Category: Opinion

my humble and correct opinion

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Pac 12

Deschutes Brewery is now  “Official Craft Beer of the Pac-12 Conference.” Which I see as a bit odd and a missed opportunity.

There is no university in Bend and Deschutes has locations in Portland and Virginia but not any of the PAC12 towns.

There is also the tiny issue of underage college drinking but let’s table that as separate from this discussion.

It would have been much more fun to have Deschutes partner with a brewery from Seattle, Pullman, Corvallis, Eugene, Berkley, Palo Alto, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City and Boulder. Last time I checked there were breweries in those towns or at least nearby.

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The Firkin for August 2021

The return of beer festivals is again and maddeningly in another limbo pause courtesy of the duo of unvaccinated and Delta but that provides an opportunity to make some tweaks to them.

One addition that I would like to see is raising awareness of women being subjected to all levels of crap behavior by men. Ranging from being man-splained about beer to unwanted sexual advances.

My idea is that those pouring beers and those volunteering would wear festival branded t-shirts with statements on the front such as “No I do not want your number.” or questions like “Have you ever felt unsafe at a festival?”

The back would say, “If you need help, ask us.”

I am sure that female craft beer fans would be able to come up with many, many, many more examples for the front of the shirt.

If enough of these shirts were at festivals, I think that those who felt they had license to behave badly might not see your festival as looking the other way. Maybe even staging an impromptu scene where volunteers act out how to use the help and the consequences might make even the most cavalier of men take notice.

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Hard Dew, Hard Pass

One could make a persuasive argument that brand extension is more American than apple pie. Or apple pie hard seltzer. Because, well, this…

Mountain Dew, whatever “flavor” it is has entered “hard” territory. Mountain Dew like Tab and Fresca, has its followers but most people would crinkle their face up if told they had to drink some. And I bet that the people that use “the Dew” as a cocktail base may prefer their own concoctions over SnakeMelon, Wolf Rosacea and original flavor. I can’t imagine that the zero sugar helps this flavor equation either.

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Next Gen Beer Cellar

Yes, we are plastic filling the ocean. Yes, climate change is real. But maybe, we can start working with the ocean instead of against it.

Instead of thinking that you are so cool to cool of your cans in the lake or river, how about THIS?

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Hop Class

For the 2nd year in a row,  Yakima Chief Hops (YCH) is taking their Hop & Brew School virtual. It is a five-day event taking place in cyberspace from August 30th through September 3rd.

I listened in on many presentations last year and learned quite a bit but lets have the press release convince you…

“For nearly two decades, YCH has hosted this comprehensive hop harvest experience for the brewing community complete with a behind-the-scenes look at the hop industry as well as educational seminars. Now in its 18th year, Hop & Brew School® is considered to be a highly regarded event among craft brewers and one of the most in-depth hop education programs in the industry.

Due to COVID-19, YCH will be holding this event in a virtual format for a second year, as safety remains their first priority. This year’s schedule features sessions surrounding new discoveries in advanced hop research, hop application best practices, hop sensory training, a deep dive into the beyond beer beverage category and homebrew tips. Participants will also receive an inside look at organic hop growing and experimental hop development. Speakers include both hop industry experts and veteran brewers.”

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HOF

You may have seen the 2021 NBA Hall of Fame inductees announced this month (if not check HERE). But the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame also announced a partnership with the White Lion Brewing Company. The brewery will release a beer “with a commemorative collector’s label designed to capture the imagery of the Hall of Fame’s annual Enshrinement Program.”  

“The Class of 2021 will be enshrined on Saturday, September 11th at MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield.”

No Blazers entering the hallowed halls this year but when they do next, I might need to get my hands on this beer to toast them.

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You First

I know this little post – about caregivers – is not one of my regular topics, but I’m helping to share this important information in case it is useful to anyone in our craft beer community.

Because, craft beer people don’t hesitate to help.

You might know someone who is currently caring for a loved one…

…perhaps they are helping a parent who is losing their independence….perhaps they are assisting a partner who has a chronic illness….perhaps they are raising a child with a disability.

Whether they’ve been doing it for awhile or they’ve just begun, they might benefit from knowing that my wife (a coach and strategist for 20+ years) is starting an on-going coaching program to support caregivers – especially ambitious, big-hearted people who want to stay connected to themselves and their goals while they give care. 

All of the details about the program are here – feel free to pass this link along: https://kristineoller.com/youfirst/

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HopSlam a Robot

If you look for the mini-kegs of Hopslam from Bell’s, you will need to look for flying saucers and robots because the packaging has been sent out of this world…

… one of the classic craft beers.

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S&S

I totally understand that despite recent Delta setbacks, having a proper pint at a taproom is back and most people just want to enjoy that simple pleasure.

But this is a good time to really evaluate beers again, get back into practice. A good primer is HERE from the always fabulous Beervana blog.

I want you to focus on the two S’s. Subtlety and Surprise because I find that is what really vaults a beer into memorable territory.

We have all had beers that blasted us with one distinct flavor. But how often do we have beers that start with pine, say, but has a layer that you can taste but not quite put your finger on that accentuates the pine note?

Or what if that hazy in front of you has a big pine note, that would not be expected at all but now you have a disparate pair of notes that makes you notice what you are drinking.

What is normal is to get a perfectly fine middle of the pack IPA (insert other beer style here) that ticks boxes but doesn’t have the Easter egg tucked away.

So find those S&S beers.

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Scratch

Dogfish Head doesn’t specify which hop oils were add to the box of their latest variety pack but each one has a hop cone to smell. I think it would be even cooler to have people guess the hop as well to see who has the hop expertise.