It is probably safe to say that the drink it fresh crowd have won the day. All those Enjoy By IPAs have cracked the collective consciousness. I do not see either a resale market or beers by the bottle at bars and those would be the two big drivers for cellaring to regain a foothold.
The members only breweries with small footprints have also taken the mind share market for the types of beers that would be cellared but are too tiny to really get mainstream so the cellaring trend will be ISO more people for now.
In recent weeks, I have seen two Los Angeles craft beer spots offer Kolsch service. In the stange, on the tray, coaster over glass when done. The whole kit and kaboodle. Whatever a kaboodle is.
I would like to see it return for sure because I have not experienced it in all its Teutonic glory and even a California facsimile would be fun. But I think it would be better as a limited time type of offer. Just in summer on Sundays or as is the case at Tony’s Darts Away in Burbank paired with Tarot Card readings
It is not often that this here beer blog turns it eye to art but over in Pasadena, the Norton Simon Museum has a new exhibition, All Consuming: Art and the Essence of Food.
It “explores how artists responded to and shaped food cultures in Europe from 1500 to 1900, as shown in a group of 60 paintings, prints, photographs and sculptures from the Norton Simon’s collections. Three distinct themes—“Hunger,” “Excess” and “Sustenance”—examine a range of relationships with eating and drinking, both positive and negative, displayed across two galleries. Through images of charity, war and religious asceticism, “Hunger” addresses the many faces of food deprivation, whether as something to be remedied, feared or even admired. “Excess” delves into depictions of morally questionable consumption in raucous tavern scenes and images of exoticized decadence, which reinforced historically specific attitudes about gender, class and race. “Sustenance” looks at how agricultural landscapes and bountiful pantries evoke comfort and plenty and how they are associated, particularly in northern Europe, with labor and commerce.
The third and final gallery brings the exhibition’s broader themes closer to home through Edward Weston’s and Manuel Alvarez Bravo’s photographs of California and Mexico in the 1930s. Weston’s sweeping views of ranches and vineyards offer a picturesque vision of food production in California, whereas Alvarez Bravo’s photographs of restaurants and drinking fountains capture casual, day-to-day encounters with food and drink. These works will be adjacent to a response space that invites viewers to contemplate art’s continued role in shaping our relationship with food, not just as a necessity for survival, but as an essential for cultural life.”
I know that may have been TLDR but I want to draw ones attention to the little dig at alcohol. Which of the three terms does “tavern culture” fall under? It ain’t sustenance. Even in 2023, there is a kernel of alcohol = bad.
The State of Oregon and The Oregon Brewers Guild has gauntlet in hand for a new beer competition – “the Best of the West Coast IPA: National Throwdown.”
This is for West Coast IPA’s between 6 and 8% ABV ONLY.
“Registration for the competition is open through July 7th and is open to breweries from all 50 states. All beers entered must be produced on a fully licensed, commercial brewery with a TTB Brewer’s Notice on file. Breweries-in-planning and homebrewers are not eligible. All proceeds from the competition will go to supporting the Guild.” It will be interesting to read about the turnout for this new competition and if indeed all 50 states will have an entry.
You can get additional information about the competition, HERE .
Bad news has come to pass as Anchor Brewing who was bought by Sapporo in 2017 will cease operations and the business will be liquidated. According to news released, Sapporo had been attempting to sell the San Francisco heritage brewery for some time now and found no bids.
A financial knight could ride in during the liquidation process and the Anchor Public Taps will remain open until the beer runs out. One of the beers on tap is the 2023 Christmas Ale which was being ramped into production. Probably the biggest whale in the beer ticking world for some time.
You can get the sad details from Dave Infante at Vinepair who should get a tip of the hat for the journalism he has done on this story. But, to me, this development seems to come at a weird time. A history of Anchor (which I reviewed on this blog) came out recently, Sapporo let Anchor buy the ingredients for Christmas Ale, Anchor came out with a new summer Mexican lager and the vitriol over the bland logo re-brand had faded. Those moves don’t signal floundering to me.
If Sapporo thought that the money would come from brewing Sapporo in San Francisco, that seems misguided since Sapporo owned Stone seems much better suited to that task.
Fingers crossed that this is not the end, end but maybe, and this might be an idea too crazy, there should be a brewery who only does beers from defunct craft breweries. A place that snaps up recipes like the steam beer and Christmas ale and Liberty Ale so that they are not completely lost.
Weathered Souls Brewing Company have a Black Is Beautiful sequel coming out this summer and it is a Hazy IPA which will benefit the NB2A (National Black Brewers Association) The label mock- up is below. Hopefully we will see lots of breweries jumping on board for this initiative.
If you are a sports fan, your favorite team just might be owned by an asshole. Not saying that all people who own teams are but there does seem to be a preponderance of assholes amongst the super-rich who can swallow clubs whole.
The English Premiere League is riddled with fan groups trying to push owners out. The NBA had the delightful Donald Sterling around for what seemed like forever before he finally became too toxic. And the NFL’s version was Dan Snyder who will forever be linked to the Washington Redskins and not their new era Commanders name.
There are articles, and probably podcasts aplenty, about Snyder and his mis-management of the Washington Football Club. His stubborn death grip on the Redskins name being first on the list despite the known fact, that changing the name made any Redskin emblazoned gear more pricey and you would double dip by selling all new gear to diehard fans.
What made it all the more egregious was that he didn’t listen. Not to fans or even fellow owners. When you get to a point where your delusion field blocks out your fellow richie rich’s, well that is a red flag.
Which is why it is hilarious that there was an anti-Dan beer brewed. Makes me wish there were more beers that take on the 1%.
Time to talk agriculture AND business. One intersection point is the planning of which and how many hops to grow. It is hard to make such estimates into the future but with craft brewing slower than the past, the amount of hops needed is lower.
The USDA is forecasting that, in the Northwest, hop acreage for harvest will be down 8% from 2023. The biggest hop varietals, Citra and Mosaic were reduced the most as growers are trying to balance out their portfolios.
Might be more reductions and varietal shifts coming. It is serious logistical work being a hop grower.
The 16oz can is the de rigeur format and has been for a few years now taking the packaging crown from the 22oz bomber and the six-pack with it’s 12 ounces. Though the 19.2oz stovepipe can is pushing for the throne currently.
This article in Punch talks briefly about why it is as well as the good and bad about it..
…but I firmly believe (and have expressed on this blog many times) that more sizes should be in the packaging arsenal. I would like to see more big ABV beers in 10 ounce bottles or heck, 12 ounce cans. I love the extra large format of some Belgian beers with the corks and one of these days, I will buy one of those jereboams that you sometimes see.
The packaging format should be as creative and unrestricted as the crazy beers that are inside them.
Here is another patented BSP, read THIS, then come back here post.
Thanks for tapping the back button.
Here is the thing about sped up beverage technology, same goes with AI in all applications, the depth of texture will be lost. Sure you might get close to a generic adjunct big business lager but how do you re-create a pastry stout or Phantasm and its tropical thiols or the slight bit of extra something from a double decoction? Answer, you don’t.
Bourbon has had techies try to create fast barrel aged and most, if not all, get reviews that range from it tasted weird to it tasted bad. Because you just can’t replicate time.
Two more additional points: I very much enjoyed how they glossed over the water part. Your test tube beer will taste different depending on the soft water of one city compared to the ultra hard water where I am at in Glendale. And point three, how much does this cost? Even $24 4-packs will be cheap in comparison.
