Since there’s been a craft beer scene in Pennsylvania, Stoudts Brewing Company in Adamstown has been a part of it. The two go hand in hand, their genesis closely aligned. Now, Stoudts head brewer and owner, Carol Stoudt, is hanging up her hat and leaving the large-scale production and distribution world of craft brewing behind.
Back when Stoudt first began brewing beer in 1987, America was, in her words, “a beer wasteland.” That’s not the case anymore. The country now boasts 8,000 craft breweries, each saturating and intensifying the market. At age 70, Stoudt is now taking that as a cue to bow out, announcing in February her retirement and plans to sell the brewery.
The news has been bittersweet for Stoudt.
“I love the beer business,” she said. “I love the people that I work with and all the people I’ve met.”
The feeling is mutual – once the news broke, Stoudt was immediately inundated with interview requests, calls and letters from fans.
That’s because Stoudts defined the central Pennsylvania beer scene. It was one of the state’s brewery gems, with more than 20 prizes from the Great American Beer Festival, the country’s top brewing competition. Carol Stoudt herself became a source of inspiration for craft brewers around the country. Not only was she the first female brewmaster since Prohibition in the country, but she was also one of the first craft brewers in Pennsylvania, period.
The beer pioneer said that her job quickly became more than just brewing -- she had to educate the public about her product too. She recalled going to restaurants in the 1980s and telling them about how beers weren’t all just yellow, how carbonation was a natural part of beer and how imported beers differed from mass marketed ones and how they both were different craft beers. People in America just didn’t know that beer could be more than just the light body, golden beers that dominated the commercial scene.
“It took me ten years to get my first draft account in Lancaster,” she recalled. “It was so difficult because no one understood. The consumer didn’t even understand. People bought beer by marketing and by knowing the name. But who knew about Stoudts? It took a while to really grow a business.”
When Stoudt first started the Pennsylvania craft beer scene was just her, Dock Street Brewery in Philadelphia and Penn Brewery in Pittsburgh. Then Troegs, Yards and Victory came along. Now there are more than 300 in the Keystone State alone, many with their own hopes to distribute. The market is getting saturated and it’s harder to get products on shelves. This has worked out for a consumer, but has made it difficult for the brewers out there.
“As far as taking a new product and getting it to market, it’s way more challenging and difficult than it had been,” Stoudt said.
There’s also little demand for old standbys, with consumers always wanting what’s new. It can be stressful, chasing what’s shiny and what’s new. Being a successful brewer means following the market, and at the moment it’s consumed with fads like glitter beer.
“Only in America can’t people be happy with one thing-- they have to go on to the next and the next craze or fad,” she said. “And some fads stay.”
Case in point: the rise of the IPA, which has dominated the craft brew scene with its ultra-hopped and bitter flavor. Stoudt, for one, is over its dominance.
“I like hops and I like a good double IPA, but what I do not like is when you go into a bar or to a brewery and all they make is IPAs,” she said.
“It seems like restaurants only want IPAs on draft,” she continued. “It’s nice if the owner of a restaurant doesn’t forget about the pale ales and gold lagers and the pilsners and the stouts and the porters.”
It’s that variety that makes the craft beer scene so special. It makes beer accessible too, as the person who hates hops may still enjoy the silky smoothness of a milk stout.
It’s also that same variety that caused Stoudt to fall in love with beer in the first place. She can still recall the year. It was 1975 and she and her husband were traveling in Germany. He was a big beer fan, so they visited multiple breweries. She tasted pilsners, hefeweizens, lagers, brown ales, stouts… beers she never had back home.
“There were so many different brewers, different beers, different flavors,” she said. “In America, at that time, beers tended to be the same flavor, light in body and not a lot of differences in flavor.”
Later, when her husband told her of his dream to open a brewery she was on board and took charge. She created Stoudt’s Brewing Company, went to conferences, took classes, did the research and worked hard to craft beer she liked.
“Taking a product, designing a recipe and making it so perfect that you feel it is the best in that style and that category -- then sharing it with your customers and friends? That is so rewarding,” she said.
That’s probably why Stoudt isn’t saying “goodbye” permanently to brewing. All that’s closing down is the production and distribution side of Stoudts. Stoudt herself is going to keep on brewing and the beers will be available at Stoudts Black Angus Restaurant. There just won’t be as many -- only a handful on tap. She says you can definitely expect to have the German-Style Pils, Golden Helles Lager and the Scarlet Lady Ale. You’ll also likely find the Fat Dog Imperial Oatmeal Stout and Gearshifter IPA.
“I think of all the beers I have now, I’m the most proud of them,” she said.
She’s hoping to bring back a few other personal favorites too, like the Blonde Double MaiBock. She’s also going to have time to experiment -- but on her own terms rather than based on what the market wants.
Don’t say your farewells just yet to Stoudts Brewing Company either. There’s still plenty of fun to be had and drink to be drunk. On April 11, Stoudt is hosting the Ultimate Microfest, which will be like the festivals she started back in 1989. She says it’ll be like a retirement party for her. Ultimate Microfest will have two sessions complete with plenty of craft beer samples, live music, a buffet and a souvenir glass. Tickets are $45 and can be purchased at stoudts.com.
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