Category: Beer Industry

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

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Endowment

Here is a sobering statistic for you, “88% of U.S. craft brewery owners and 89% of brewers are Caucasian (and majority male).”

But there is a way to help bring about change….

“To help increase representation in the brewing industry, UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education is launching “Pour it Forward,” a crowdfunding effort to fund a full, diversity-focused scholarship to its prestigious UC Davis Online Master Brewers Certificate Program.

“Changing an industry takes time, but education and the lifetime of opportunities it represents is the first step,” said Dr. Glen Fox, academic director of the Master Brewers Certificate Program. “By supporting ‘Pour it Forward,’ beer enthusiasts will have a lasting, positive impact on both the scholarship recipient and the industry we are all so passionate about.”

“Pour it Forward” runs from October 1st-31st and is part of the annual “Crowdfund UC Davis” campaign, which raised nearly $800,000 from more than 3,900 gifts in 2020. “Pour it Forward” hopes to raise $16,000 to cover all fees and materials for the Online Master Brewers Certificate Program, including a week-long, in-person bootcamp at UC Davis’ state-of-the-art August A. Busch III pilot brewery and Sierra Nevada Brewing Science laboratory.”

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Very Much Needed

Craft brewing is about creativity and we need that creativity brought by people like Local Plastic at every business step of a brewery. With the massive spike in to-go 4 and 6 packs, we need to find ways to think about making this better. Like these cardboardy holders from Highland Park Brewery.

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Hop Class

For the 2nd year in a row,  Yakima Chief Hops (YCH) is taking their Hop & Brew School virtual. It is a five-day event taking place in cyberspace from August 30th through September 3rd.

I listened in on many presentations last year and learned quite a bit but lets have the press release convince you…

“For nearly two decades, YCH has hosted this comprehensive hop harvest experience for the brewing community complete with a behind-the-scenes look at the hop industry as well as educational seminars. Now in its 18th year, Hop & Brew School® is considered to be a highly regarded event among craft brewers and one of the most in-depth hop education programs in the industry.

Due to COVID-19, YCH will be holding this event in a virtual format for a second year, as safety remains their first priority. This year’s schedule features sessions surrounding new discoveries in advanced hop research, hop application best practices, hop sensory training, a deep dive into the beyond beer beverage category and homebrew tips. Participants will also receive an inside look at organic hop growing and experimental hop development. Speakers include both hop industry experts and veteran brewers.”

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You First

I know this little post – about caregivers – is not one of my regular topics, but I’m helping to share this important information in case it is useful to anyone in our craft beer community.

Because, craft beer people don’t hesitate to help.

You might know someone who is currently caring for a loved one…

…perhaps they are helping a parent who is losing their independence….perhaps they are assisting a partner who has a chronic illness….perhaps they are raising a child with a disability.

Whether they’ve been doing it for awhile or they’ve just begun, they might benefit from knowing that my wife (a coach and strategist for 20+ years) is starting an on-going coaching program to support caregivers – especially ambitious, big-hearted people who want to stay connected to themselves and their goals while they give care. 

All of the details about the program are here – feel free to pass this link along: https://kristineoller.com/youfirst/

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Apply Within

Kudos for creativity on this label from Bolton Landing Brewing Company.

But it makes me question the following paragraph from the NY Post…

““Like most businesses this year, we are looking for help in our taproom,” says the ad from the brewery, which is located less than a mile from Lake George and about a 20-minute drive from the popular summer resort’s main drag.”

My guess is that summer vacation tourists might be the bigger driver when it comes to jobs not being filled. You can read this NPR piece HERE where that comes through loud and clear.

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Safe Bars

I am not a fan of consultants imposing their procedures on a business. Why? They usually don’t know the business or employees working there.

But I am glad to see programs like Safe Bars out there that can be accessed by owners wanting to make their establishments, well, safer.

It is more of a DC area program but maybe variants can start in L.A. with letter grades?

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Eliqs

Small orders are not economically sound. Economies of scale is where it’s at. That is why you have to buy a certain amount of cans and bottles if you are a brewery.

But Eliqs (no idea what that name even means) wants to corner a market of small custom label orders. You can choose a template or go full creative and the price isn’t half bad.

The beer or seltzer is LA brewed but unknown as to which brewery is doing it so it is hard to tell if it would be beer nerd good or just passable with the hope that the label is funny enough.

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Keep Acting Better – Action # 1

It is a new month but that doesn’t mean that we file away the last one and forget about it.

The whole beer world has to keep acting better and we can use this new month to learn new practices.

This month, I will touch upon what can actually be done to make improvements. Some of which I touched upon in my first post about the craft beer reckoning with the horrible treatment of women.

First, create your own damn spreadsheet. Why did men need women to track all the offenses? That just removes men from the process that they should be involved in.

Here is what you do. Go HERE to find the spreadsheet. Take notes on the breweries who appear on it and match that with the breweries in your area. Are any that you go to on the list? Are any in your ‘fridge that is on the list?

Make your own spreadsheet. Check to see if the brewery or person on your list has apologized and taken action. Also read the accounts linked to them to prioritize. If a brewery is cited multiple times and it is one that you have gone to many times, and they are silent about it, now you know to not go there to start and you can develop a plan as to what additional steps can be taken.

An example, I received a media package from BrewDog during the first week this news was coming to light. I checked the spreadsheet and they were on it. So I reached out to the PR firm that sent the beer asking what BrewDog had to say.

The person I e-mailed with answered honestly, appalled at what had been posted and said that I would get answers when they got them from BrewDog. So I posted a photo on Instagram and until I get the answers, that is all I will be doing. If no answers come then no posts from me even if the founders rescue a thousand cats from a thousand trees that they planted to save the rainforest.

I will also be checking that spreadsheet to make sure that I don’t post about the places and people in the future. Because, I am not here on a high horse dictating tactics. We all need to be in the field.

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Ship it USPS (Maybe)

The Brewers Association recently announced news of legislation that would (finally) allow the United States Postal Service to ship beer. Now this wouldn’t be a blanket across the US thing. Here are the details:

“On Monday, May 17, Representatives Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) and Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) introduced the United States Postal Service (USPS) Shipping Equity ActOpens in new window, bipartisan legislation that would allow the USPS to ship alcohol in states where it is currently legal to do so.

Through the COVID-19 pandemic and government-mandated business closures and restrictions, small and independent breweries have seen consumer demand increase for products delivered directly to their front door. A consumer survey by SOVOS Ship Compliant and Harris Poll found that 84% of regular craft beer drinkers – defined as those who drink craft beer at least once per month – want to be able to legally purchase beer via direct-to-consumer (DtC) shipping to their homes. Additionally, the survey found that more than 73% say the pandemic has increased their interest in purchasing craft beer via DtC shipping.

To meet that demand, we have seen state laws expanding to allow shipping and delivery of alcohol products, as well as allowing alcohol “to-go” at restaurant and bars. The USPS Shipping Equity Act would help small and independent breweries, wineries, and distilleries meet that demand by allowing the postal service to provide another method of getting their product to market.”

The TL:DR of it, is that rules that have been bent for Covid should stay this way so that shipping beer can become a standard business right.

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On Deck

Podcasts like TV, film and music has its candy and good for you choices. I say that not disparagingly but to let you know that if you want to know more about the agricultural side of beer life, then I have the podcast for you from the Countryman Malt Group.

It’s called the Brew Deck and it is where you can turn for deeper dives into malt, hops and other beer topics. When you tire of the hot takes and beer snobbery, give this podcast a listen.