This month a wheat beer, a double IPA and an espresso stout…
Click May 2010 Beers to see what has been selected.
Last Call
Growth?
The Wall Street Journal interviewed Jim Koch of Sam Adams recently and this one question and answer really struck a chord.
WSJ: Could craft beer ever represent the biggest segment of the industry?
Mr. Koch: No. I hope not. Because that would mean we dumbed the beer down for volume, and I don’t ever want to see that. I used to say I make beer for 5% of beer drinkers. The reality has always been that 95% of beer drinkers don’t like my beer. Now, that number has probably gone down to 90%. Because most people drink beer for refreshment, and that’s fine. And that’s the domain of the big brewers and they’re great at that.
This is something that I have thought about occasionally. The less good beer other people drink the more there is for me. But if demand isn’t there then the beer isn’t. So I need craft beer to grow. But how much. If we are 5% of the overall market, is that enough? Is 10% too much?
I, unlike others, do not hate big companies just because they are big. Stone is large now as is Sierra Nevada and Boston Brewing. The beer can still be flavorful or not depending on how it is made.
What I think the industry needs are enough large micros that are on solid footing, financially, who can mentor younger start-ups but also distribute to and educate the non craft consumer.
I don’t think there is a magic number but we should keep pushing. The enlightened few shouldn’t hoard the good stuff.
for Mother’s Day
Bring Mom Out for a Beer on Mothers Day
May 9, 2010
1:00-4:00pm
Mom’s like beer, right? You like your mom, right? Brewpubs won’t be as crowded as the Sunday brunch houses so it’s a win-win!
Session # 39
Here is the May 2010 topic:
“Who’s brewed some of your favorite collaborations?
Who have been some of your favorite collaborators?
Who would you like to see in a future collaboration?”
For me, the first two are easy so let’s dispense with those right away.
Favorite collaboration is the John-John series. I know technically that both John’s work under the Rogue umbrella. But the brewer meets distiller meets the criteria for me. And the Rogue Hazelnut mixed with rum barrels is one of my favorite beers. I can’t wait to grab a bottle of the Juniper aged in gin barrels.
Favorite collaborators are the geniuses from Stone Brewing. I’m sure I will be joined by many others in voting for them just based on the Maui / Ken Schmidt porter collaboration but working with an all-star dream team of BrewDog, 21st Amendment, Firestone-Walker and Jolly Pumpkin is amazing.
Future collaborations is such a tough one. There are just so many choices. So I had to set some rules.
1. Breweries with different styles but not philosophies.
2. Breweries that haven’t collaborated with each other before.
3. Only three breweries and what beer style I would like to see.
With that groundwork in place, here are the three breweries and why I selected them + what beer should be made….drumroll please…..
Eagle Rock Brewery
Captured by Porches Brewing
Black Star Co-Op
First reason why – All relatively new. No preconceptions of what to do or how to do it.
Second Reason why – The first two are from my hometown (Portland) and adopted hometown (Los Angeles). And Black Star is just cool for doing this Co-Op style.
I would love to see them make a simple style with a twist. Perhaps a rye pale ale or a multi-grain porter.
The Firkin for April 2010
Crazy beer laws that affect what is brewed and where it is brewed are cringe inducing headaches. But if you truly want a whopper of a migraine then the world of craft beer distribution is for you. The only comparable source of hope squelching frustration is the political fillibuster.
Ponder this: Kansas, Nevada, Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma are required to sell their beer through a distributor.
Or chew on this: Brewpubs in Texas can only sell their beer in house. A distributor or retailer can’t even touch it.
Lastly: Shipping companies will ship wine any time of day but now seemed scared by someone or something from shipping your favorite brew.
I am not a big fan of a large federal government. What I am a fan of is uniform and level playing fields. Wanna know why you can get Deschutes and Rogue in California but not Surly? Oregon has enlightened (in comparison) distribution laws. Minnesota? Not so much.
Here is my modest proposal:
1. Beer and wine allowed to be shipped anywhere in the country. There is no reason why anybody should not be allowed to buy a beer from any state in the US.
2. Each state can tax it as they see fit. Let’s do the math. No beer shipped X state tax = ZERO. Any beer shipped X state tax = revenue.
3. Breweries should be allowed to choose whatever form of distribution they want. If they want to be small and distribute to a few local stores, they should be allowed to. If they want to Stone it up to national levels they should be given that choice.
Right now distributors and states are getting in the way. The goal is not political viability or creating monolithic distributorships. The goal is for the brewer to get the beer into the hands of the drinker.
Hot Knives – Greatest Sips
Have you ever wondered what cheese and what song go with Russian River Pliny the Elder?
Then you had better get this wicked cool book….
It really has a DIY vibe to it. From the manilla folder recycled cover to the photos on the inside. But looking past that, you get some awesome ideas for beer and cheese pairings. You can see their blog and buy the book HERE
Beer Mapping Project
When I started creating my beer travel recommendations that you see to the right of this post, I used Beer Advocate and the Beer Mapping Project to make sure my facts were right.
With each entry added this site becomes more and more useful and I cannot recommend using it enough.
Session # 39 coming soon
Mario Rubio is hosting the May edition and here is the topic….
“The Session is collaboration of beer writers from around the world working on a common topic on the First Friday of the month. The Hop Press is a collaboration of writers from around the world working on a common site. As host of The Session for May, I thought it was only appropriate for the Hop Press to be a place for a gathering of posts about collaborations.
Feel free to have fun with the topic. Drink a collaborative beer. Who’s brewed some of your favorite collaborations? Who have been some of your favorite collaborators? Who would you like to see in a future collaboration?
As the topic is collaborations, working with each other is encouraged. Look forward to seeing what everyone comes up with.”
I already have some embryonic ideas for this one, do you?
Jolly Pumpkin on NPR
4 1/2 minutes to learn a little bit about the beer of Dexter, Michigan!
Thanks to Beer Searcher Rich for pointing this out.