25 years.

The timing is no coincidence. Boston Beer just turned in one of its strongest quarters in years, sending its stock higher and putting a little extra swagger in investors’ steps.

Koch, who launched the company in 1984 and ran it until 2001, has been the face of its rise from a scrappy craft brewer to a publicly traded giant. Under his watch, Sam Adams became a household name and a flagbearer for America’s craft beer boom.

The shake-up comes as current CEO Michael Spillane steps down for personal reasons. Spillane isn’t disappearing entirely — he’ll stay on the board as a non-executive director to help smooth the handoff. Koch will lead until Boston Beer finds and grooms his successor.

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