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my humble and correct opinion
Yup, every damn thing I see going to have the word “virtual” in front of it. But, this virtual harvest is making me look forward to September. Check out the SCHEDULE and you will see som technical stuff but they are going g to name a new hop and other fun stuff too. If you are a hop fan, this will make you bitter in a good way.
There are 12 guest designs for Stone IPA. The brewery kindly sent me 3 to see up close. I thought that I would declare a Best in Show for the ones that I received as well as the full set.
The three in my ‘fridge came from Logan Moore, Ben Fellowes and Emma Atterbury.
The process for the middle one was involved but it is clearly my least favorite. If you have to wonder if it was drawn by a child, then that is not a good sign. That leave some Fellowes and his dapper gargoyle and Atterbury’s decaying skull and I choose the latter because it just seems more scary and in line with the Stone Enjoy By series of drink fresh before the hops decay.
Overall, my favorite though is a simpler one, the big bold font and then a 3-D modeled gargoyle head like you would see from an archaeological dig. Again, scary but with a nice modern computerized twist. After that, there is the mostly green can, with the lettering turned vertically with a bull meets gargoyle animation rough sketch.
A cool idea to get consumers to take a second look at an old-school IPA.
Time to talk about the police again. I wish it was a happy video of a policeman hooping with kids in the community but apparently, there was a LAPD secret party held recently. Problem one, it was at a bar called the Sassafras Saloon. Horrible old-timey name. Well, past that are more problems.
I thought bars were closed under the current orders?
Who goes to work parties, even not during a pandemic?
Who goes to a work party where masks are optional and doesn’t leave immediately?
I am on record as saying that I am not going to bars and sitting down with a drink. Wearing a Hazmat suit in the SoCal sun is not my idea of fun. But if you must continue the party, do so with a GD mask on! I am starting to think (slow to catch on, I know) that the US is trying to lose the game vs the Virus.
Crowns & Hops has recently announced the 8 Trill Pils Initiative, this is a fund that will financially assist Black brewers wanting into the craft brewing world.
This is another great piece in building a pipeline so that more can enter this industry without extra barriers.
That number is based on economic figures posited by Ani Turner. That is the amount of money that could be boosted into the economy over the next 30 years if racial disparities would be stripped away from business decisions.
The new fund starts with a $100,000 check from BrewDog. The Scottish brewer also has invested in Crowns & Hops last year.
Now, the larger societal fixes need to be added to really make this work. We need to get every child speeding towards success. That means schools, healthcare and housing. And specifically from the brewing perspective, we need a robust mentorship program in all aspects from hop farming to label design to brewing.
I just finished up Season 1 of The Mandalorian (I know I am behind the curve, still haven’t finished the Last Danceeither) and a day or so later, I saw the above. Hoping, kinda, that it was an Obvious Plant but it got me to thinking in this not going to amusement parks world, if Disney would ever bottle Star Wars beverages. Not necessarily alcoholic ones, but I think they could make some cash off of a MandoBrau. And I bet that’s some brewery is going to make a beer with this cereal too.
Finback Brewing has added their voice and platform to a new initiative that I hope will spread across the country, Breathing: Conversations.
Here is the gist of their idea, “We invite all breweries to participate in this conversation and we invite all people to join the dialogue by speaking to each other, telling us your stories and linking all our voices in a collective conversation by using the hashtag #BreathingConversations. The topic of race is a challenging one, potentially uncomfortable, awkward and vulnerable, but it is a conversation we must have. We must hear each other and listen to the voices of the oppressed, of people of color and create a more equitable future.”
Below is an example from Cascade Brewing…
The State of Oregon is mulling over the possibility of allowing beer delivery (other alcohol too) after this pandemic is over. I think the Golden State should put this on the table too.
One of the few bright spots in this virus hiatus has been the Alcohol and Beverage Commission (ABC) stepping up to the plate and changing regulations to help the producers in the state. Granted the must buy food rule is off base, but overall they have made a difference and done so quickly.
The financial pain will not end when a vaccine is found though. Red ink will still be on the books for breweries and constricting sales options again will not help. And it certainly will not get more employees back on the job.
My vote is to run a temporary year-long test and see if shipping and delivery has any adverse longer term effects. Maybe the economy will roar back to life and it won’t be needed but it would be great to have delivery as an ace in the hole if needed to help these small brewery business owners.
Back in the day, there were some weird gimmicks / marketing / boundary pushing beers. And one of the weirder chapters in the craft beer history book was the high ABV battle between BrewDog and Shorschbrau. Scotland V Germany to create a beer higher in alcohol than some spirits.
There was Tactical Nuclear Penguin at 32%. Then the Germans countered with their Bock at 40%, BrewDog came back with Sink the Bismarck which tipped in at 41%. The Bock returned at 43% before The End of History arrived at an eye popping 55%.
All that is preamble to the fact that the two breweries have joined forces (via Zoom) to create a new beer. More news on what it will be is coming.
Since lockdown I have found the pleasure in small things, one of which is the happy hop newsletter (what I call it) from Stan Hieronymus that pops into my inbox.
The latest missive had the usual science deep dives but what caught my eye was this set of planting statistics….
Going up:
Variety 2019 2020 % change
Citra 9,035 11,201 +24%
Mosaic 4,225 5,559 +32%
El Dorado 993 1,605 +62%
Strata 253 764 +202%
Sabro 724 1,175 +62%
Idaho 7 473 904 +91%
Going down (some more than others):
Variety 2019 2020 % change
Simcoe 4,365 4,140 -5%
Amarillo 2,369 2,112 -11%
Cascade 5,280 3,998 -24%
Centennial 3,680 2,891 -21%
Willamette 889 802 -10%
Comparing five years ago to today:
Variety 2015 2020 % change
Cascade 6,952 3,998 -42%
Centennial 4,463 2,891 -35%
Amarillo 1,700 2,112 +24%
Simcoe 2,916 4,140 +42%
Mosaic 1,800 5,559 +209%
Citra 2,993 11,201 +274%
As you can see, don’t be expecting many single hop Cascade IPAs and ready your palate for Citra and Mosaic. The bright spot for me is the growth in Strata which is a hop that I have taken a liking to.
Thanks to the always orange and angry one, masks are now somehow equated as an attack on freedoms by some even though it is simply a Don’t Share Your Air health issue. And since the jolly old USA didn’t start wearing masks soon enough or often enough we are stuck in a cycle of high infection rates.
Does that excuse a business owner from going on social media and venting his frustration? Part of me says no because social media is not the place to go to for courteous discourse and adding to the anger isn’t going to solve anything. But since seeing people on ventilators and seeing graphs going upward doesn’t seem to affect these “anti-maskers”, maybe the jolt of being told to fuck off will.
When I look at it from both sides, my final conclusion is that you post happy and scream internally. My post would have read: Due to soaring Covid19 cases and a non-soaring mask wearing rate, we will not be open. When mask wearing becomes a task done for the good of the people around you, cases will drop and we can open. Join with us in making or Courtyard community safe and healthy.
Then let people like me bark at people for having not been in line for brains.