(St. Louis, MO) – Alpha Brewing Co. CEO, Derrick Langeneckert, apologized to the St. Louis beer community in an open letter published on New Year’s Eve. The letter references a back-and-forth exchange with some beer industry professionals and beer fans that took place on Twitter at this time last year.

Here is just one part of the exchange and some of the back-and-forth is summarized here and here.

Members of the St. Louis Hops community, the go-to online place for St. Louis beer people, discussed the exchange and, long story short, Alpha Brewing’s name has never graced the site’s front news page, in part, due to what took place that night.

Alpha Brewing opened in mid-April.

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An Open Letter to the St. Louis Beer Community.

I would like to express a personal apology to you all for some insensitive and hurtful statements I made both before Alpha Brewing Company opened its doors as well as into its inaugural year. I was and still am new to the St. Louis beer scene and managing my own business. That is not an excuse, but I was ignorant to the impact and offense that could be taken from some arrogant and off color comments made callously and I sincerely regret these actions and the harm they have caused to the St. Louis Beer Community at large.

Over the past year I have spent a lot of time reflecting on what it means to be a business owner and a part of the greater beer community in St. Louis. I have seen nothing but love from the other breweries in town. It’s an incredible community for which I have a tremendous amount of respect and I feel honored to be a part of it. To truly be a part of this community, however I have amends to make.

I have been uncertain how to move forward to begin to attempt to heal the damage that I have done and have been further hesitant to engage this community online out of concern that any attempt may be taken as insincere and simply stir a hornet’s nest, but I realize that the only way forward is through reconciliation, and I need to prove that to you over time.

Given my past actions, I understand that some of you might have difficulty accepting my apology, but please know that I offer it with full sincerity. I also know that this apology is only the first step in a process that will take time. I am asking this community for a second chance and an opportunity to move forward and prove myself.

Thank you for being supporters of craft beer and all the positivity, passion and excitement you have for St. Louis beer. I would welcome the opportunity to show you around the brewery sometime, and would be honored to share a pint with you.

Respectfully,

Derrick Langeneckert
CEO/Head Brewer
Alpha Brewing Company