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my occasional rants and raves about what is going on in the industry.
We have a newly branded hop to be on the lookout for. Talus. Sounds like sport utility vehicle but is a new hop that is a cross between Sabro® brand and neomexicanus. It was bred by Michael Ferguson of John I. Haas and Jason Perrault of Yakima Chief Ranches.
What does Talus bring? According to the press release, “big aromas of pink grapefruit, citrus rinds, dried roses, pine resin, tropical fruits and sage.” To me, the descriptors that leap out are the roses and sage which sounds intriguing.
Another positive step in creating a more diverse craft beer world, read the below snippet from UC Davis….
“A $50,000 endowment from North Coast Brewing Company of Fort Bragg, California will launch the Mark E. Ruedrich North Coast Brewing Diversity Scholarship for the brewing program at UC Davis. The gift ensures that, by supporting education and opportunity, North Coast Brewing Company furthers its goal of promoting diversity in the brewing industry in perpetuity.
“We’re always looking for opportunities to improve our community,” said Jeff Ottoboni, CEO of North Coast Brewing Company. “The tumultuous events of 2020 reinforced the need for us to make this significant commitment and lead efforts to promote diversity in the brewing industry. Twenty-four hours later, we were on the phone with UC Davis.”
Recognizing UC Davis’ commitment to inclusion and diversity and its reputation for brewing education, the brewery partnered with the Master Brewers Certificate Program at UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education to support aspiring brewing professionals. “We have an obligation to our employees, our community and our world to do what is right at all times and in this case, the best way to do that – to create meaningful, long-lasting change – is through education,” said Ottoboni.”
Yup, every damn thing I see going to have the word “virtual” in front of it. But, this virtual harvest is making me look forward to September. Check out the SCHEDULE and you will see som technical stuff but they are going g to name a new hop and other fun stuff too. If you are a hop fan, this will make you bitter in a good way.
Since lockdown I have found the pleasure in small things, one of which is the happy hop newsletter (what I call it) from Stan Hieronymus that pops into my inbox.
The latest missive had the usual science deep dives but what caught my eye was this set of planting statistics….
Going up:
Variety 2019 2020 % change
Citra 9,035 11,201 +24%
Mosaic 4,225 5,559 +32%
El Dorado 993 1,605 +62%
Strata 253 764 +202%
Sabro 724 1,175 +62%
Idaho 7 473 904 +91%
Going down (some more than others):
Variety 2019 2020 % change
Simcoe 4,365 4,140 -5%
Amarillo 2,369 2,112 -11%
Cascade 5,280 3,998 -24%
Centennial 3,680 2,891 -21%
Willamette 889 802 -10%
Comparing five years ago to today:
Variety 2015 2020 % change
Cascade 6,952 3,998 -42%
Centennial 4,463 2,891 -35%
Amarillo 1,700 2,112 +24%
Simcoe 2,916 4,140 +42%
Mosaic 1,800 5,559 +209%
Citra 2,993 11,201 +274%
As you can see, don’t be expecting many single hop Cascade IPAs and ready your palate for Citra and Mosaic. The bright spot for me is the growth in Strata which is a hop that I have taken a liking to.
When people ask me why I am not fond of SABInBev, I do mention that the beer is the equivalent of tacos to Taco Bell but that primarily they seem to enjoy being the bully.
Sometimes bullies get popped on the nose though. Case in point the $5 million compromise fine levied by the TTB.
The payment is for alleged violations of the Federal Alcohol Administration (FAA) Act occurred way back in time between July 1, 2016, and December 31, 2018. Most involving stadium and arena concessions which they sure aren’t making 5 million on right now.
Shitty little actions such as giving sponsorships but only if they can be the sole vendor, providing equipment in exchange for sales, paying for new draft systems, giving product for less than market value, hiding behind a third party to do the same.
Now, this fine is not much to SABInBev. But they do need to be reminded, like bullies everywhere, that they have to toe a least “a line”.
This announcement is a fantastic building block to creating a base of great brewers who can then go out and become brewery owners and creating a virtuous cycle that we need.
Two more screen shots to get some history and extra information…
Looks like the folks at Hopsteiner have settled on a trade name for the experimental hop 01490. And Contessa is as good as any but I would say that the major flavor components are more the draw. Lemon and lemongrass can be found in other hops but the combo of pear and green tea is really intriguing and I think could really work in a lower alcohol hazy.
I fully get that job hunting is not a looked forward to activity even in the best of times. And now, well, it is not in the same zip code as the best of times. Which means that any avenue or resource is important. And the LA Brewers Guild has one such resource. Bookmark the link at the top, maybe you will see a match that can lead to something bigger when the virus lets us resume normal activity.
There have been three cool things to come out of the viral lockdown shitshow we are in the middle? of. Some Good New with John Krasinski. The Staying In podcast with Emily and Kumail and Reunited Apart hosted by Josh Gad.
On the final episode which features Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, the featured charity was CORE. Children of Restaurant Employees. In case you missed the episode or the opportunity to donate, consider this your second chance to do so.
One of the event casualties of the virus was the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) which sucks for many reasons. It has been a reliable revenue stream for Denver area breweries, the Colorado economy and the Brewers Association (BA) Due to the loss of their marquee event, the BA has had layoffs, most notably of the hard working and traveling Julia Herz who I have had the pleasure of hearing speak on a number of occasions.
As that news hit, the GABF announced the 2020 version of their event which is a t-shirt and a passport. That passport “will have exclusive access to beery deals at participating festival breweries nationwide, and access to exclusive online content October 16-17. Online content will include Brewers Studio happy hours, tastings and interviews with brewers from around the country.”
I would love to see a behind the scenes of the judging. I know this year is not normal but I think it would be to get a peek at the process of one of the biggest aspects of the festival. I also think they should have a monthly countdown to next year’s event to keep GABF in people’s minds.