Category: Opinion

my humble and correct opinion

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The Firkin for December 2021

It is easy to proclaim at the end of each year that the last twelve months were a crazy rollercoaster. But I think we need to look at this in three year increments instead of one year.

2020 had a different trajectory than 2021 and 2022 will (hopefully) be the last part of the trilogy of the Covid years.

I said hopefully because it may look a little bleak at the moment with Omicron and the January surge that will follow the holiday. But breweries hung in there and new ones opened. Both may have been by a hair but it did.

I think that beer life will improve this year, maybe by June we won’t be looking over our shoulders. It may not be enough for some breweries but I think it might allow for some positive churn.

But whatever happens, it will be crazy.

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What Will the Hop of 2021 Be?

Old school beer fans can remember how Citra took over in IPA’s back in the day.  But, to me, there hasn’t been another hop with that meteoric of a rise and with staying power since.

This is not to say that the new varietals since are bad, they just haven’t stormed in like Citra.  Mosaic and Simcoe have their fans but also some detractors.  I happen to like Strata and it has gained a good amount of ground but others like Sabro and the newer Talus and Nectaron haven’t really popped yet.

Part of the problem, as we know from our supply chain issues this Christmas, is that this is all about supply and demand.  There has to be enough supply to create the IPA’s and pale ales by, at least, the trendy FOMO breweries but not too much that it becomes a commodity.  

But hops are not a quickly steered boat but more of a container ship so that means conditions have to be just right.  There has to be enough interest from brewers to push growers to plant and enough interest from beer lovers when those bines are mature.

Maybe what Stan Hieronymus calls the “new wave” of English hops like Jester and Harlequin will find that right window.

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The Firkin for November 2021

For this Firkin opinion piece, with the turkey merely a leftover memory and Christmas fast approaching, I want to get a little grumpy.

Just a little. Then I can get back to my cheerful but wary self. Here is a short list of beer items that I am NOT thankful for…

  • the lactose-isation of beer from pastry stouts to milkshake IPA’s
  • the slowed but still going IP theft labels
  • anyone not feeling welcome in a taproom
  • Whole Foods not being able to scan a single can, only 4-packs
  • lack of half pint pours in many places
  • the font size on labels growing ever smaller
  • idiots not wearing masks

That feels better. Now onto the final month 2021.

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Project TapRoom

My wife is a make-over show fan, but not the normal kind. She will watch the first ten minutes of a show and then fast forward to the end reveal. Very efficient. She has been speed watching a new (to me) show called…

…and as I peered over her shoulder, I thought that breweries could use this too. Have a brewmaster go back into the brew house to recommend new beers and new processes whilst a designer tackles the tap room decor.

Not to come across as mean, but some taprooms could use help in both areas. Maybe even toss in a segment on branding and labels.

I would need Executive Producer credit if anyone wants to take this elevator pitch and run with it.

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A Non Starter

I am empathetic to but wary of groups who have anti-alcohol agendas. In this recent, NPR piece they discussed various options for curbing drunk driving with automotive technology.

I have spoken about this in the past but considering the refusal by large chunks of the country to wear a simple mask, the chances that drivers will blow into a tube or take an onscreen direction from a car is probably not going to happen.

It is also bad enough that my Prius is probably sending information to Toyota but what if it sends info about where I am and realizes I am near a brewery?

Now, I would not mind if the tech had an opt-in. I would like to know if I am over a limit and need to wait thirty minutes to an hour before driving. Especially if that meant an insurance discount.

This may need to have a stick AND carrot approach.

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A Bell Ringing in Belgium

I haven’t had to weigh in with comment on the business side of brewing for quite a bit but yesterday breaking news arrived that Bell’s Beer was joining New Belgium which itself is part of Lion (aka Kirin).

I know that is a bit of a complicated flow chart but it boils down to the two iconic breweries becoming siblings of a sort.

And it doesn’t strike me as a bad thing. Then again, I am non-plussed when it comes to good breweries banding together. Sometimes it won’t work but it can produce a bigger company that can then do more.

My usual advice stands. Monitor both breweries beers and if the nothing changes, don’t worry, be happy.

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Awaiting

DuClaw Brewing is using their latest hazy IPA, Hopportunity Awaits, to shine a light on ten craft beer industry professionals to show that it takes all kinds of people to get beer into your glass. Along with Craft X Edu, cans of the IPA will feature these eclectic folks…

Kenny Gould, founder of Hop Culture Magazine

Barb Baker, Siren of Stout 

Leanne O’Neill, Sip & Saunter beer blogger 

Hannah Ferguson, professional brewer and owner of DOPE Cider House and Winery.

Aadam Soorma, award-winning beer writer

Em Sauter, cartoonist and founder of Pints and Panels

Stephanie Grant, savvy storyteller focusing on diversity and inclusion.

Ryan Cervantes, a packaging manager

Emily Wang, founder of Fermly craft beer lab in Denver, CO.

Rachel Breite, professional brewer

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Homebound?

When Imperial Western Beer Co. re-opens at Union Station it will be with a new name, and I gotta say, not digging the change…

Homebound Brewhaus. Combining Dodger baseball with train travel, I guess. But it lacks the stature that Imperial Western has as a name. Plus the brewhaus just adds a tacky aspect to it. And don’t get me started on the logo. Home plate turned upside down? You can say that the baseball seams also could be tracks but that is a stretch.

To me, this looks like the first step in the sports bar-ification of the space. Even worse is that Homebound has quite a different meaning now, and people are trying to safely stray from home, not shelter longer.

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The Firkin for October 2021

My wife rolled her eyes a bit when she saw the above post, and I get it, most Facebook aphorisms are corny in the light of day but in terms of looking at beer, the above can be helpful.

I think it is healthy to balance the trio of the past, the now and the future. Drift to far into the now and you are doomed to repeat mistakes, living in the future deprives you of the present. You get it.

Here are three ways to keep that teeter totter even:

At your next beer get-together, talk about your favorite brewery that you have visited.

Instead of chasing after those low quantity, highly posted about beers, instead, reach for that Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, a Fat Tire or a Duvel.

When you plan your next big beer trip, add in the places that you know will be solid.

Simple stuff, that, but it will help keep you on track.