Category: Opinion

my humble and correct opinion

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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”. 

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Pink Boots Blend 2024

It is crazy to think that this upcoming year will only be the 7th anniversary of the now annual Pink Boots Blend of hops.  The partnership with Yakima Chief Hops creates a new “blend each year with a portion of the proceeds benefitting Pink Boots Society, the non-profit organization whose mission is to assist, inspire, and encourage women and non-binary individuals in the fermented/alcoholic beverage industry to advance their careers through education. YCH will donate $3 from each pound sold of the Pink Boots Blend directly to PBS, helping them to further their mission.”

This year, “the hop varieties in the 7th Annual Pink Boots Blend were collaboratively selected by PBS members through a combination of mailed kits and in-person voting during the Great American Beer Festival. This year’s distinctive combination features a harmonious melody of HBC 638, El Dorado®, Ahtanum®, and Idaho 7®.”

Next year, you will start seeing Pink Boots beers and I highly suggest tasting as many as you can.

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The Firkin for October 2023

America has a sweet tooth. And boy, howdy, it is a big one. That craving for sugar is well ensconced in craft beer just like the rest of the U.S. foodways.

Yes, I am calling for at least a moratorium on the hyper sweetened beers. As I have said before and will say again, creativity and boundary pushing is fantastic but we have reached the boundary and it is time to proceed in a new direction.

I am hoping that a new path is already being charted by intrepid brewers and breweries and it will only be a matter of time before that path becomes a clear trend.

But in the meantime, let’s pause it with pancake stouts, stop the sugary seltzers, cancel cacao coffee and eliminate excess eclair beers. We get it. Or at least I do. I want to see what else you can brew.

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Blazers Re-Start and Re-Mix

The 2023/2024 season starts, for me, with the Portland Trailblazers and our three S’s (Simons, Sharpe and Scoot) vs the Los Angeles Clippers.

The pre-season finished at 1-3 with the only W coming against a team from New Zealand but that was to be expected with only two returning starters and an average age of just shy of 24. But this season should be fun for a few reasons:

  • Expectations are low – no disappointment at failing Dame’s quest for a title
  • Exciting talent – not only #3 pick Scoot Henderson but Shaedon Sharpe and Toumani Camara and new pick-ups DeAndre Ayton and Robert Williams
  • Future picks – even if this season doesn’t show potential, the future just might.
  • Fun rivalries – games against young teams like OKC and Chet and Spurs with Wemby should be the start of something new

Yes, this is not a beer-centric post but for years, I have kinda dreaded watching the Blazers knowing that the balance wasn’t right no matter the effort but now I can sit back and look for progress with a session beer or maybe a Widmer Hefeweizen and enjoy without getting tense. Plus, who knows, maybe Portland breweries are already concocting beers with Blazer themes for this new team.

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Open / Shut – King Harbor

King Harbor Returns?

Everyone follows a social media account which enjoys being cryptic instead of letting the info just rip.  Earlier this month the King Harbor Brewing account posted…..

…with no other hints or clues.  So, I waited to see if some real news would pop up and last week it became soft official that Trusted Gut Brewing from Long Beach had taken over the space, spruced it up a bit and were pouring beer and kombucha at the main brewing location on 182nd. I have not tasted their beers nor even seen them in my neck of the beer shopping woods and I have to assume from the name that kombucha would be their lead with beer and seltzer a lesser focus.