Memo from the Miller Lite Marketing Team

Hear us out on this. We think we can confuse craft beer drinkers by putting our industrial lager into a 16oz can while also having a different label color, GOLD. I know that would be better during the Olympics but how does this look?….

…oh and we still refuse to spell light correctly. What do you think sirs?

Irish Pub Wherever

Authentic.  You know it when you vibe it.  Some pubs, or breweries have a feel to them, none more than an Irish pub.  Which is odd, when you think about it, because most people, myself included have probably been in less than five or certainly less than ten actual in Ireland pubs and of those, how many were tourist spots?

Which makes this Smithsonian piece about Mel McNally such a good read.  McNally has found the sweet spot of Irish pub while also planting it in a community that is nowhere near Dublin or Galway.

World Beer Cup!

courtesy of the Brewers Association

Getting the bad news out of the way first. Ireland did not medal in this year’s World Beer Cup. But closer to home the State of California brought home a total of 76 medals from Indianapolis and the Craft Brewers Conference.

Narrowing down to the large Los Angeles area breweries, here are the beers you should be looking for to see if you agree with the judges…

San Fernando Brewing – Dr. Sleep Barrel-Age Beer

Arts District Brewing – Through the Roof International Pale Ale

Claremont Craft Ales – Pepper and Peaches Experimental IPA

ISM Brewing – Hamburghini Italian Pilsner

Angel City Brewing – Big Trouble in Little Tokyo Experimental

ISM Brewing – Plough and Harrow Saison

Beachwood Brewing – Party Crush IPA

818 Brewing – Matador Red Ale

Far Field Krispy Kiwi Hoppy Lager

Santa Monica Brew Works – Basil Lemongrass Gose

Beachwood Raven’s Revenge British Imperial Stout

Beachwood Funk Yeah! and Funk Yeah! Peach Belgian Sour

Absolution Brewing Rector 2025 Belgian-Style Blonde

14 Cannons Home Run Jack American Lager

The Firkin for April 2025

I fully understand and am aware that I have whinged on about events at brewery taprooms that seem divorced from what a brewery does but in the last week I have seen many emails and social media posts about speed puzzling in taprooms.

And, I guess, it is better than having tipsy patrons throwing axes but how many puzzle pieces are found the next day on the floor? I can barely muster the enthusiasm to do a puzzle when my mind has the latest software updates loaded, let alone after a couple 7% hazy IPAs.

Now compare that to this wonderful Pellicle Magazine piece by Anaïs Lecoq about a small pub in France where thought has been put into the brewery that is poured, where the owner has your pour ready when you cross the threshold and the ephemera on the wall is earned and meaningful.

This is not a slam on any modern day brewery trying to survive and expand their beer drinking base but I do worry that the lessons of pubs are not being learned.

Memo from the Miller High Life Marketing Team

Hello Brewing Team!

Got a quick favor to ask. Can you send us a keg of what we call beer, because we need to get it to a new marketing partner so they can make these…

…because its cool right? Plus it saves people from actually drinking it.

Thanks in advance, the Marketing Team

115.2

I have not been a fan of the 19.2oz can format.  The “stovepipe” cans are popular but trend towards double IPAs and / or high ABV which gives me the malt liquor vibes from the ’70s.  

Now Gigantic Brewing from Portland has announced 6-Packs featuring six huge 19.2oz cans of their Imperial IPA, Ginormous. For the math folks, that is 115.2 ounces of hoppiness.

It is a limited time, brewery only offering but if it is popular, I would not rule out a return.

WALLoon

Word has been spread about a pretty cool achievement in drink local as the first 100% Walloon Gueuze was blended at Geuezerie Tilquin. This first blend is composed of fully organic Lambics brewed at Tilquin over the previous 3 brewing seasons. The blend is made up of 50% one-year-old lambics, 25% 2-year-old lambics, and 25% 3-year-old lambics.

Plan Ahead Day – CA Craft Beer Summit

Here is your super early notification that the 2025 California Craft Beer Summit will be held, not in Sacramento this year but in Irvine from November 10-12, 2025.  The theme is “Crafting Momentum—helping craft beer professionals drive progress, adapt to industry shifts, and fuel innovation within their breweries to sustain their momentum in California’s ever-evolving craft beer landscape.”

Toronado as Meme

It seems like famed San Francisco craft beer bar, the Toronado might be sold to a tech bro / crypto clod with the hilarious name of Orion Parrott.

I have only visited the bar once and truthfully did not cotton to the vibe and felt like I was intruding on someone else’s patch.  But I am in the minority on that and I cannot imagine a scenario that Parrott’s version somehow does the bare minimum of keeping it as previous owner Dave Keene did let alone build on the tremendous goodwill and brand that was built, tap by tap.

Read the story HERE and join me in seeing how this plays out.