Category: Opinion

my humble and correct opinion

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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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Session # 59


The first session of 2012 comes from Mario over at Brewed for Thought…..
“So as we are all incredibly interesting people, and almost always drink beer, let’s talk about what we drink when not drinking beer. Maybe your passion for coffee rivals that of craft beer, or it could be another alcoholic beverage such as scotch. My daughter being a root beer fan would appreciate her dad reviewing a few fizzy sodas. Maybe you have a drink that takes the edge off the beer, be it hair of the dog or a palate cleanser during the evening.

Beer cocktails, wines, ciders, meads, you name it as long as it’s not beer. Try to tie it in with craft beer in some way for extra credit. Be creative and I’ll see you guys in the new year.”

I must admit that I am just a dabbler, pinkie toe in the cold water type of guy when it comes to other beverages.

I can tell you that Dr. Pepper made with actual sugar is unarguably better than the mass produced stuff. I often enjoy coffee from the folks at Intelligentsia on lazy weekends. And my extremely tiny liquor cabinet is primarily populated by smaller batch distillers.

But beyond that? Well, I just don’t know that much. And it is because my passion is not there. And/Or, I just don’t have the cranial capacity to hold The Oxford Companion to Wine and the Companion to Beer in my head at once.

With the preamble now out of the way, there is one tipple that even though I am not a beverage multi-tasker, I enjoy most often when craft beer is off the table. A simple gin and tonic. Compared to my favorite brew, I feel freer when drinking a gin and tonic because I don’t have to analyze and then over analyze each little sip. I can simply enjoy the subtlety of the gin and the fizz of the tonic at the roof of my mouth.

And there are some tremendous gins out there from Junipero from Anchor or Hendricks that lightly trip across the tongue. And maybe it is that effervescence and complete lack of beer-i-ness that keeps me coming back. Or maybe it was instilled in me by my father and our trips to the bar at the Empress Hotel in Victoria B.C. Whatever synapse fires when I order one is darn close to the one that goes when I select a beer. Just writing about it is making me wonder if I have any tonic at home to go with my Aviation “eau de vie de Genievre”.

Now let me get back to my GinAdvocate magazine and rating the latest on RateGin.com.

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The Final Firkin of 2011


I am not going to talk about craft beer in this month’s firkin. Because I think it is important to step back and talk about all BETTER food and drink for a moment before rushing headlong into 2012.

If you are a true beer geek, you need to also be a wine geek, a cheese geek, a tangerine geek. You get the picture. All of us who write about beer and even those who evangelize in person need to be cognizant that it isn’t enough to love craft beer and then wolf down a McWich of unknown provenance. We are of a same tribe and we should give props to those who create something delicious.

Let me get two caveats out of the way first. One, everyone has bad frozen pizza now and then. A twinkie from the ’80s may pass our lips as well. That’s fine as long as it isn’t the normal routine. Second, you do not have to know “everything” and become the cicerone of each different food and drink. You can be a rank amateur. That is fine.

What I am requiring is that we use the same criteria that we do when we purchase beer, when we buy everything else we eat. To me that means looking for food that is “whole”, un-chemicallized (new word), and local. Your criteria may differ. Just apply your own beer rules when you are choosing between two different offerings at a store.

I think this is important because not only will you be healthier if you are eating a higher quality of food without so many chemicals but it will also send a financial ripple through the food system. Just think of your big ticket monthly expenditures. Groceries are probably up there in the top five. And if you take that money and spend it on better stuff. That impact will be felt. In my case, the big grocery chains have lost 80% of my business. Because I simply find ice cream that is made better and with less additives elsewhere. Same with fruits and vegetables. I get those at a Farmer’s Market.

If enough people make the switch, then more “good” foodstuff’s will be made and we will get more choices and lower prices due to competition. Maybe prices won’t go as low as Cheeze Whizz, but when you factor in the better for you angle and better tasting angle (as it is with craft beer), then the price may not seem so high anymore.

This doesn’t need to get all frou-frou either. You don’t need to be holier than thou and have a burger that is completely cruelty free with micro-arugla. Just make your own burger instead of getting a “fast” one. Instead of ordering a pizza from the Hut. Go to a local pizzeria that makes a fresh pie. Don’t call out ABInBev then buy cheap industrial vodka from a slick marketing campaign.

When faced with a choice. Remember WWCBD. What would Craft Beer do?

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The Barman’s Fund


Times are tough but it looks like the world inside the bar is still welcoming, if not more so than in the past. Breweries are as charitable as ever with time and beer and now a group of bartenders in New York are pitching in to help.

The Barman’s Fund pools the money of bartenders to be given to a charity. I think that each city with a thriving cocktail or beer or wine scene should get in on this idea. And maybe get one of the 1% to throw down some matching money too.

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Session # 58


This month is hosted by Phil Hardy at the Beersay blog.

“The idea for me was based loosely around the visits of three ghosts to Ebenezer Scrooge, but relayed in a post about the beers of Christmas past, present and future.

What did you drink during Christmas holidays of old, have you plans for anything exciting this year and is there something you’d really like to do one day, perhaps when the kids have flown the nest?

Do you have your own interpretation, was Scrooge perhaps a beer geek?

Or maybe it’s all one day. What will you drink Christmas morning, Christmas afternoon and what will you top off the holiday with that evening?

Just a few examples there, but the idea was to keep the topic as open as possible to allow you free rein to write about a subject with a seasonal twist in whatever way the title grabs you.”

I was a bit stymied by this topic which is to be expected since Los Angeles is not known for needing wintry beers. For some reason the winter warmer tastes a bit better when there is a chill in the air. But then the fine folks behind the colLAboration beer gardens announced their winter beer garden at the new Golden Road brewery and a festivus of an idea popped into my head.

Every year I plan on going to the Holiday Ale Festival in Portland and every year, I miss out for one reason or another. But if the Ghost of Christmas Beers Past could grant me a wish, I would love to go back to last year’s festival and try the Cascade sours, the bourbon barrel ales and after enjoying Sleigh’r and Imperiale from Ninkasi Brewing, I really would like to have tried their Unconventional Imperial Stout with Lavendar , Taragon, and Heather.

The Ghost of Christmas Beer Present will not stop me from heading to Golden Road Brewing tomorrow. They will be debuting their next two brews at the latest colLAboration. They are “Brewer’s Choice” beers, which were “developed collectively by the entire GRB brewing team, are perfect for the holidays and an amazing follow up to the limited edition (and nearly gone!) Burning Bush IPA.”

My glass will be filled with Rye on the Palate and Shwartz Stout. And then I will buy more of the new Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Ale which is perfect for us in L.A. since it is a light, fruity IPA. Perfect for the typical warm days we have this time of year.

In the future, I hope to have my own December Ale festival. Hopefully, the Ghost of Christmas Beer Future will be able to help me think of a catchy name first. Because, I would love to have vertical tastings of Bruery “Days of Christmas” beers, Jubelale from Deschutes and maybe even Jubilee from my local, Eagle Rock Brewing.

Maybe I will start this year. From acorns do mighty oaks grow. I have some Anchor from ’08 down in the cellar somewhere.

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The Firkin for November 2011

From the Blinding Glimpse of the Obvious file, “…the U.S. Postal Service faces a growing financial crisis, U.S. senators think the agency can solve some of its problems by turning to alcohol. Lawmakers introduced a bipartisan reform plan Wednesday that would, among other things, allow postal workers to deliver wine and beer in a bid to boost revenues.” (source of quote, unknown)

Ya’ think? I guess necessity and/or bankruptcy is truly the mother of invention. For years, it has been illegal for me or anyone else to send a beer to anyone through the mail. But apparently, when it is that or losing massive amounts of money, the rules are suddenly open to debate.

This is something that should have been allowed years ago. Archaic laws that allow some states to ship to others or forbids a brewer from sending to a customer are plain stupid. If Republican’s are looking for a job killer, here’s one. I know of more than one brewery that would ship their beer across the U.S. if the laws were not so Byzantine. And if breweries were allowed to ship, that would probably require at least a part time person be added. And that person would have more money to spend and the economy might start trickling up (like it usually does). And not only breweries would be in the game, I would expect bottle shops to become major shippers. Especially if they have any limited releases in stock.

If there was one simple national standard that allowed for actual interstate commerce, then I truly believe that breweries would be adding buy buttons on their websites and beer traders would send even more beer than they do now without fear or reprisal. The USPS has the infrastucture to take advantage of it. They could have a special box that they sold for alcohol shipments. They could even charge extra for “fragile” delivery. Bubble wrap and packing peanuts would become a commodity they could sell too.

This country needs to “see” which industries are growing and “help” them by either enacting laws or flat out ignoring the stupid ones on the book. Our government cannot just bow to the whims of whoever is lobbying with larger wads of cash. Last time I checked, those were the people laying off employees.

So what is holding this up Post Office?

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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.