Category: Beer in the news

Great articles that you should read.

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20 Years of Thirsty

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When I was much younger and much less wiser about beer than I am today, on a trip to San Francisco with the Mrs., we walked by ThirstyBear Brewing. I convinced her to get some food so that I could try the beer.

Now I hear that they are throwing a party for their 20th Anniversary and they are brewing up a special 20th Anniversary Ale that is described on the website as “a multi-grain fresh hop ale brewed with malted barley, wheat, rye and oats. Hopped with fresh cascade, Columbus and gargoyle hops from Hopsmeister Farms served on nitro.”

Not only that, but they are throwing a party with a bunch of local breweries, music and flamenco dancing. Plus the release of a special barrel-aged beer by the name of “Dark Age”.

It is gratifying to see that a place that I have visited all of twice in my Bay Area travels is still plugging along. 20 Years is to be celebrated.

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How Many Years Away?

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Innis & Gunn had better plan to be around in 100 years because they are planning on sealing up a bottle of its limited edition beer, Vintage in a time capsule to be opened in 2117.

How the The 7.7% ABV beer which is a bottle conditioned strong ale will fare, will be 50/50 in my estimation. I have a feeling it might end up a little thin after a century tucked away in a transparent enclosure at Innis & Gunn’s brewery in Scotland.

If you can find one of the few bottles available in the States, then here is what you will taste, if you taste it in your lifetime: “Created with Super Styrian hops, Vintage’s malt profile includes Innis & Gunn Ale Malt, Crystal, Roasted Barley and Raw Wheat. Innis & Gunn brewers describe the beer’s taste profile as “Buttered toast, creamy toffee, a little sharpness from the yeast and a creamy full mouthfeel.”

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Want this? Stop That.

For the mega-brew merger to go forward, along with divesting certain properties, it looks like the Federal Government also added some much needed assistance for smaller brewers. Whether it will be enough is another question.

1. The “Voluntary” AB Incentive for Performance plan is now shelved. This plan incentivized distributors who shut out brands that ABInBev did not want competing. The Department of Justice, in the settlement, wrote that it “prohibits ABI from instituting or continuing practices and programs that disincentivize distributors from selling and promoting the beers of ABI’s high-end and other rivals.”

2. Buying distributors is now capped as well. With ABInBev owning somewhere in the neighborhood of 7%, they will be barred from going over 10%. Which they more than likely will do.
Rest assured that the Brewers Association will be closely monitoring the situation. The group has been opposed to the merger of ABInBev with SABMiller from the get-go but, at least, there was some help given by the DOJ.

I have been of the opinion that if any of the industrial foreign owned breweries wanted to buy up little craft ones that it was sad to me personally but also part of the evolution into a new world of craft beer business. They could buy a brewery a month for years and not dent the overall numbers.

What I was worried about was that the beer that I wanted could be blocked from shelves or poorly handled by a distributor who was beholden to ABInBev or SABMiller. That blockage could seriously hamper the growth of a brewery.

Now we will see how well the rules are followed.

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The Beer is Sentient

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What am I talking about? The IntelligentX Brewing Company, in Britain which is a weird (even for beer) collaboration between two not-breweries, a machine learning startup Intelligent Layer and creative agency 10x.

In a world first, IntelligentX is creating beer using a combination of data science and Artificial Intelligence. So far it’s created Golden, Amber, Pale and Black variants — and it is using some cutting-edge technology to do so.

Basically, IntelligentX’s has a decision making algorithm with the boring name of ABI that customer feedback data from a Facebook Messenger program to spit out what should be brewed next. Typical British styles like Golden, Amber, Pale and Black have been done so far. They also have “wild-card” ingredients that can be added and as more beer is produced, supposedly, a clear picture is seen as to what should be brewed more.

What it doesn’t seem to take into account is popularity of style in a city or region, the weather forecast or weather there is a holiday or big football match going on. Those being three data points that could affect whether a person picks up a pint or not. And that leads to the other missing data, those people who DON’T order your beer.

Will it succeed in London? The beers are available and there are brewery tours and events on their schedule.

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Where is Ishmael?

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Is whale hunting dead? Most of the people in my circle don’t do it. Simply because there are enough good beers out there, readily at hand. But if the Monkish Brewing can releases are indication, there is a market for it.

Into that breach comes the new TV show with the title of Modern Ahabs. The show promises “dives into the unique fanaticism that steers the pursuit for these highly sought-after, coveted trophies — known to enthusiasts as “whales.””

The show is by Jason Ley who is still looking for a network, cable or streaming home for his hunts. The pilot episode centers on Founders Brewing and their Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS) which isn’t the biggest whale out there if I have ordered it in California. Project PAM seems more worthy to me.

You can watch the pilot episode teaser HERE.

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Cantillon-line

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Iconic and lauded Belgian brewers Cantillon and Drie Fonteinen have added their calls to action regarding the re-selling of their rare and special beers and have called on the government authorities to do something about it. Barring the ability to take down websites or at least tax the bejesus out of these sellers who really mark the prices up, the pair may try to institute online sales.

All in an effort to get these limited bottles into the hands of the people who will drink or cellar them instead of the scalpers. Maybe the Anonymous Collective needs to be called in too.

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Lagunitas Day – Cross Country Buying Spree

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It must be a helluva big plate that Lagunitas has because they have added a lot to it recently. Lagunitas – Azusa is in progress with a 2017 spring target and now they have 5! more projects of varying scope across the country and up and down the West Coast. Or as the press release names them, “intense local alliances with very special local brewers whose work we admire and are proud to partner with.”

For us in Southern California, the big news is that Brian Hunt’s much lauded Moonlight Brewing Company will become part of Lagunitas while still retaining their brand and beers. This is huge because this is one of those small, passion businesses that may have been lost when the visionary behind it decided to call it a retirement. Now, Death & Taxes and other beers from the Moonlight stable will continue on and maybe in greater numbers.

Independence Brewing Company of Austin, Texas will also retain their name and brewing team but will have the resources of Lagunitas to work with. In Charleston, Southend Brewery & Smokehouse will be re-branded as the East Coast Lagunitas Taproom and Beer Sanctuary. This will give a small 10-barrel system to Lagunitas to create special beers just for South Carolinians.

And that is still not all! Two brand new “Community Rooms” will be opened up in Portland and San Diego. Not taprooms and not for the general public but instead these spaces are strictly for Non-Profit fundraising efforts. Expanded from what is already done in Petaluma and Chicago into stand-alone outposts. A Lagunitas team will be there to help with the event and the live music. This is the most exciting news to me because it shows that charity and smart promotion can easily co-exist. Lagunitas could have opened satellite taprooms and crowds would gather but instead they are becoming part of the community from a different angle.

Another nugget from founder Tony Magee’s statement, “ I believe that we will find more partners in other parts of the country that we can also share with and cultivate regional relationships through. If we can get this first step right then it is just the beginning for all of us.” So if things are humming along in 2017, expect more breweries to join up.

You can read more coverage on this news HERE and HERE.

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BrewDad’s got a Beer Store!

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I met the illustrious and boisterous BrewDad at the first Beer Bloggers Conference and I have met up with him every twice in a while through the years since and now he has parlayed a job at Top Rung Brewing into owning his own beer bar & bottle shop.

In early July, he will take over NW Caps & Taps of Bonney Lake and it will become the shorter and sweeter named, BrewDad’s of Bonney Lake.

Next time you are in the upper part of Washington set Siri, Waze, Google Maps to Bonney Lake and WA-410 to get some BrewDad hospitality and a beer of course.

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Kip in Space

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The sort of secret has been let out of the bag as now Facebook has been made aware of the latest development in the adventure of Los Angeles Ale Works.

Hawthorne will be the new home of the brewery spearheaded by Kip Barnes as the build out for the operations, taproom, outdoor space is progressing with a possible opening in the fall. There will be parking and an outdoor patio from which to gaze at the stars and imagine taking a Space X trip to Mars while drinking some of the imaginative beers from Barnes.

With the tasting kitchen of Eureka! Burger nearby, Hawthorne is inserting itself into the craft beer scene.

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Napa Stone

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It is not as far away as Berlin, but Stone Brewing is expanding into wine country with a new restaurant, store and small brewery in downtown Napa.

Going under the Stone Brewing Tap Room – Napa moniker will have a 10-barrel pilot brewing system plans on using “indigenous ingredients from the local geography” in an actual stone building that was originally built in 1877 that will have seating facing the Napa River (when/if California has more water).

Berlin and Richmond, Virginia come online this summer and Napa will follow sometime in 2017.

I wonder why Napa got the nod and if that is as far north as they will go or if they have plans for other states.