Category: Opinion

my humble and correct opinion

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Strong

Anchor Brewing has entered the helping business with their Stay Strong SF campaign. They hooked up with Bay Area artist, Jeremy Fish who created and put up “special artwork across several boarded up bars and restaurants across the city. The design is a modern twist to the San Francisco flag, with a Phoenix rising from the ashes.  Every poster has a QR code that directs you to donate to the United States Bartenders Guild.” If you have left your heart in SF you can get a poster which are available to download for free HERE.

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An Anvil of Hope

AleSmith has set-up a new nonprofit with a heavy name, Anvil of Hope. The goal of the organization is in three parts, A) assist low-income families facing homelessness B) assist youth aging out of foster care C) help neighbors experiencing financial hardships. This effort from AleSmith owners Peter and Vicky Zien will hopefully spread hope and hops.

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Beard Shut Out

Looks like no beer representation at this year’s James Beard Awards (whenever they are held)…

…even wine got the short shrift as distilling seems to be in. Maybe because of the hand sanitizer pivot. You would think that craft beer would get at least one name on the list each year.

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The Firkin for April 2020

OK, rule breakers. If you were allowed to sit in a taproom today, would you? I would feel safe that breweries or restaurants would not keep a sick person serving because the backlash would be really bad. But if the normal seating capacity of a space was, say, twenty people and there was already more than five there, I would hesitate.

Partially because I do not want to go this far without catching the virus and then get it on the rebound. But, obviously, I am in the minority. If a beach is open , people will flock together no matter if someone dressed as the Grim Reaper is walking with them mocking them.

I will be taking it slow and steady. As restrictions are eased, I will go out a little more, maybe travel to a further away taproom while traffic stays lighter than usual. But I won’t be returning to my normal clip of visits until the second wave has passed. And that first brewery party or fest is going to be real weird for sure.

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Okto-gone

Well, the beer steins will be empty as it looks like Oktoberfest in Germany will be taking a break in 2020. That is a huge tourist dollar loss for Munich especially. And with that large domino falling, I expect that other big festivals are going to follow that lead.

Which means no festival for L.A. Beer Week, no Great American Beer Festival and those Anniversary parties will have to skip a year. Unless, of course, the Governor of Georgia has anything to say about it.

I would go so far as to guess, that any party on the books for 2020 would be on the chopping block. I know that seems far off and maybe overly cautious but all it would take is one sneeze or one cough in a crowded area to throw the fear of God into people. And this is before the probably inevitable round two when the virus comes around again because people didn’t quarantine enough the first time.

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Aftermath – Part 6

Will delivery be normal after the virus has passed? Will to-go orders and curbside pick-up remain an option?

I would say that both will eventually phase out. In-state delivery is just too costly not to mention bad for an environment healing from lack of cars on the road. Plus, with travel opened up, visiting breweries will more than like return if the stir crazy mood of Americans is any indication.

Curbside though might hang on longer as fear and worry slowly dissipate. Eventually though, the keg trade will reclaim its position and there will be less cans and bottles to pick-up and run with.

Where it may linger a bit more is in the delivery apps. They are either going to struggle with being profitable or struggle to pay a workforce that will increasingly call for more money and alcohol might be a big ticket item that could be used to pay back investors and contractors.

The taproom experience is clearly something people want so that means back to the sidelines for delivery.

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Why Now and Why?

Moylan’s is coming out with some Tolkien inspired beers. But my first question isn’t about how the might taste, but Why Now? Is there some Rings content hitting airwaves that I do not know about? Then my second question is Orc Piss? Really? Orc Blood or Mount Doom would have been better for a stout, unless, of course, there is some Rings content primarily focused on peeing.

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Belief

The Brewers Association made the announcement yesterday that it has teamed up with the fundraising organization Bottleshare in creating the new “Believe in Beer Fund”. This non-profit money raising effort will go towards support for breweries and state brewers guilds across the country in these dark times of silent taprooms.

Yesterday, the duo began accepting applications from guilds and breweries in need of financial support. That is part one. Part two is the solicitation of donations from consumers for the fund. The online vehicle for that is a GoFundMe, that campaign runs through Sunday, May 17. According to the BA, “The goal of the fund is to provide financial support to pay payroll, rent and utilities.”

The hard and scary part of the process belongs to Bottleshare which go through the applications and give the yea or nay. The money allocated will head to breweries in June. Let’s hope that is not too late.

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Aftermath- Part 5

Next post crisis agenda, L.A. Beer Week. Each June the beer community gathers around our wide geographic area and celebrates. This year will be markedly not business as usual.

But, I do believe there is opportunity here. Yes, even if still locked down and isolated or out of business can provide hope. First, I think there must still be a Unity beer produced. And I would suggest that it be a strong golden ale that provides ABV but a golden hued glimmer as well.

If we are still isolated, there should be Zoom parties set-up for each day of the week, Jerry Lewis telethon style where brewery A hosts for 30 minutes, then a second brewery takes over with four breweries a night talking about their history, how best to support them and how to buy their beer. Or videos, can be made that guide people through a breweries beers and put up on the main Guild website and a dedicated YouTube channel.

If we are allowed outdoors in June, I would propose a Socially Distant Beer Festival. If only 10 people are allowed together in one venue, sell 9 tickets and have everyone properly spaced and then have a curated flight of local beers to offer them. Use the rules to make new events that abide by them. Or set a date for a Christmas Festival as a make-up. That is far enough in advance that it could actually happen.

We want people to get re-engaged with local.

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Aftermath – Part 4

So, the Brewers Association has been surveying its membership about, basically, economics and the latest figures are pretty grim…

It’s that 46.4% number that is all that I can see. That means that brewery unemployment is going to spike here in April and May as owners wait by the mailbox for a check from the SBA. I’m not even counting that 15.2% number which are those in more dire straits. Current numbers from a survey of California breweries has Tom McCormick from the CCBA estimating that 15 to 20% of breweries will be gone in the next month or two with 5 to 10% more gone the rest of the year.

Wha would a world with 38.4% remaining breweries look like? Well, I would guess that sales and marketing would have a lot easier times fighting for shelf space. The booking of yoga and comedy and trivia would probably decrease too as extra measures won’t be needed. I would assume that the bigger regionals who had been hurting will love having a large distribution footprint as well when that void needs to be filled.

But it will mean suppliers from hops to cans to labels will have less market to pitch to and industry events might be a little fiercer because of it. Then there is the matter of all that expensive equipment. There will be no ready place for it. And I do not see a rush to take over spaces where fermenters are bolted down either so what kind of creative solution will emerge?