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my occasional rants and raves about what is going on in the industry.
Take a look at the attributes of these two new (in hop breeding time) from Glacier Hops Ranch.
I posted about Alpenglow already and it is still limited but the words Pina Colada attached to the Ahhhroma (still not sold on that name) hop seem likes one that could really take off. Maybe in a year or two we will see if either become popular.
The Brewers Association made no big waves in their 2022 beer style guidelines. Clarity, spelling and grammar being the key words in their press release.
“As the craft beer landscape continues to evolve, we want to ensure that our Beer Style Guidelines continue to be a trusted resource worldwide and are in stride with the innovation that continues to be brought forward,” said Chris Swersey, competition director, Brewers Association. “We took 2022 as a year to focus on housekeeping, to address some discrepancies within the exiting beer styles, and for a small number of significant updates to certain beer styles.”
Stay tuned for GABF in the fall to see who comes up with medals.
And to get to the future, you have to talk about the past. And that past is fraught when you are a minority brewery in this country.
Which is why it was great to hear Shyla from Bow & Arrow and Teo from our SoCal Crowns & Hops talk about their respective journeys in a beer world that is quite white.
Here are some of the words of interest that struck me from the discussion…
A week or more back, the NAGBW broached the three-tiered topic of distribution. The speakers were Kimberly Clements of Pints LLC and Lester Jones of the National Beer Wholesalers Association.
Here are my nuggets of wisdom from the Q&A…
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.”
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.
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.”
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/
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.
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?