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my occasional rants and raves about what is going on in the industry.
The hop formerly known as #06277 now has a trademarked name Sultana™. It is a three-way split of 50% Nugget, 25% Zeus, and 25% USDA male (un-named? Or just agricultural science speak?) When you start seeing it in beers look for pine. According to Hopsteiner it is a big pineapple hop with pine notes in the background.
Science. Dumb people don’t trust it but it can do amazing things given enough money, intelligence and time. Obsession too.
A recent POST on NPR’s website discussed a new coffee product that is beanless and bitter-less. This is on the heels of explosive growth for meatless burgers that has left supplies low.
But, this is a beer blog, Sean. Yes, but the increase of alcohol-free beers is growing and probably will continue to do so. Hops have gone from pellets to cryo to who know what in the future so why not a fake engineered flavor that is close to hops? Especially if it can consistently provide a flavor that the brewer wants.
Beer is based on agricultural products but considering our stewardship of the planet so far, beer may need to science its way out of a possible problem.
I didn’t see this POST on the CraftBeer.com website getting as much attention as such pressing matters as Pabst Hard Coffee, so I am urging people to take a moment and click the link to Bottleshare.
The money is super important in this charity but the last part of this chunk of their mission statement is super important too, “When a fellow craft beverage worker is experiencing an emergency or extreme hardship, we not only want to help them financially, we want to lift their spirits, give them something to celebrate, and share our story in such a way that they feel their very own hope renewed.”
I am hoping to see some L.A. breweries join into this mission.
File this under things I would love to see on the streets of Los Angeles. Well, actually, it would probably need to be safely stored on a bigger truck to avoid accidents from lookie-loos….
I know that the words excise tax either cause sleep or sleeplessness. The first due to mind numbing legalese that need to be carefully read to be understood and the latter because, well, no one likes paying taxes.
But stick with this post a minute. One of the few good things in the Trump “Don’t Tax the Rich but I Won’t Show My Tax Returns” plan was that there was relief for small brewers as well as other alcohol producers and importers. The bad thing, the tax was temporary.
That temporary status is on the road for a one-year extension with the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act of 2019 which will be voted on by the full House of Representatives, then if all goes well, to the Senate and then for the Cheeto to doodle on before he realizes he has to sign it.
And if they do this enough times, maybe they can make it permanent.
Los Angeles has a thriving craft beer scene and one of the nation’s largest Hispanic populations, so bringing our flagship El Chingón IPA and El Grito Lager here is the perfect next step in the Four Corners Brewing Co. journey. We bring together the culture of craft brewing with Mexican-American bicultural heritage, creating flavorful craft beers accompanied by vibrant lotería-inspired branding. Four Corners is perched at the intersection of the growing popularity of traditional Mexican import beers and the innovative nature of craft brewing. This blend results in a craft brewery with the ability to appeal to L.A.’s wide range of culturally diverse beer drinkers.
2. Can you give us the origin story of Four Corners Brewing
Four Corners is our collective beer journey that has taken us from being better-beer enthusiasts and home brewers to launching and nurturing our brand in Texas for more than seven years. Four Corners was founded in 2012 in an effort to elevate craft beer culture in our hometown of Dallas. Our goal was to reflect the diversity of the neighborhood and bring together creative groups of people to celebrate a common passion.
Before founding Four Corners, Co-Founders Greg Leftwich, Steve Porcari and I had become enamored by the American craft beer movement and were inspired to share our passion with others. Our true beginning goes back to Porcari’s home garage where we gained a deeper appreciation of the styles, ingredients and brewing processes as home brewers.
We’re proud and excited that our journey now provides the opportunity to brew our bold, delicious beers in San Diego and raise a pint with the people of Los Angeles and Southern California.
3. What is the flagship beer for Four Corners and will it translate to the LA market?
We’re bringing two flagship offerings to Southern California– El Chingón IPA and new El Grito Lager. Both are available now throughout Los Angeles and San Diego in colorful seis-packs and on draft at popular bars and restaurants.
We believe our bold brews and Mexican-American inspired branding will appeal to Los Angeles’ bicultural beer drinkers as well as craft fans seeking new experiences. That’s what’s special about Four Corners — our beers hold their own against American craft brewers in terms of flavor and complexity and our vibrant branding attracts bicultural drinkers.
4. What is the Dallas craft beer scene like in 2019?
When we launched Four Corners in 2012 in Dallas,there were only a handful of breweries in the state and only two in the entire North Texas region. These days, there are more than 250 craft breweries in Texas. We’re proud that Four Corners helped pioneer and shape the burgeoning craft beer scene in North Texas and added a unique dimension to the Texas craft beer landscape.
5. What has been the impact of Constellation for the brewery?
We’ve embraced our partnership with Constellation Brands. It has provided the opportunity to share our beer with more people, first throughout Texas and now in Los Angeles and San Diego.
Our standard of brewing has remained unchanged because our management team and employees have continued delivering the same innovative and fresh flavors consumers enjoy today.
I think this is so cool that I had to give credit to the original Tweeter. Yeah, there are rules but I think that a lot of bottles fit the bill and this really makes a difference. Kudos to Bayern Brewing!
Can design has come both a long way and in some instances devolved into IP copycats. And writer Joshua Bernstein has quantified a list of his personal best designs. To his credit, Brouwerij West is on the list for their Falling Water IPA.
Now, I will take the this list and pick my best, worst and almost there…(from left to right in the graphic below)
The Alvarado Street design mixes the font, design and name to great effect. It is also of a style that makes you lean in and look at it. The middle design is just flat out lazy to me. The font is as close to generic as possible and it just screams done in a few minutes. The final “close” one is a good idea but the art just doesn’t do it for me. This could be a fun series with different people in each box, heck even employees of the brewery might be fun choices too.
From time to time, I try to keep the beer loving public up to date with new up to date regarding new hops that you might be seeing in beers in the future. Two more have come to my attention….
No, that is not a new cop buddy movie. Though I will sell the title if wanted. It is re: a recent memo from the TTB, aka the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.
The TTB looks to be warning those who are pushing the leading edge of beer and cannabis. Maybe in part to recent business acquisitions of and by marijuana companies. Maybe due to the fact that labels are showing up that cause red flags to raise up. Either way, my guess is that limited runs of these beers and probably not in to-go packaging is in the future.