Category: Beer Industry

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

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Science Grants

The Brewers Association has selected the 2020 recipients of its Research and Service Grants Program. This funding, which began back in 2015, funds research into science that will effect brewers and how they make beer. This year the Brewers Association parceled out 13 grants totaling $389,370 to thirteen projects (8) barley and (4) hops projects, and in a change one draught quality project which I found a pleasant surprise. Overall, in six years, this program has invested over $2 million for research.

Below are the (4) that I think will have the most future impact on consumers in the years to come:

Controlling Hop Enzymatic Potential – Hop Kilning and Brewery Treatments

  • Partner(s): Oregon State University
  • Principal(s): Thomas Shellhammer

Analysis of Various Metabolites in Hops as Potential Key Parameter for Thiol and Ester Release by Yeast During Beer Fermentation

  • Partner(s): Nyseos, Barth-Haas Group
  • Principal(s): Laurent Dagan, Christina Schoenberger

Deeper Explorations of Barley and Terroir Contributions to Beer Flavor

  • Partner(s): Oregon State University
  • Principal(s): Pat Hayes

Evaluation of Biofilm Growth in Chemically Treated Beer Draught Tubing

  • Partner(s): Montana State University, Center for Biofilm Engineering
  • Principal(s): Darla Goeres
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Bru-1

I think we will be seeing a lot of the Strata hop in 2020 but another hop that has momentum potential is Bru-1. It is a new experimental hop developed by John I. Hass and Brulotte Farms (hence the 3 letter initials).

Yakima Valley hops puts these descriptors on the hop, “aromas of pineapple and stone fruit that is backed by a soft spice” and it is being featured in a new IPA from Stone, Lupulin Loop so it must have enough inventory to be in an IPA from a bigger distribution footprint.

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Trident

No, not the gum or the three-pronged spear. This is a new hop blend just released as of last week from Hopsteiner.

The blend is a mix of (3) Pacific NW hops. According to Hopsteiner, it “is a blend developed for those seeking a hop-forward punch to the nose – fruity, citrus, tropical, passion fruit combination to fit any beer style. Using Trident™ is sure to cast a much wider range of aroma and flavor characteristics than any single hop variety could generate on its own.”

That is not the most appealing image I have ever seen (why is there a tomato in the lower left corner?) but the point is strongly made that this will be a “fruit wave”. Now we wait to see how well this plays in the marketplace. Will it burst like Citra or have more of a slow boil like Strata?

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Irwindale

Barring a massive upsurge in PBR consumption, (Remember when it was the hard seltzer of a couple years back?) the large facility off of the 210 Freeway will probably go dark much later this year. Molson Coors already closed one facility in North Carolina as it restructures and sheds jobs and now Irwindale is on the chopping block.

Personally, I think the location should be re-purposed for housing. I don’t think that even an incubator of smaller breweries could make economic sense and at this point the beer ju-ju is probably so industrial that trying to make something creative there would be like putting on the Brady Tiki Amulet.

If nothing else, maybe some lovely street art can go up on the towers and make that stretch of traffic more bearable.

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Popular in 2019

Each time that Bud and Miller Lite hit the Untappd Top 10, I wonder if there is an intern somewhere with multiple fake accounts, making sure that the brands stay relevant in this corner of the beer universe. Who else would tick these beers and to this degree.

Diatribe aside, there is little that would make one go “Wow” from this list. The fact that Guinness blew away all other comers by a healthy margin despite having multiple variants is a healthy sign. How Lagunitas is #3 is a thinker but maybe that is due to a nationwide footprint and possibly global and nothing to do with the shuttering of locations. But landing #2 and # 3 has to take that sting out a bit.

I was hoping to see more craft represented. Really only (3) on the list with BrewDog, Bell’s and Sierra Nevada and all of them are on the larger side.

I am looking more forward to the deeper statistical dives that Untappd will release.

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New Kirin Belgium

Well this was some news to find in the local paper. I was in a Wi-Fi “un”-enabled spot and did not see this come across the ticker. The employee owners of New Belgium followed a path that Full Sail broke ground on in selling to Kirin – Lion – Little World. I have the feeling that more of this will happen in the future as older and bigger and not hip breweries look for a parachute out. Whether this works will be seen. Full Sail has not regained momentum but Anchor sold not once but twice and seems to be stable but then on the third hand, Lagunitas has been slimming down even with Heineken behind them. Or maybe this will mean a foedre sake blend in the future.

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An Excise Christmas

If you were worried about the looming Christmas deadline imagine what small brewers are feeling.  December 31st is the end of the CBMTRA (Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act).  That act of Congress (one of the few that the do-nothing’s in DC have done) reduced the excise tax basically in ½ per barrel.  Instead of $7.00, the charge went to $3.50 instead.

But it was a temporary relief bill and if it is not re-authorized the cost of being in the beer business will go back up.  Thankfully, most states see the benefits of this and it is hard to find many politicians that are against bringing it back but with impeachment sucking the air out of the room, it could easily be forgotten.

I think we all need to send a little Thanksgiving reminder to our representatives to remind them of how beer can grow without an Excise tax headwind.

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Novellas

I have come to realize that I will never catch up on all the reading that I want (need) to accomplish which is why I like smaller chunks of reading like the short story and novella.

The same goes with beer which is why I am a booster of the stubbie bottle, of flights and sharing. And I am also a fan of smaller packaging….

…I don’t know a thing about Workhorse Brewing but I love the 8oz packaging and the branding as “Flights”.

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FOOD: Transforming the American Table

For those heading to DC, the Smithsonian is going to show a little more of a beer side, ” “FOOD: Transforming the American Table” is an existing, permanent exhibition that explores the history of food and eating in the United States since 1950. The exhibition’s fall update will highlight new stories about changes in food itself and how Americans produce, prepare and consume food and drink. One of four major new sections is “Brewing a Revolution.”“

Per the Brewers Association press release, “Visitors will see artifacts, archival materials and photographs that originated in the homebrewing and microbrewing movements of California and Colorado in the 1960s through 1980s—the beginning of the craft beer “revolution.” “

Check out more about this exhibit HERE.

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One Less Bear

It’s a sign of what may be seen more and more in coming years but the very neighborhoods that have been gentrified are going to become too costly to stay in and issues with landlords are going to start to arise.

Case in point is Bear Republic. One of their (3) locations was in Healdsburg but with wine tourism spiking and building maintenance costs not being covered, they have decided to close that location and focus on their brewpub in Rohnert Park, and its production brewery in Cloverdale. The custom 15-barrel brewhouse from that was stationed in Healdsburg will move to Cloverdale.

As sales have slowed, margins tighten and any unexpected cost especially one from a landlord who can charge higher rents to newer occupants will cause re-trenchment and more big trucks with fermenters being driven from one spot to another.