Category: Beer in the news

Great articles that you should read.

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A Non Starter

I am empathetic to but wary of groups who have anti-alcohol agendas. In this recent, NPR piece they discussed various options for curbing drunk driving with automotive technology.

I have spoken about this in the past but considering the refusal by large chunks of the country to wear a simple mask, the chances that drivers will blow into a tube or take an onscreen direction from a car is probably not going to happen.

It is also bad enough that my Prius is probably sending information to Toyota but what if it sends info about where I am and realizes I am near a brewery?

Now, I would not mind if the tech had an opt-in. I would like to know if I am over a limit and need to wait thirty minutes to an hour before driving. Especially if that meant an insurance discount.

This may need to have a stick AND carrot approach.

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A Bell Ringing in Belgium

I haven’t had to weigh in with comment on the business side of brewing for quite a bit but yesterday breaking news arrived that Bell’s Beer was joining New Belgium which itself is part of Lion (aka Kirin).

I know that is a bit of a complicated flow chart but it boils down to the two iconic breweries becoming siblings of a sort.

And it doesn’t strike me as a bad thing. Then again, I am non-plussed when it comes to good breweries banding together. Sometimes it won’t work but it can produce a bigger company that can then do more.

My usual advice stands. Monitor both breweries beers and if the nothing changes, don’t worry, be happy.

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Awaiting

DuClaw Brewing is using their latest hazy IPA, Hopportunity Awaits, to shine a light on ten craft beer industry professionals to show that it takes all kinds of people to get beer into your glass. Along with Craft X Edu, cans of the IPA will feature these eclectic folks…

Kenny Gould, founder of Hop Culture Magazine

Barb Baker, Siren of Stout 

Leanne O’Neill, Sip & Saunter beer blogger 

Hannah Ferguson, professional brewer and owner of DOPE Cider House and Winery.

Aadam Soorma, award-winning beer writer

Em Sauter, cartoonist and founder of Pints and Panels

Stephanie Grant, savvy storyteller focusing on diversity and inclusion.

Ryan Cervantes, a packaging manager

Emily Wang, founder of Fermly craft beer lab in Denver, CO.

Rachel Breite, professional brewer

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Giga WTF

A) It is Elon Musk, not the Rolling Three Stones, who are these people in the crowd?

There is no B.

Well apparently Musk and Tesla sold-out of a $250 Tesla Tequila. 

Now Tesla has moved onto “Giga Beer”. The beer bottle’s design will be drafted off of their not quite ubiquitous Cybertruck.

Initial press releases mention nothing about the beer at all. It will probably be better to not drink and save it in hopes of flipping it

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More Silos

You know you have reached Paso Robles when you see the massive silver fermentation tanks outside the ever growing Firestone Walker brewery complex.

Well, it just got bigger. Head HERE to watch a video about the six new tanks that will be put to good use.

I have been seeing quite a few social media posts of L.A. breweries welcoming in new equipment. Perhaps this is an early economic indicator.

Speaking of the Central Coast, I will be making a beer trip! (first since February 2020) and I will have some posts and photos in November.

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Pink in 2022

Hop supplier Yakima Chief Hops , have the details on their custom 5th annual Pink Boots Blend of hops. The blend changes each year, and sales help to fund the Pink Boots Society whose mission is to assist, inspire, and encourage women in the fermented and alcoholic beverage industry. International Women’s Day will be on March 8th, 2022. Expect some great beers later that month.

Here is the mix…

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AB962

September 13th saw a new bottle measure added to California…

According to the Surfrider Foundation, “AB 962 would create a returnable bottle system in California and preserve bottles so that they can be washed and refilled by beverage producers rather than being crushed for recycling. It would also allow for returnable bottles to flow through the state’s Beverage Container Recycling Program (CRV/Bottle Bill). This bill would even the playing field between bottle washers and recyclers by paying the same amount.”

Granted we can do more but every little step helps. I don’t think we will ever hit the heights of growlers back in the early days but maybe we can get a return a bottle, buy a bottle going.

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Successor Needed

First, head HERE to read about Sister Doris Engelhard and the Mallersdorf Abbey brewery.

What is interesting is that in fifty years, no one else was hired? No recruitment of an assistant or assistants in all that time?

Which leads me to ponder how other breweries are planning to transition. If big enough, you can choose employee owned but many breweries just do not hit that threshold. All it would take is one unfortunate event for the whole thing to come tumbling down.

Maybe this is where a law firm specializing in small business could exploit a niche and create transition plans for breweries.

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Pac 12

Deschutes Brewery is now  “Official Craft Beer of the Pac-12 Conference.” Which I see as a bit odd and a missed opportunity.

There is no university in Bend and Deschutes has locations in Portland and Virginia but not any of the PAC12 towns.

There is also the tiny issue of underage college drinking but let’s table that as separate from this discussion.

It would have been much more fun to have Deschutes partner with a brewery from Seattle, Pullman, Corvallis, Eugene, Berkley, Palo Alto, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City and Boulder. Last time I checked there were breweries in those towns or at least nearby.

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Next Gen Beer Cellar

Yes, we are plastic filling the ocean. Yes, climate change is real. But maybe, we can start working with the ocean instead of against it.

Instead of thinking that you are so cool to cool of your cans in the lake or river, how about THIS?