Category: Beer in the news

Great articles that you should read.

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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.

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Smog-urgy

In a case of in with old and out with the newer, Zymurgy Brew Works and Tasting Room in Torrance will be closing as of July 31, 2019. The space will not sitting fallow for long though as Smog City will be taking that space over with a projected 9/1/19 opening (don’t write that in stone).

I never visited the Zymurgy location. In ignorance, I thought it was a homebrew store only for a long time.  I did try their beers at the L.A. Beer Week Kick-Off  but never really learned more about them though they were on my too-long “should visit” list.

The space has “16 taps, a new long bar and a comfortable lounge area”, per the e-mail that announced the closing so that would seem suited to the full range of Smog City beers and not just wild and sours.

With space at SteelCraft in Bixby Knolls, selling at the Hollywood Farmer’s Market and an upcoming stall at a Glendora Food Hall, this new space further expands the empire of Little Bo Pils.

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No Labels

As readers will know, I am a fan of stealing great ideas from elsewhere and here is another fine example….

The Growler Magazine of Minnesota has launched—Unlabeled: A Blind Tasting Showdown.

The twist? Well there are two. First, “the tasting is 100 percent blind and only one specific beer style will be poured at each event in the Unlabeled series. Each beer will be “unlabeled” and guests won’t know which brewery made which beer until the grand reveal at the end of the event.”

Unlabeled No. 1, will have Minnesota-made Hazy IPAs and No. 2 will be an Oktoberfest both will use an app custom-made for the event to register your tasting notes and guesses.

I would love to see maybe ten breweries max do this in LA. Start with IPA cause that do sell tickets and maybe add in a food pairing component too.

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Will Thor be Brewing?

Fresh off the big crowds for new food and beer options at their newly opened Star Wars Land, comes news that the Earth’s Mightiest Defenders will be mashing out and dry hopping inside the park to keep Galactus and Thanos from getting too thirsty.

Maybe this is what Jessica Jones, Iron Fist and Daredevil will be doing now that they are not on Netflix.

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A.B. 860

I do not envy the people at the CCBA who have to read through the muck of legislative bills and even in California there are those who seem willing to slide bills in that benefit the big corporations over our plucky little band of independent brewers.

Head over to this PAGE to see what is afoot in regards to the brewer and retailer relationship. If you are the kind that calls their local politicians, then you might want to raise your voice here.

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SamDog

Just when you thought it was over, the shuffling begins anew.  This time biggest of the craft beer guys (since the Brewers Association keeps raising the cap), Samuel Adams is merging with Dogfish Head.

You can read about the dollar amounts and the shares owned by whom on other sites and you can head to Twitter for the semi-comedic hot takes but I want to focus on questions I have for the combined brewing group in the future.

First, the aforementioned cap raising will need to be raised once again, maybe not this year but even with the smaller amount that Dogfish produces they will more than likely be pushing up to the line sooner rather than later.  If the Brewers Association was loathe to kick Boston Beer out of the club, they sure as heck ain’t gonna kick out Boston Beer and beloved icon Sam Calagione in one fell swoop.  Each time Boston Beer is snuck in it seems to raise more consternation amongst the members about what and who the Brewers Association stands for, expect it to be a thorny issue again.  It probably won’t lead to a rival band of brewers in their own group but you might see an internal split with larger members on one side and smaller in their own group.

The next agenda item is what the mixing of the companies will be.  Operated separately just under the same umbrella?  Sharing some resources but brewing kept separate?  Boston Beer is tilted to the non-beer side just a skosh in recent years with ciders and seltzers and hard this and hard that.  How does that affect the brewing philosophy in Rehoboth Beach?  The slightest deviations are going to be analyzed by beer fandom.

How does this affect the future of Jim Koch and the Calagiones and how will that affect the street cred of both?  More interestingly, what happens when both retire off to a remote island, what do the two brands stand for then?  It is not bad to have a CEO from another beverage company in charge but who is the totem for fans to latch onto when the names on the back of jersey change?

I am sure that this merger will be a topic of conversation and re-evaluation for years to come.

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Pretty is Back

One beer that I wished that I could get fresher and more of were the ales of Pretty Things from founders Dann and Martha Paquette.  They had unique beers often with a European spin to them like their Jack D’Or Saison as well as some historically researched beers that I found to be fun explorations.

They became embroiled in the distribution hi-jinks on the East Coast and called it out to the media and then in short order they had called it quits.  But not entirely.  Now the Paquettes are in Sheffield.  Spiritual home of the new Doctor and they have a new brewery, Saint Mars of the Desert.

Their reputation has allowed them to create something brand new but with the DNA of Pretty Things but on a smaller and English scale. 

Maybe they still have contacts in the U.S. and some of the beer may come to SoCal.