The Craft Dome is the National Park You’ve Been Waiting for

Four pioneers of U.S. small and independent craft brewing are set to have their likenesses chipped into the side of California’s Half Dome, renaming the national treasure the Craft Dome.

Kim Jordan (New Belgium), Ken Grossman (Sierra Nevada), Garrett Oliver (Brooklyn Brewery) and Sam Calagione (Dogfish Head) say they’re humbled by the monumental honor.

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“What’s more patriotic and American than craft beer?” Kim Jordan says in a new video shared from Sierra Nevada’s Facebook page on Saturday, April 1.

“I hate to think that any of us are going to get a big head as a result of having our heads really big on the side of a mountain,” Calagione reflects.

Grossman says it all started with a call from Leslie Knope a few weeks ago. Grossman says the Pawnee, Indiana, native who rose to the top of the ranks of the National Park Service was looking for a way the government could give props to the rise of small and independent brewing in America.

“She said she wanted to put a project together to honor the founding of craft brewing,” Grossman says. “Since California is the birthplace they wanted to do it at Half Dome.”

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“I can’t believe we’ve finally gotten here,” Oliver says. “We’ve pushed so hard over these last 20 years to be heard, to be seen and for people to have a chance to taste our beer. And now they’re finally giving us something — and it’s a whole damn mountain!”

No details yet on how long the project could take.

Hear more about the plan from the four honorees in the video below.

April 1 is going to be a wonderful day in craft beer history 😉

Jess Baker

Jess Baker walked into a beer fest in 2010 and realized beer had come a long way from what her dad had been drinking since the 70s. She served as editor-in-chief of CraftBeer.com from spring 2016 to spring 2020, bringing you stories about the people who are the heartbeat behind U.S. craft brewing. She's a runner, a die-hard Springsteen fan, a mom who is always scouting family-friendly breweries, and always in search of a darn good porter.

CraftBeer.com is fully dedicated to small and independent U.S. breweries. We are published by the Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade group dedicated to promoting and protecting America’s small and independent craft brewers. Stories and opinions shared on CraftBeer.com do not imply endorsement by or positions taken by the Brewers Association or its members.