New Kirin Belgium

Well this was some news to find in the local paper. I was in a Wi-Fi “un”-enabled spot and did not see this come across the ticker. The employee owners of New Belgium followed a path that Full Sail broke ground on in selling to Kirin – Lion – Little World. I have the feeling that more of this will happen in the future as older and bigger and not hip breweries look for a parachute out. Whether this works will be seen. Full Sail has not regained momentum but Anchor sold not once but twice and seems to be stable but then on the third hand, Lagunitas has been slimming down even with Heineken behind them. Or maybe this will mean a foedre sake blend in the future.

An Excise Christmas

If you were worried about the looming Christmas deadline imagine what small brewers are feeling.  December 31st is the end of the CBMTRA (Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act).  That act of Congress (one of the few that the do-nothing’s in DC have done) reduced the excise tax basically in ½ per barrel.  Instead of $7.00, the charge went to $3.50 instead.

But it was a temporary relief bill and if it is not re-authorized the cost of being in the beer business will go back up.  Thankfully, most states see the benefits of this and it is hard to find many politicians that are against bringing it back but with impeachment sucking the air out of the room, it could easily be forgotten.

I think we all need to send a little Thanksgiving reminder to our representatives to remind them of how beer can grow without an Excise tax headwind.

Fandom

I know that the label for the new Mosaic hopped IPA from Stone Brewing is targeted at IPA Diehard Fans but I could see this as something that could be brand widened to include the colors or logo of local teams around the country. Stone could even make a Charger version for when they finish their season outside of the playoffs. Nice little, this is what happens when you leave San Diego nudge.

Seltzer’s End

I fall into the summer fad camp and slow fade from prominence future for spiked/hard seltzers. I know the October numbers were still great but I don’t think the good times will continue. Others think it will last a lot longer and others can’t believe people are still talking about it. For us naysayers on the spectrum another reason to see less Claws and fewer breweries getting into carbonated water is that Bud Light is getting in on the action.

By the time that a big ship of a corporation turns and adds the name of its big seller onto a non-beer product and not just some faux Bon & Viv’s style sub-brand, means that smaller players are going to get run over because Bud will take shelf space. Also now that “Commercial Grandpa” is in the business, the coolness factor will be dulled considerably. And all of those people who jumped in, in the fall will probably scramble away.

Thoughts on Beer at the Morrison

When I go out for beer it is 99% of the time to a brewery or a very #independent craft beer bar. When I go out for food, I would prefer that craft beer be on the menu but understand (though disappointed) when it is not. That being said, there are restaurants that try and those that seem to just buy what they remember or what sells. That is prelude to what I saw when I met some friends for a monthly rotating dinner this time at the Morrison in Atwater Village.

A) The place was quite dark and due to the layout the paths could really only be one way at any time. The main light came from the multitude of TV’s playing the Clipper game

B) ABInBev bought Golden Road some Ram coasters to give out. Too bad that Goff, Gurley and Co. are middle of the NFL road this year.

C) The beer list was not half bad. There were a couple Smog City beers, Chronic from Pizza Port, 805 if you wanted to just chill. They had a whole section of limited beers that the menu was selling hard. But overall, it seemed like a place that was making an extra effort. I mean anyplace that has Russian River is ahead of the game.

250

Jason Lee Norman, an Edmonton publisher and author, has come up with an ingenious use for a can of beer.  Norman teamed up with Blindman Brewing for custom can labels for the brewery’s limited edition summer ale.  Each can had a micro-short stories from local writers on the label.

For those who love to have something to read on cereal boxes this is perfect.  Pour your beer and then read your story while you taste the ale.  I could see this being a great idea for a brewery that has a large distribution footprint that can add local flavor by having a different label for different markets.

Cost of One CBA

A little financial sleight of hand and suddenly a 20 million dollar fine seems like a small price to pay for the Craft Brew Alliance. ABInBev owned a minority stake in the group that includes Appalachian Mountain Brewery, Cisco Brewers, Omission Brewing Co., Redhook Brewery, Square Mile Cider Co., Widmer Brothers Brewing, and Wynwood Brewing Co. (basically just Kona and Widmer and really just Kona if you want to sit on brass tacks) had a September deadline for ABInBev to buy them at higher price A) 475 Million. That was declined and the 20 million paid so that lower price B) could be paid around 321 million.

321 + 20 < 475 sums up that transaction.

What happens now though Kona gets added to the formerly known as “High End” or “Brewers Collective” as if we were in the USSR. The other breweries on the list will too but I doubt they will last long before being spun out somehow. ABInBev has the geography and styles covered already with higher financial performers. Widmer Bros. is the odd duck here as a heritage brand with super-strong ties to Portland. It might be a target for revival for an ambitious under VP in ABInBev ranks. Or it may end up on the scrap heap too which would sad for the current oldest brewery in Portland.

Let the Best(s) Begin

I ran across the first Best of 2019 list a week ago…

Craft Beer & Brewing, one of the few remaining beer magazines around now published their Top 19. I was heartened to see Beachwood Blendery on the list, Russian River nabbed a spot and one of my favorites from the year, the Crooked Stave Sour Rose was there which validated my taste buds. I just can’t believe that with 2 months left in an industry tilted towards spur of the moment tap room only releases that you can leave 2+ months of the year un-examined.

Beer Thug

I have to admit that I have never heard of BeerThugLife until I saw this PIECE in the L.A. Times. As I read the article, I was torn about it. I bet I would like Edgar Preciado as many people say they do and I like that the paper is highlighting people that don’t fit the stereotypical independent beer fan (i.e. me).

But man I am not a fan of the whole “chug it” mindset even for humor, or to make a point. Granted it is probably better than turning the can into trades across the country but I see it as such a waste of both time (waiting in line and later filming and uploading) as well as just not appreciating the beer. And how is one chug any different from the other? Not my type of entertainment and it is telling that that type of video is what gets a response on social media.

On the other hand, if it gets a new crowd into craft beer then I an easily live with it and if Preciado can leverage this into being able to bring a brewery to an area of L.A. that is under-served, then more power to him. I will certainly write about his brewery, I just won’t chug. His beers and all beers deserve more than that.

Bank Withdrawl

This story was recently in the L.A. Times….

It is rare that a government body is even a tiny bit pro-active but San Diego has seen the power of both biotech and beer and have created a new bank.  One that will be filled with water and (hopefully) won’t increase taxes.

The city wants to take “stranded”, unused water from business ventures willing to part with it and offer it to water dependent companies willing to pay for extra.  It is a clever idea and one that could conceivably work with other finite resources. It will be interesting if this project takes off and can be a model for other water districts.