Category: Beer Industry

my occasional rants and raves about what is going on in the industry.

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TTB v AB

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”.

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Scholar

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…

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Contessa

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.

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Work It

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.

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Core

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.

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Brewnited

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. 

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Crushies – SoCal Winners

The Craft Beer Marketing Awards were held last week in a Zoom ceremony that was a little long and heavy on the word “congrats” and there’s was a little love for our extended area.

Third Window of a Santa Barbara won a runners-up “Gold” for Best Bottle Design in the 12oz, 12.7oz and 16.9oz category.

The Bruery also got Gold for their packaging design for the Hoarders Society.

Bigger winners, aka Platinum went to Calidad for website photography and video and El Segundo newcomer, Upshift Brewing also took top honors for their flight tray, that they dubbed the Moto Flight with the handlebar design.

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Aftermath – Part 10

The NBA recently timelined their path to finishing the 2019/2020 season as well as draft and the 2020/2021 season. MLS is on the path back as well with the NFL still sitting with starting their season as planned.

But fans. They will be at home for some time. Either by the rules of the respective leagues or from fear. How is that gonna change the might combination of beer and sports? Well any company that has a significant percentage of business with sports stadiums is gonna lose that. That is mostly the big players. But they may be able to recoup part of that with branded packaged beer. KC Chiefs logo on Bud Light being one.

But the reduction in sales is going to extend to sports bars as well where seating capacity is now reduced and in L.A. food purchases are oddly required. Both of which will reduce beer sales. And that is before we even talk about unemployment.

Personally, I would have scratched the NBA, MLS and MLB seasons and waited until fall. The seasons were already compromised statistically and will be forever marked by asterisks. And without ticket sales, finances were going to suck anyway.

I do see a major concession surge though when the first fan filled games begin.