The City of Los Angeles would probably have a much higher number of breweries if the government knew how to handle permitting a brewery. In my 8 years of blogging about beer in L.A., that has yet to happen. There is either no political will to do so or the inertia is just too much.
To counter that indifference that borders on hostility, breweries have been liberal about pulling temporary permits. It is a loophole that has been used in DTLA but apparently somewhere in the bowels of the city, someone noticed a spike in these permits and grew wise to what was being done.
That is my best guess. The optics for a municipal government to drop the hammer and appear pro-active rather than letting things slide by are obvious. Especially when it comes to alcohol. I had a bad feeling that if it was done too much that this would happen, but perhaps this can be the impetus for change because both Cellador and Hand Brewed are in craft beer areas that are underserved and they deserve better for their hard work.
Water and the Documentary
I don’t normally talk about Stella Artois on this blog. But they are using their being big to help out with the crucial need for water by teaming with National Geographic on Crystal Moselle’s documentary “Our Dream of Water” – with the cheery topic of the global water crisis. It will premiere on National Geographic on March 22nd (aka World Water Day) at 6:00 p.m.
Stella Artois has already crafted the “Buy A Lady A Drink” campaign with Water.org in an effort to provide clean water, which is vital (still) in many parts of the world.
Featured in the documentary are women in Haiti, Peru and Kenya and how they are affected by a lack of available water. Seeing as how the U.S. has an EPA head who don’t give a F… about water safety, this isn’t just a topic for people in other parts of the globe.
Fined, Not Dandy
Cheating is usually not spectacular. It is usually nicked at the edges. Slowly rolling through a stop sign in a quiet neighborhood and not speeding through a red light on a busy boulevard.
But you can get dinged by the authorities for either. Especially if you keep going back to the well. Which is what happened here in SoCal recently as Anheuser-Busch, LLC wholesalers settled a case for $400K (plus all the lawyering they had to pay for). In addition, Straub Distributing Company who distributes AB products in Orange County settled for $10K
They and numerous retailers were flagged for “Unfair Business Practices”. The distributors for paying for items and the retailers for accepting said items for either no cost or only partial cost.
The investigation started back in 2015 by the ABC’s Trade Enforcement Unit and resulted in one of the “largest penalty fines imposed in the history of ABC…” They will also have to install training programs for employees and anyone who has been to one of those, know what a time suck they can be as well as costly.
An additional fun fact is that, “In exchange for suspension of $200,000 of the fine, Anheuser-Busch, LLC agreed to extend the conditions of discipline to all Anheuser-Busch, LLC wholesalers in the state.” Why AB would want the $200K and make the disciplinary action statewide? Pre-empting further legal action? They need whatever amount of that $200K to pay the lawyers?
All I know is that this company is better at skirting rules and avoiding punishment. Much better than beer making for sure.
Beer Laureate
Months back, the quickly unfunny social media joke amongst beer folks was the job opening for the National Museum of American History and the new position in charge of beer history.
Now we have found out that Theresa McCulla has been tasked “as historian to oversee its American Brewing History Initiative. McCulla, a social and cultural historian of food in the U.S. from the early 1800s to today…”
The emphasis of the three-year brewing initiative is “to collect, document and preserve the history of brewing, craft brewers and the beer industry and explore how brewing connects to larger themes in American history. This will expand on the brewing history already stored but which needs updating.
McCulla has Harvard University on her resume as well as a culinary arts diploma from the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts’ Professional Chefs Program. She also has food literacy and farmer’s market experience in her background
Where the rubber will meet the road is in the annual public programs….
Smithsonian Food History Weekend, which runs Oct. 26–28 this year, Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America presented by the Brewers Assiciation held in Washington, D.C., April 10–13.
Guinness in Maryland
Apparently, the East Coast of the U.S. is where it’s at for brewery locations but this time, it is not a brewery from the west that is breaking ground but instead stoic (with hints of change) Guinness that is planting a “Coming Soon” flag.
The oddly named Relay, Maryland will be the site for a U.S. version of Dublin’s popular Guinness Open Gate Brewery, it will be a mid-sized brewery and visitor experience. Just without the huge facility and without any stout which will not be brewed stateside. The Maryland “facility will brew and feature beers created solely for the American market.”
I did not know this but it is a return to the U.S. for Guinness after 63 years.
To Dust
Mark it down. January is when I proclaimed that Lupulin powder is the NE IPA of 2017. The poster child style of craft beer has been pulled from Cascadian to fruited to Session and sour. Meaning that there are not many other avenues to run down. Obviously until the next “It” hop is bred.
Enter powder. A “purified concentration of the resin compounds and aromatic oils in whole hop flowers…”
Will it become a stand-alone product? Or will it be used in concert with pellets or hop cones? Will the price (someone has to pay to grind the hops down) be justified in the beer?
From what I have read in a few places is that the powder reduces grass and vegetal notes and minimizing trub (hop sediment). In snout to tail usage, the powder is cryogenically removed from the hop leafs. Those leaves can then be used purely for aroma without imparting bitterness.
You can read up about how one brewery uses it HERE
Simmzy’s House Beer
It is good when a press release can answer two questions in one fell paragraph.
Question 1 – Is the Simmzy’s brewery proceeding?
Question 2 – Which brewery was going to land Brian Herbertson after Wick’s?
Well read on….
“Mike Simms and Simms Restaurants are gearing up to debut the addition of a 7-barrel brewing facility to the Burbank outpost of the popular Simmzy’s craft beer pub and restaurant. Joining Simms as Partner is Greg Bechtel, a former bartender at Simmzy’s turned beer-buyer/manager and certified Cicerone. Together the duo is proud to announce that Brian Herbertson of Riverside’s Wicks Brewing Co. will be joining them as Head Brewer.”
The Brewery at Simmzy’s Burbank (which will hopefully be shortened) will focus on “sessionable house beers aiming to complement the restaurant’s menu…” The new beers will on tap at Simmzy’s Burbank (obviously), Huntington Beach, Long Beach, Manhattan Beach, and Venice Beach.
Bechtel brings ideas from El Segundo Brewing to combine with the Wick’s background of Herbertson. But even better, both guys are super cool and are truly part of the L.A. craft beer community.
Look for beer in the 2nd quarter of the year. Check the Simmzy’s Facebook presence for more updates.
More RR
What you are looking at is not some country-fied mall but the long-awaited and even more anticipated larger Russian River Brewing facility in Windsor, CA.
And big it will be with close to 15 acres of empty land to utilize in the town of Windsor. The new Russian River facility will include: the bigger production brewery with the capacity to brew up to 50,000 barrels, a tasting room, a brewpub that is bigger than the downtown Santa Rosa location plus a gift shop.
I assume a Disneyland style line for PtY will be part of the grounds too.
Make Some Noise
I may have given up on a good chunk of the U.S. populace. Can’t shake the sense of impending doom. Others, in the brewing world, haven’t though and are making their protest known through brewing a special beer…
Goldspot Brewing joined forces with Lady Justice Brewing, 3 Freaks Brewing and Black Sky Brewing to create Makin Noise: a Pussy Riot Beer, an Imperial Saison. A portion of the beer sale proceeds will be donated to local charities.
You can read more details HERE.
Are We Getting RickRolled (lager)
Don’t quite know why now is the time that Mikkeller would team up with Rick Astley. Rickrolling is almost as far in the past as his hit “Never Gonna Give You Up”.
But there is a chance that a lager collaboration is in the offing and if you drive by the Mikkeller brewery in San Diego or the upcoming DTLA bar and hear “Together Forever” or “Take Me to Your Heart” coming from inside, then you might want to pull over.