Category: Beer Industry

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

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Auto Growler Fill

I saw this mechanical wonder in an article by John Holl on Craft Beer.com.

You are seeing the auto growler!

“The traditional way to fill a growler is still directly from the taps; often with the assistance of an extender hose so the jug can fill from the bottom. But there are some breweries that are putting technology to work when it comes to preparing beer to-go.

At Pennsylvania’s Victory Brewing Company they use an Austria-made growler filler. Purchased in 2008, the mechanical wonder pours 20 different beers. After being inserted into the filler, the growler is placed on a pedestal; the machine purges the glass from carbon dioxide and then fills the growler with the beer of choice.

“It’s much more exciting than watching a bartender hook a hose up to a bar tap,” said Victory’s Whitney Thompson, Quality Services Executive Manager.

The brewery said it allows them to send draft beer home with customers while preserving quality. Additionally, beer loss has been reduced by at least 90 percent, they said, which saves considerable cost.”

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Magnetic Beer Bottle Opener

Courtesy of the The Opener.com

Unless you only drink your craft beer from cans or large cage and corked bottles, you need a bottle opener. I myself have at least 6 or 7 floating around including one on my keys. But even with that plenty, I coveted this magnetized cap remover.

It’s clever and has that “how does it work?” cool factor. Plus if there are enough caps on it, it has the appearance of art. Plus it doesn’t scream frat house chic. Looks like something the beer geek would use unlike an opener that has Three Stooges yelling at you.

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Vinnibag

above photo by Gary Friedman of the Los Angeles Times

As is evidenced by my post on traveling with beer, the VinniBag might be a help to the traveler with a special, rare beer that must get home safe. The cost is $28.00 and it appears to only hold one bottle so this isn’t the tool to get vast quantities home. But if you have a beer that MUST get home then this will probably do the trick.

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Blue Palms Situation has Me Blue


The craft beer scene in Los Angeles had an eventful weekend. First, the news that Angel City was now owned by Alchemy and Science and then following that the distressing news that Blue Palms Brewhouse might be forced out of their location through no fault of theirs.

Thankfully, the beer community has rallied to the aid of one of our favorite beer spots and the new landlord has given a three day extension to work things out after seeing the outpouring of support. The hope is that they won’t have to close down and find a new location after building such a loyal clientele in the Hollywood community.

I was there last night because, if it was the last day, I wanted to occupy Blue Palms one more time. I ordered up a Sierra Nevada Beer Camp beer called The Dude. A cherry accented brown ale. Quite nice and fitting since the first Beer Camp beer that I ever had was at this spot. It was good to see a large crowd there including the Steeler fans who were not having a good day.

To stay in a celebratory mood, I cracked open an expensive wish list beer. Almanac 2011 Plum Ale. It was good and lived up to the price and my high expectations. I have now added their Blackberry beer to my wants/needs list.

If you haven’t paid your respects, I strongly suggest heading over on one of these three nights to show the powers that be that a new agreement would be beneficial to everyone.

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Angel City + Alchemy & Science =

Big news for the Los Angeles beer world, Alchemy & Science which is a new division (?) of Boston Beer Company has purchased Angel City Brewing which had recently moved to downtown LA last year.

Before I opine on the matter, here are the posts from the great BeerNews.org that detail what happened. # 1. # 2. # 3.

This seems to be uncharted territory as far as I know in the beer world. There is the Craft Brewers Alliance and the Magic Hat group where there is a pooling of resources but those are different from what appears is going on here with Angel City and A&S. The first question that I have is, and should always be the first question in any analysis of a business deal, will the beer quality improve? If Michael Bowe is allowed to just brew and someone else does the marketing and distribution, will that be a change for the better? Only time will tell, but my initial gut instinct is that it will.

Angel City, in recent years, had been eclipsed by Eagle Rock, Strand and El Segundo in buzz and number of tap handles. And Craftsman beers were always more highly regarded especially from a keeping the craft beer flame lit in Los Angeles perspective. Will the big business and dollars behind the new Angel City be a turn off to the craft beer crowd? I think it might.

One good thing is that the craft beer spotlight is now shining on Los Angeles for a bit. Can we as consumers and bloggers and lovers of craft beer keep that focus on LA?

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State by State


I saw this handy graphic on the Brookston Bulletin and it really shows where the breweries are no matter the methodology in getting there. There are some empty holes on the map that need to fixed! (Especially if I want to ever finish my quest to have a beer from each of the 50 states) Thanks to Brooklyn Growler for putting this together.

P.S. Click on the graphic to enlarge it.

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Brew Caddy

I talked with the fine people at Brew Caddy whilst at CanFest this year and I thought that I should pass on their information to the rest of the craft beer drinking world.

They have two sizes of holders that fits around your neck so you can take notes or take more animatedly about the beer you are drinking. And the pint version can even pop open a bottle too.

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Brewed Awakening


I know. Another craft beer book! There can never be too many, in my opinion.

I have been reading articles in Imbibe magazine by Joshua Bernstein and now he has taken the knowledge gained in talking to brewers to create Brewed Awakening. Best to let him explain the book (in words and video)

“Why Brewed Awakening? Concerning beer, the last decade has witnessed more seismic changes than any time since Prohibition. There are more than 1,700 craft breweries in America, from community-based nanobreweries to the new breed of national brands such as Dogfish Head and Stone. Untethered from stodgy tradition, and driven by unbridled creativity, American and international brewers are leading a boundary-less charge into the global future of beer.

The bitter India pale ale has birthed the burly, super-aromatic double IPA. Alcohol percentages have climbed above ten percent, on par with wine—and now join Pinot noir at dinner tables and on tony restaurants’ drink lists. Wild yeasts have been harnessed and are used to inoculate beers that, in the best way possible, taste like a barnyard. Naturally carbonated cask ales have now achieved cult status. And brewmasters have begun aging their creations in wooden casks that once contained bourbon, brandy, chardonnay, and even tequila, reviving techniques last seen more than a century earlier.

I’ve spent the last six years covering the craft beer industry, traveling from Asheville to Austin, San Francisco to Chicago, Portland to Portland. I’ve hit breweries. Interviewed brewers. And spelunked deep into the people and the trends driving the craft beer revolution. There’s a story in every pint glass. I give voice to them.”

You can order the book HERE and on December 7th there will be a Brewed Awakening event at Eagle Rock Brewery.

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Eco Keg

I am pretty geeky about craft beer, but I am also geeky about the industry that surrounds it. From specially crafted glasses with nucleation, to mobile canning, I am fascinated by the tech that goes with the beer.

That is why EcoKegs are an interesting development. Coming from Australia, they are plastic kegs that cut down on shipping weight and can also be sent one way and recycled when the last drop of beer has been drained.

I don’t think that they will take over the industry, but I do see this as a great way to import beers to other countries and to maybe cut keg costs (both the initial purchase and replacement of lost kegs).

Sounds like an interesting advance in beer technology.