Category: Beer in the news

Great articles that you should read.

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Cellar No More

I was vigilantly checking my credit card statement when I saw a strange name on a purchase. I looked at my calendar and saw that I was at the Eagle Rock branch of Craft Beer Cellar that night and not at some place called Talon. I dug a little more and found out that the Talon is now the new name of the bottle shop.

The only news that I can find was on Facebook saying that Tom & Nicki have taken over. Leads me to think that the franchising through Craft Beer Cellar is having problems over on the West Coast too or maybe some other answer is at the root of the sign change.

I made a quick stop and did not see any of the regular staff on hand but the shelves were stocked so let’s hope that the beer choices stay strong.

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For the 1st Responders

What you see is an old fire truck transformed into a second life as beer delivery system. Not only does it make you wonder what other cool vehicles could become taps but I also wonder if something like this could be combined with Jose Andres and his food for disaster victims (World Central Kitchen) to create a charitable beer truck. Maybe for the California fire fighters working in super hazardous conditions as celebration when a fire is contained.

Read the back story on this rolling Ohio tap truck right HERE.

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Whither Lagunitas?

In late October, the news broke that Lagunitas (or was it Heineken) had closed a Community Room charitable space in Portland. It was PR claimed that it was a hard decision to make but I am pretty sure that the big brewery could have stopped taking reservations and then easily found the spare change in the marketing department couch to keep the place afloat through all the booked events or called it quits on January 2nd.

This led me back to a conversation I had recently where the massive Lagunitas complex off the 210 freeway was brought up and how it had completely fallen off the map in the Los Angeles beer universe. Back in time when I was invited there on media day and saw all the space for trucks to be loaded with easy access to move out onto the freeway to send Lagunitas beer to the large SoCal market and presumably to Mexico. Space for brewing and taprooms and food. But years have passed and no rooftop garden bar as spoken of. Nothing but a temporary taproom that had the look of thrown together over a weekend which I don’t even know is open or not anymore. And there ha been nary an update about the whole project since.

If two states are affected, in two widely disparate areas like Portland and SoCal, there is something afoot. This feels like a re-trenchment from above and not something guided by Petaluma HQ. I expected this to happen to one of the “High End” breweries or Constellation with the inflated Ballast Point sale but maybe Heineken hit a financial wall first. A self-imposed wall to be sure.

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Road Brewing

While scrolling through GABF (Great American Beer Festival) Facebook posts, I ran across the following Sierra Nevada, tidbit…

Ken Grossman announced that the original Sierra Nevada brewing system will travel the United states, making occasional stops to brew in celebration of their 40th anniversary. I hope they head to L.A. because that would be a brew day to watch.

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Are You Ready for Some… Three Weavers

It may not be ready when T. Swift opens the new Inglewood Stadium next year but Three Weavers will have a large 20,000-square-foot  presence in the stadium.  There will be a beer garden + opening in 2021 in the Hollywood Park development.

The beer garden per sources “will feature plenty of room for on-site brewing, as well as seating by way of outdoor tables and space for live music.” It is quite amazing that any sort of true craft presence is being invited into one of these projects.  The big beer cabal usually puts the kibosh on any sort competitors even at lesser pro sports venues, let alone a biggie like the NFL.

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CA-1K

If it weren’t for the 1000 number in the middle, you could spend some time counting all the orange dots on the map to get to 1000.

Isn’t that crazy? Think about it. At one point it was a handful scratching out an existence on used dairy equipment and now you can find spots where you can walk from brewery to brewery or try to set a low Lyft fare record.

Of course with that number comes re-calibration. And that is for everyone in the independent California beer eco-system. Customers have incredible choice and need to wield it with care. Media needs to stop focusing on their influence and start working on enlightening. Breweries need to keep raising the quality and creative bar higher and those who move the beer need to do so fast, cold and in control.

The inevitable refrain of bubble may arise because some like singing that particular song but I think that it is more of a constant search for the right size of the industry. We had too many years of way under and no one really knows where the sweet spot is so maybe we should enjoy this time of plenty if it is indeed over that spot.

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Notice That it is “Kings” of Beer

First clue the series “Kings of Beer” is bad is obviously, Budweiser, the second is that it is a competition show.  Now I doubt this will be as positive and transformative as say the Great British Bake Off or Queer Eye.  My bet is that they are looking for drama as evidenced by the press release which states that “elite brewmaster from 65 breweries and 23 countries BATTLE it out…”  and “Judged by… experts who are “SEQUESTERED DEEP” within the walls of Room 220 in St. Louis.

All to create a mediocre beer in the best light. I wonder if a brewer from Platform Brewing will win?

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The Slow Pour

Amidst the lactose and pastry and god forbid boba out in the beer world, it is really nice to see that beertending technique is coming back, in the form of the slow pour.

I first encountered it at Cellador Ales which smartly has a pilsner on tap amidst its fine sour collection and my first thought was that it was an Instragam beer moment for sure.

But I just read on a newsletter from the magazine Craft Beer & Brewing the following from renowned brewing legend, Charles Bamforth, “Maybe there is a flavor difference; maybe it has lost a bit of its fizzy nature, and you get a mellower mouthfeel, depending on how much of the CO2 has dropped out of the solution. But, I think the visual triggers are more important than the taste ones.” 

So maybe that pretty top hat of foam is just show, but it is a cool one that might even give you a different flavor perspective on that pils in your glass.

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VendMo Hops

I can’t resist a vending machine used in non-traditional ways and Yakima Valley Hops is doing just that. They are packaging hops for homebrewers in cans that will sell at homebrew shops.

Each can contains 8 ounces or 2 ounces of the hop on the label. The cans look to be an easier option in both opening and recycling than vacuum sealed bags.

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Keep the Context

Usually when I see a headline about alcohol, I brace myself for outlandish takes. Either, it helps you live longer or it is killing you. So when I saw this piece from a new series in the NY Times, I was pleasantly surprised because it looked at the issue scientifically.

Two sections stood out to me…

We shouldn’t not act just because all the facts are not in but we do need to make sure that our conclusions are in line with the real world and that some of the studies have limitations and can’t be translated into simple do / don’t do.

I know that alcohol has an effect on my body and that as my body ages that effect will change but like getting in an airplane or just driving in L.A., it is a risk that I will take because I like beer. Like a lot. I will be following this series to glean more nuggets of wisdom.