Category: Beer in the news

Great articles that you should read.

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Teachings from the Tap


The craft beer books show no sign of abating. Which is good because I need something to read while I am drinking!

Here is one that focuses more on the journey than travel tips or brewing how-to….
“After several years of hard work, we are so pleased to announce the release of Merideth’s first book, Teachings from the Tap: Life Lessons from our Year in Beer.

In 2008, after nearly 20 years of visiting breweries as a hobby, Merideth Canham-Nelson and her husband Chris embarked on their most ambitious adventure yet: a year-long journey discovering the world through beer culture.

Aiming to fulfill their fantasy of becoming professional beer travelers, the couple spent a year visiting a major beer event or destination each month. What started out as a lofty escapade turned into a year of Canham-Nelson’s self-discovery, conquering insecurities and coming into her own.

Narrated in the first person, Teachings from the Tap explores the journeys of each month and pairs those beer travel tales with a corresponding life lesson. The result is a detailed account with one-of-a-kind stories that cover the range of emotions created by interesting encounters and new experiences.”

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Interlock

I saw this in the Los Angeles Times (would have added a link, but they are in a pay for everything mode currently). Take a quick read and then below is my take on the topic.

I was all set to rant against the interlock device but after reading and re-reading this opinion piece, I think I semi-support it. If changes are added.

If the machine is set to the legal limit and not ratcheted down to protect against the almost drunk and as long as that information stays in the car, I could support this. But here is the BIG if: it must be set uniformly across the country. I do not want to deal with 50 different versions. Beer laws are already needlessly complex.

A piece of electronics that would save lives and the cost to the driver (other than the cost of adding it to a car) is simply time and nothing else? The only thing a craft beer fan would have to do is change their drinking habits by adding water and food (if they don’t already) and then if they are over the limit. Guess what? Take a walk. Find a coffee house. Wait it out.

Of the percentage of drivers that this would affect, craft beer drinkers would be the minority. Just as they are now. And of that minority, I would like to think that craft beer customers are smarter. (They already pick better beer). Smart enough that the percentage affected among the small percentage should be smaller than the typical BMC water lager drinker. And I think it would do us all good (myself included) to learn what our limits are occasionally. Lest we forget.

It would force so many people to re-evaluate and change their behavior. More designated drivers would be on the road. More taxis called and more people staying alive. And I don’t think it would stop people going out all that much. Because, craft beer fans love beer on tap and won’t be able to get some of it in bottles, so they will HAVE to go out.

Here is the kicker. If deaths caused by drunken drivers falls, the oft repeated complaint of road danger would be weakened. How could an anti-alcohol crusader use a statistic that was being addressed to stop future craft beer locales from sprouting? It takes a big arrow from their quiver.

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Session Day!

This post is another of the read THIS first, then come back variety.

So are you gonna do it? Can you stay below the 4.5%? Is there anything at your local that is that low? Or are you going to have to find something bottled (probably from England) to celebrate with.

I will do my level best to stay below the limit and I will add an update to this post with what I have found.

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The Next Great American Brewer


The Next Great American Brewer is a reality competition television series, produced by Main Gate Visuals.

“The best amateur and professional craft brewers across the United States are brought together to compete against each other in challenges related to brewing beer and running a successful brewing company. The winner of the competition will have their beer brewed, bottled and distributed to beer drinkers across the country!”

I knew eventually that another occupation themed reality show would be foisted onto the American public that has tired of Ice Truckers and Gator grabbers. But, I didn’t think that they would actually head into the world of craft beer. This could be an interesting and educational show. Or it could be a string of nonsensical challenges tangentially related to brewing. As the great A.V Club website often says though, I remain “cautiously optimistic”.

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The History of Beer in NY

“The fascinating yet largely unknown legacy of the cultural history of beer in New York is uncovered in Beer Here: Brewing New York’s History at the New-York Historical Society. The exhibition traces 350 years of the production and consumption of beer in the city—from colonial New York, when beer was a vital source of nourishment and tax revenues, to the current artisanal revolution occurring in microbreweries throughout the state. This exhibition is on view at New-York Historical through September 2, 2012.

Beer has been brewed in New York City since the days of its earliest European settlement. Beer Here: Brewing New York’s History will begin with an exploration of the colonial period in New York when beer was often safer to drink than water, and noted citizens brewed beer as just one aspect of their business activities. It will then take the visitor up to the present popularity of microbreweries and homebrewing. Topics include the nutritional properties of colonial beer and early New York brewers in the age of revolution; infrastructure innovations and the importance of access to clean water; large-scale brewing in nineteenth-century New York and the influence of immigration; temperance movements and the impact of prohibition; bottling, canning, refrigeration and other technological advances; and the promotional efforts of the City’s breweries in the age of mass production. These topics will be highlighted through a display of historical objects and documents such as a 1779 account book from a New York City brewer who sold beer to both the British and patriot sides; sections of early nineteenth-century wooden pipes from one of the city’s first water systems; a bronze medal that commemorates an 1855 New York State temperance law; beer trays from a variety of late nineteenth-century brewers; souvenirs from the campaign to repeal prohibition; and a selection of advertisements from Piels, Rheingold and Schaefer, beloved hometown brewers. The exhibit will conclude with a small beer hall that features a selection of favorite New York City and State artisanal beers.

“Beer is an important cultural influencer,” explained Debra Schmidt Bach and Nina Nazionale, curators of Beer Here: Brewing New York’s History, “and is not a topic typically covered in an exhibition at an Historical Society. We were intrigued by the longevity and popularity of beer in New York throughout the past 300 years, and wanted to bring together objects and documents of historical and cultural importance to investigate this venerable tradition.”

New-York Historical will host a special summer public program, “Beer Appreciation: The History and Renaissance of Beer,” featuring experts Garrett Oliver and Steve Hindy from Brooklyn Brewery, at which local craft beers will be served on Tuesday, July 10, 6:30 pm. Beer Here: Brewing New York’s History curators Debra Schmidt Bach and Nina Nazionale will join the conversation.”

You can also find more information on the Facebook page and on Youtube too.

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Eat This, Drink That

L.A.s own Beer Chicks will be hitting the small screen with…..
“Eat This, Drink That, a special on The Cooking Channel starring The Beer Chicks, Christina Perozzi and Hallie Beaune airs Sunday March 4th! They travel to New Orleans to taste local craft beer, go shrimpin’, eat fantastic food and down some artisanal cocktails, then return to LA where Food GPS’ Beer Float Showdown is underway. They team up with Chef Ilan Hall of The Gorbals and Jonathan Porter of Smog City Brewing. Watch the competition go down at Eagle Rock Brewery featuring local chefs and brewers!”

The premier air date of the special is March 4th at 8pm on The Cooking Channel. You might even see, yours truly, in the background at the Beer Float Showdown! And I sure wish I could go to New Orleans because that food must be amazing with beer.

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The Canny Awards


“The best can graphics in the craft beer industry will be recognized as part of the first annual “Canny” Awards, a competition to promote craft beer in cans and highlight the high-quality, captivating graphics on canned craft beer. Awards will be presented during the Craft Brewers Conference, May 2-5 in San Diego, Calif.

The “Canny” Awards honor craft beer and the distinctive graphics created in an industry known for unique brands and brews. The competition is sponsored by four leading suppliers to the canned craft beer industry – Ball Corporation, Cask Brewing Systems, Hi-Cone and Mumm Products.

The Canny Awards is open to any canned craft beer in North America. Entries are now being accepted through March 31. Craft brewers can submit up to three entries per brewery and may choose from seven categories to enter. One design may be entered in multiple categories (up to three).

Independent judges will award an Overall Can Design trophy to the top three designs, as well as first-place awards in each of the seven categories:

Best Shelf Presence
Best Graphics Design
Best Use of Color
Best Seasonal
Best Character
Best Illustration of Beer Name
Best Local Tie-In (State, Town, Geography, Local Activity)

Winners will receive a custom Canny Award trophy that includes their can graphics and recognition at the Craft Brewers Conference and in industry publications. For a complete set of guidelines and rules and an entry form, search for “Canny Awards” on Facebook and Twitter.”

I certainly hope that Golden Road picks up at least the Best Local Tie-In award. And the Cavatica Stout from Fort George should get best use of Spiders.

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Consumer Reports needs better beer

I have been subscribed to Consumer Reports for years. It comes in handy more than you would expect. I chose my last digital camera based on their recommendation. And I totally agree with their aggressive approach to consumer protection and safeguards.

But where Consumer Reports is weak is quality food and beverages. They occasionally will review good chocolate, but in general, they only talk about mass marketed, available everywhere food. And normally, I just skip over it. I ain’t gonna base my spaghetti sauce purchases on their opinion of Ragu. Be it a best buy or not recommended.

But when this article appeared in the latest issue, all I could do was shake my head. (click on the photos to enlarge)


A) I want to know who drew the short straw and had to drink these crappy beers. And yes, they are crappy. The one that I had most recently was the Name Tag lager from Trader Joe’s. And it was thin, with no taste other than some sugar and cereal notes that you really had to look for to find.
B) Is there no store in New York that they could get a representative sample of actual beer? They could do a tasting of Firestone, Sierra Nevada, Anchor, Widmer and Stone at least.
C) How could they rate these as anything higher than adequate? And who thought they detected citrus in Coors?

Come on Consumer Reports! You can do better.

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Blue Palms Situation has Me Blue


The craft beer scene in Los Angeles had an eventful weekend. First, the news that Angel City was now owned by Alchemy and Science and then following that the distressing news that Blue Palms Brewhouse might be forced out of their location through no fault of theirs.

Thankfully, the beer community has rallied to the aid of one of our favorite beer spots and the new landlord has given a three day extension to work things out after seeing the outpouring of support. The hope is that they won’t have to close down and find a new location after building such a loyal clientele in the Hollywood community.

I was there last night because, if it was the last day, I wanted to occupy Blue Palms one more time. I ordered up a Sierra Nevada Beer Camp beer called The Dude. A cherry accented brown ale. Quite nice and fitting since the first Beer Camp beer that I ever had was at this spot. It was good to see a large crowd there including the Steeler fans who were not having a good day.

To stay in a celebratory mood, I cracked open an expensive wish list beer. Almanac 2011 Plum Ale. It was good and lived up to the price and my high expectations. I have now added their Blackberry beer to my wants/needs list.

If you haven’t paid your respects, I strongly suggest heading over on one of these three nights to show the powers that be that a new agreement would be beneficial to everyone.

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Angel City + Alchemy & Science =

Big news for the Los Angeles beer world, Alchemy & Science which is a new division (?) of Boston Beer Company has purchased Angel City Brewing which had recently moved to downtown LA last year.

Before I opine on the matter, here are the posts from the great BeerNews.org that detail what happened. # 1. # 2. # 3.

This seems to be uncharted territory as far as I know in the beer world. There is the Craft Brewers Alliance and the Magic Hat group where there is a pooling of resources but those are different from what appears is going on here with Angel City and A&S. The first question that I have is, and should always be the first question in any analysis of a business deal, will the beer quality improve? If Michael Bowe is allowed to just brew and someone else does the marketing and distribution, will that be a change for the better? Only time will tell, but my initial gut instinct is that it will.

Angel City, in recent years, had been eclipsed by Eagle Rock, Strand and El Segundo in buzz and number of tap handles. And Craftsman beers were always more highly regarded especially from a keeping the craft beer flame lit in Los Angeles perspective. Will the big business and dollars behind the new Angel City be a turn off to the craft beer crowd? I think it might.

One good thing is that the craft beer spotlight is now shining on Los Angeles for a bit. Can we as consumers and bloggers and lovers of craft beer keep that focus on LA?