Category: Beer Industry

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

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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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Brewbicle

Heard about this beer cellaring must have on the wonderful Beer O’Clock podcast.

The name is unfortunate (Brewbicle) but they look pretty good (and can be specially labeled too) and for the price look to be a pretty good deal, especially if you are buying more than one.
PHOTO FROM BREWBICLE WEBSITE

They can be reconfigured to different bottle shapes and can be stacked. The one thing that I would like to see is if they have a way to be locked.

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State by State beer taxes

This is one of those fascinating charts that simultaneously explain and confuse. Alaska at #1 in amount of tax, yet Alaskan and Anchorage and others seem to thrive. Conversely, Wyoming at # 50 is not nearly the hotbed that Oregon or Colorado are. And how to explain that Washington and California are pushing forward fast with their mid-pack ranking?

This was sent to me by Steve Zuback who found it HERE.

What conclusions do you draw?

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the Year in Craft Beer – 2011

Two things jump out at me. The number 13.2% growth and the fact that this time next year, we could be looking at over 2,000 craft breweries. That is amazing. And all in a staggeringly short amount of time. But the future number that I am looking at is market share. With each large gain the water lager manufacturers might finally learn that taste is paramount.

This chart is courtesy of the Brewer’s Association.

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Happy Anniversary Belmont Station

All day today, BELMONT STATION will be celebrating it’s 15TH ANNIVERSARY.

And here is what they are going to do to celebrate, “Yep, it’s been 15 years since the founding of Belmont Station as the first specialty beer store in the Northwest. Thanks to you we’re still here so we’ll be breaking out some vintage bottles to sell and have a few surprises on tap. Ted Sobel of Brewers Union Local 180 is bringing us two firkins of his unbeatable genuine cask-conditioned ales, including one brewed just for our 15th, with 15 malts.”

I wish I could take the day off, fly up to Portland and stay there all day if only to have Brewers Union beers.

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From 1900 to Today

This video made the interwebs rounds in early February. Watch now and I will comment below.

Methinks that this information (be it selective, or not) has got to scare the BMC and their water lager brewing brethren. The sheer numerical growth in such a relative short time span does not bode well. 7.6% of total sales might not seem like much that number just keeps creeping up.

The other take away for me is the home brewing sticking power. Did it start in the Prohibition years? Was it there before and get a boost from the legal side? Either way, that DIY ethos has been around for awhile in the craft beer world and that is a great base to build on.

I like the video though. Punchy and visually captivating. Maybe we shall see more delving into more arcane beer topics.

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Beer Can Design Contest

One of the side benefits of traveling in this world of great craft beer is the artwork that you come across. I am usually a fan of minimalist design with colors that are outside the normal palette. Which is why I really liked the design that won for the Threadless IPA.

Finch’s beer got 171 design submissions to grace the can of their IPA. It is a fascinating look at what people think of and can draw to fit on a can of beer. And I like how the design called back to the other cans but wasn’t bound to it. The font for the name is well done too. It has a sewing look to it but it can be read and easily too.

All I can say is, “Put a bird on it”.

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New to cans

Coming soon (depending on your market’s thirst for beer), you might be seeing some beers you are used to seeing in bottles in canned versions.

1) “Kona Brewing Company has announced plans to offer its flagship Longboard Island Lager in 12-ounce cans, which are scheduled to hit shelves mid-March 2012. All Kona markets will receive Longboard cans, including the newest markets of Pennsylvania, Delaware and southern New Jersey.”

2) Sierra Nevada has been Facebooking it’s pale ale progress towards cans too.

3) Evil Twin Brewing will release its first beer in cans in 2012. Hipster Ale and Bikini Beer will be first up. Brewing will happen in South Carolina (North Carolina is probably too busy) It will be part of the Twelve Percent Import line.