Category: Opinion

my humble and correct opinion

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The Worst

Best of Lists dominate the landscape in all aspects. Movies, books, restaurants and beers too. Occasionally, the worst is talked about but usually within safe and unpublished confines. Get beer people together and you will hear which breweries in town are on their avoidance list.

When I saw this…

…I was intrigued. I would not expect a beer equivalent to be posted online. You have your Worst Beer Blog and other irascibles on the interwebs but a video of the fails? Not super likely and probably not done with good intent as opposed to just plain snark.

Now, I won’t do a Worst of 2020. 2020 is already a swear word. But I will be doing tiers of L.A. beers and breweries with the goal of steering fans to the breweries that will more likely than not, deliver excellent beer. Look for that in December and if the video is still up, watch the Worst Whiskey video.

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North Coast to Davis

Another positive step in creating a more diverse craft beer world, read the below snippet from UC Davis….

“A $50,000 endowment from North Coast Brewing Company of Fort Bragg, California will launch the Mark E. Ruedrich North Coast Brewing Diversity Scholarship for the brewing program at UC Davis. The gift ensures that, by supporting education and opportunity, North Coast Brewing Company furthers its goal of promoting diversity in the brewing industry in perpetuity.

“We’re always looking for opportunities to improve our community,” said Jeff Ottoboni, CEO of North Coast Brewing Company. “The tumultuous events of 2020 reinforced the need for us to make this significant commitment and lead efforts to promote diversity in the brewing industry. Twenty-four hours later, we were on the phone with UC Davis.”

Recognizing UC Davis’ commitment to inclusion and diversity and its reputation for brewing education, the brewery partnered with the Master Brewers Certificate Program at UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education to support aspiring brewing professionals. “We have an obligation to our employees, our community and our world to do what is right at all times and in this case, the best way to do that – to create meaningful, long-lasting change – is through education,” said Ottoboni.”

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A New Steam

I am a harsh judge of brand design. I know what I like and only a few breweries win kudos from me on this front. When I heard that the venerable Anchor Steam was getting a make-over, I blanched. The old (current) design is great. Is it in-modern, yeah but it still stands out on shelves.

Now we get this yellow/gold look and the art is fine but the color scheme is both too much and too little. Garish brightness and lots of unused space. Maybe this will just be a summer look.

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A Podcast & A Beer – Creating Cashflow

Upfront, the creator of this podcast is my much better half so I am biased about this month’s choice for podcast listening. But I think that it might be of great help to all those in the craft beer world struggling mentally with financial challenges.

This soothing podcast gives good advice and hope in equal measure and even if it does not send you on a path to starting a multi-millions dollar career path, it will give you insight that will help you navigate through the tough situations in life.

Two episodes are currently available on all the major platforms or you can head to her website for info.

My wife does not drink, she is the best designated driver. So for this podcast how about having a Hop2O or HopTea instead.

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Open Window

Creativity abounds even in dark times and Temescal Brewing has fused together the 1950s Food-a-Matic with the even older wine window to make a not so automatic beer delivery.

You scan a QR code, place your order electronically and when it is ready, a window opens and you get a beer. Of course it is humans behind those cubbyholes and not robots but it is a bit of whimsy much needed.

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Virtual Hop Picking

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.

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Our Next Guest

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.

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Secret Party

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.

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8 Trillion

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. 

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This is the Way

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.