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Endorsement for President

I know that this choice does not surprise nor will it change minds but I do have to say what I feel will work better for both this country and for the beer industry as well.

It is easy because of one factor. Yea, oversimplified, I know when many aspects should be contended with but for me the choice is for stability. Business hates unpredictability. And who represents chaos. Pretty obvious that. Harris + Walz will be stable. There won’t be unhinged junior high attacks. No tax breaks for the wealthy because, you know who, stills clings to the fable that he is wealthy. No isolationism from the world. Just down the middle government with occasional turns towards actual progressiveness. Sturdy supply lines, reduced inflation and a solid economy are a pipe dream for Republicans but achievable for Democrats.

On a personal level, I too crave the SSDD of life. I shudder thinking about the Orange One’s psycho tweets that bombarded us all under in his ( hopefully ) one term. It was mentally exhausting. With Biden, I didn’t have to worry about some loose tweet riling up some faction against the other. I can go weeks not having to think of the White House.

At this age of my life, I do not need drama. I want boring, mostly ineffectual, sometimes helpful government. I am not asking for the moon just not to be dragged into a tar pit. Harris + Walz might get the former whilst the other duo are 100% certain to give us the latter.

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Sean Suggests for August 2024

Gonna lean into the hops for August seeing as how we are nearing fresh hop season. Here are three SoCal IPA’s to add to your shopping cart.

Benny Boy Brewing Hazy Persuasion IPA – 6.3% – “first ever hazy has landed and a juicy one with an intense amount of Citra, Mosaic and Simcoe.  The result is a light, pillowy body with a dank fruity nose.”

Beachwood Patio Project – 7.1% – “Get ready to fire up the grill, grab a deck chair, and start sippin’ this new aromatic West Coast IPA featuring Mosaic & Citra hops!”

Riip Beer Riip’n Greens – 7.5% – Back to Back winner of the Best of the West Coast IPA National Throwdown at the TopWire beer garden at Crosby Hop Farms.   

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Back to Life

Jeff Alworth always posts interesting and thought provoking beer content at Beervana Blog and this piece HERE, is no exception.  Using the premise of what other breweries could use a Chobani like savior to bring them back to life.

His picks are more centered in Europe and are much deeper cuts so I propose three additional choices….

One – Bert Grants – this was a Spokane, Washington based pioneer in the early craft beer movement.  With the titular Scotsman as the branding lead.  They made quite a few Americanized British Ales and were decidedly on the malty side of the spectrum.

Two – Thirsty Bear Brewing – this San Francisco based brewery and restaurant was on the organic bandwagon and Spanish tapas too.  Maybe too niche to last too long but I would love to see a beer and serious food pairing space.

Three – Eagle Rock Brewery – this recently closed Los Angeles brewery led the way in L.A. but despite heroic efforts, could not find a winning combination of beers.  Bigger bucks could bring back the opening year line-up and maybe find a better location as well.

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Enter the Hall

Add a new city to the Hall of Fame locations.  Cooperstown, Springfield and Cleveland and now wherever the future home of the American Craft Beer Hall of Fame.

Led by Board of directors Marty Nachel, Aaron Gore, John Freyer, Matt Simpson and Lisa Morrison plus web and logo designer, Katherine Reyes have announced the launch of the American Craft Beer Hall of Fame.  

All I know is that there better be a bar inside.

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One Batch of Schoolmates

The Stone Brewing One Batch Dispatch series is back with the new Schoolmates Hazy Double IPA.

Here is the beer description from he brewery: “This particular hazy double IPA features a unique new hop called Anchovy. Don’t panic – despite the name, you can expect ripe watermelon flavors combined with dankness and orange cream character from “new classic” Citra.”

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Put It On the Counter

Here we go again.  There is yet another autopilot home brew system that you can buy.  The iGulu may take a bit because it just passed its Kickstarter goal so production is probably off a ways.  It has the usual settings of let the machine do it or you customize.  The same old, same old slim-ish countertop design so you can put it next to the air fryer you hardly use.  

From where I sit, part of the allure of home brewing is the process.  And these devices are all attempting to remove that.  Home brewing is a hobby that people want to do, not a chore to be AI’d.  

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Here is your first look at the label for XXVIII – 2024 Firestone Walker Anniversary blend.  I will update you when the blend details are available but know that if you are in California or the FW distribution network that you should get a bottle or two even without knowing what is inside the bottle.

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A Book & A Beer – You Like It Darker by Stephen King

This is not the first Stephen King book featured in this monthly post and it will probably not be the last as he shows no signs of slowing down.

The latest is a collection of short stories…

The headliner of the piece is The Answer Man (also my favorite piece) where a young man looking to his possible future encounters the Answer Man on the side of the road, then encounters him again many years later and then a third and final time. It has classic King. Witty dialogue, melancholy and coulda – woulda – shoulda too.

The next anticipates piece is a sequel of sorts to Cujo except for snakes instead of a big, big dog. It was fine but I much preferred the punchy and short The Turbulence Expert about a man with a very specific safety job. I also quite enjoyed The Dreamers about sleep experiments gone wrong.

Many of the stories are set in Florida so if you can get a Florida Weisse style beer that would be a start. Or playing off the title, find something darker. Maybe a dark Bock beer.