Category: Opinion

my humble and correct opinion

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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.

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Giga WTF

A) It is Elon Musk, not the Rolling Three Stones, who are these people in the crowd?

There is no B.

Well apparently Musk and Tesla sold-out of a $250 Tesla Tequila. 

Now Tesla has moved onto “Giga Beer”. The beer bottle’s design will be drafted off of their not quite ubiquitous Cybertruck.

Initial press releases mention nothing about the beer at all. It will probably be better to not drink and save it in hopes of flipping it

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More Silos

You know you have reached Paso Robles when you see the massive silver fermentation tanks outside the ever growing Firestone Walker brewery complex.

Well, it just got bigger. Head HERE to watch a video about the six new tanks that will be put to good use.

I have been seeing quite a few social media posts of L.A. breweries welcoming in new equipment. Perhaps this is an early economic indicator.

Speaking of the Central Coast, I will be making a beer trip! (first since February 2020) and I will have some posts and photos in November.

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A Bit Silent

Scrolling through beer social media (except for Twitter), I have seen posts about the Brave Noise beer project and have been heartened to see breweries around the country signing on to help with the cause of making sure that women get treated (as they should already be) as well as men.

But when it comes to Los Angeles, this is the lone post…

I will grant you that the SoCal Cerveceros have cachet in the wider beer world but I thought there would be more action. I will grant that Smog City recently did a beer conceived and created by the women who work there so they get a pass but it would have been great to see other places do it as well.

I do not sit in on brew day decisions or brewing schedules and maybe Oktofest beers were filling tanks so there was no space but not even a one off batch on the R&D brewing set-up? Or designate a weekend where a beer is the Brave Noise sub?

This post isn’t to shame a brewery because I know this community does A LOT of charity. More than I know about probably but it just seems odd and a bit disheartening that there wasn’t a few beers on shelves or on taps.

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Pink in 2022

Hop supplier Yakima Chief Hops , have the details on their custom 5th annual Pink Boots Blend of hops. The blend changes each year, and sales help to fund the Pink Boots Society whose mission is to assist, inspire, and encourage women in the fermented and alcoholic beverage industry. International Women’s Day will be on March 8th, 2022. Expect some great beers later that month.

Here is the mix…

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The Firkin for September 2021

There are words in the English language that make people squirm. Including squirm or the leader in the category, moist.

There are beer descriptors that turn me off. I am wary of specific terms like sweet. But what really boils my blood is the term “crushable”. You can read a take on it from The Punch, HERE.

I guess, for me, it just conjures up people drinking just to drink. Not drinking to enjoy whichever beverage it is. Not drinking with a group of friends, not drinking and enjoying football or soccer. But it is just drinking. Like inhaling a bag of chips for no reason other than being on the couch.

I am not going to sermonize that every beer is meant to be analyzed with every sip. Far from it. Sometimes the best experiences are the ones we let wash over us. But “crushable” isn’t anywhere near experience. It is neanderthal, violent and best left at Animal House.

Brewers can put the word on their labels but they should know that many people do not have the same definition of the word,