Category: Opinion

my humble and correct opinion

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A Dry Pushback

I am not a social media power user (still no Tikety Tokety for me) but I have noticed pushback on Dry January from various and sundry folks with half the month now past even in the face of the amount of N/A options increasing significantly. Lots of #PubJanuary hashtags out there.

Maybe instead, the moderation talk can be spread throughout the year instead of focusing on the slow times in January.

We know why taprooms are slow and less crowded, the reasons are twofold. Financial and seasonal. When the weather is crappy, people go out less and they certainly don’t sit out on a patio with a beer or two. Customers have also probably over celebrated during the holidays and take a breather for a bit. Whatever the reason, the brewery books do not look rosy because of it each January and into February.

So ironically, you end up promoting a month of drinking less in an already slow month which, in essence, is setting an easier goal for yourself. If you wanted to take a bigger swing, then pick a month in the high summer drinking time.

Before I go further, I am not against N/A options, in fact, I think all the options should be on the menu. Choice is great and needed. And if someone uses January to re-set themselves healthwise, again, all for it. But if you don’t go to breweries or bottle shops for a month, you cannot expect all to be there when you want to binge on February 1st.

The pendulum has swung in favor of the survival of breweries as we sit in non-growth times for craft beer. Dry January may have been a non-factor when growth was big but now that it isn’t it is most certainly seen.

What to do? Well, moderate your drinking through the year. instead of one lump sum. I advocate taking days off each week. I don’t drink alcohol two days of the week and I watch my intake to keep it at a certain level the rest of the days. I end up with three sober months that way. And local business’s get my money each month.

Option two is to buy craft N/A options at their taprooms. One can go out with friends without drinking. If more people did that, breweries, bottle shops and bars would notice and probably increase the N/A section of the menu.

You can support locally AND be healthful at the same time.

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Bagby Beer to Green Cheek

In startling news, Bagby Beer Co. in Oceanside is transitioning into the southernmost Green Cheek location.

You can read the full adieu HERE but this is a big change. Oceanside is a well beer-ed city, Bagby has a large sprawling location which combined with a general craft beer downturn probably laid the groundwork for the change. A type of change that will be happening more often in 2024.

It is too bad as you will tell from today’s other post that I really liked their beers. Solid quality. On the good side of the ledger, Green Cheek is pretty solid too, can’t really quibble with them taking over.

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New Address for the Party in 2024

Party Beer Co. is on the move and it is for typical reasons for an L.A. brewery. The landlord.

But do not fret. The beer will continue, brewed at Eagle Rock Brewery until they can find a new forever home. The beer will also be on tap at what will be a combo Eagle Rock – Party Beer taprrom.

It is a shame that West Adams is losing a spot for craft beer because the area is under beer-ed.

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The Firkin for December 2023

One last kvetch for 2023 before the craft beer world moves into 2024.

Hours of Operation. Why do I have to be Sherlock Holmes or an investigative journalist to find them and once found, why am I wary that they don’t really reflect the actual open hours?

A little backtrack first. My father was an inveterate gambler when it came to going out to a restaurant. He barely checked the address, let alone if the darn place would be open. God forbid he call the establishment.

My genome carried some of that devil may care attitude but it has been slowly and surely burned out of me. In my last road trip, I read and re-read the hours of one spot that I wanted to visit. It seemed clear but it was clearly at odds with the sign on the closed door that said different.

Another brewery that I checked and re-checked was closed for a staff event. No where was that mentioned. Guess it was expected that people would find out when they drove their and saw a darkened taproom. Another brewery was lit up and an employee was inside but that employee was apparently the only one who showed up and so the brewery was staying locked.

If I had called the brewery with the staff event, would the message said that? If I had called the one employee brewery, would the phone have been answered. I suspect no in both instances.

Why can’t hours be easy and clear? Are they changing with such frequency that social media cannot be updated quickly enough? Does no one have that job?

The fix is simple. Check your hours on your website and social media pages. Then fix if needed. If hours for a certain week, like Christmas or New Year’s is different, then post that.

Of the three places where I traveled and met with no welcome, I did not go back to two of them. That should say something.

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Bye, Bye Beer Paper

The November issue of Beer Paper featuring a German theme may prove to be the final issue of the monthly paper.

I have seen a few other newsletters call it quits as well and it seems to be not only due to financial considerations but also to time spent that could be spent elsewhere for better gain.

I think that another consideration is that the craft beer missionaries have decreased in number. Factor that in along with the steady change in how we get our news now favoring Tik Tok means that beer fans not only have to keep their enthusiasm up, they also have to keep changing technology.

It is tiring if you want to make a living at it. Or at least not bleed money.

Which gets us back to Beer Paper which has plugged along month to month covering a wide range of stories from around the Los Angeles area. They have allowed me to write about beer books which is doubly against the grain of the times.

It must be said that the news is not yet final but I would expect changes at the very least. Perhaps quarterly. Perhaps online only. Either way, it was a great run and I am glad to have been a small contributor to it.

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Hop Data Points

Yakima Chief Hops is launching a new program named FWD, to drill down on both on data and the brewing community.

Here are a couple of snippets from the press release, “Participating brewers will be granted access to the newest, not-yet-commercialized HBC varieties and products in Yakima Chief Hop’s innovation pipeline. Application registration is open for breweries interested in trialing cutting-edge hop products and promising experimental hop varieties. In its inaugural year, FWD will be welcoming a limited number of enthusiastic participants. Through brewing trials, questionnaires, conversation and sensory analysis, brewers will have the opportunity to guide these products through their final stage of development, assuring YCH is working on the most useful and exciting products in the industry.”

“The ultimate goal of FWD is to have a circular, growing community of brewers working with Yakima Chief Hops to identify and curate the products that keep beer moving forward.”

More information can be found at HopFWD.com .

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The Firkin for November 2023

There has been a wee bit of gnashing of teeth as noteworthy breweries have changed hands. Ecliptic into the Ninkasi portfolio. Many breweries huddled newly under the Tilray banner. Anchor in a weird limbo.

Beer fans can ponder the economics of it all but I would say that we also need to learn how to let go. There was a run on Anchor beers only when supplies became limited. The only other notable press they received was for their design change that no one liked.

My question becomes, if Anchor or Ecliptic or pick a brewery in trouble were to be lifted magically to in the black and not red, would that amount of beer be sold? I doubt it.

As SoCal belatedly settles into fall, we should all understand that seasons change. Your favorite brewery, my favorite beer, that great taproom you traveled to will most likely all be gone and that is OK. Not great. A bummer for sure but it opens the door for a new wave to try their hands at this crazy brewing game.

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Craft TV? Ever?

In this era of streaming where there is even a show about foot surgery.  Yes, it is gross.  Why is there no beer content?

The closest I have seen recently was yet another kitchen challenge show in the same format as all the others but swapping in cocktails as the main theme.

There could be a show about the whole process.  More science, more PBS with some history thrown in.  It could be a travel show.  Going from craft beer town to craft beer town with a jovial Huell Howser type host. I am not big on competition shows but there is probably a documentary series that could be done on getting the top level of Cicerone certification.  

There does not seem to be much, if any, about most beverages so maybe it is a liquid thing.  But I wish there was more out there for us fans. Even if it is just 9 minute videos on a dedicated YouTube channel but that is for the next post.

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Happy Thanksgiving

A great Thanksgiving for me is an unstressed Thanksgiving. No worries about cooking a turkey, no who to invite or not, no traveling through a packed airport.

Give me a turkey sandwich and a side and I am good.

And a few beers too.

However you best enjoy the day, enjoy it. Give thanks for the last 11 months and thanks for the next 11. We all need it.

Cheers!

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Glitter Redux

I know that the glitter beer trend has come and gone and also gotten a bit of shade thrown at it in the process but if you are still looking to fancy up your beer then you can look into well, Fancy Edible Glitter.  It is an edible glitter that has been “formulated for both food and drink”.