Tag: craft beer

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Super Beer for the Super Bowl

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(Image from the NFL website)

In a couple hours, Harbaugh Bowl 2013 aka Super Bowl 47 will begin and it is a great opportunity to expose people to great beer in their glass while they watch the gridiron action and the light beer commercials that promise hot girls to any guy with a Bud/Miller/Coors in his hand.

But you can do better. All it will take is some creativity and knowledge of the two cities vying for the top NFL prize. If you are a Niners fan, then stock up on some Anchor or 21st Amendment beers. Or find any other Bay Area beers like Almanac or Drake’s to proudly show your allegiance.

Unfortunately, brewed in Baltimore beer isn’t readily available here in L.A. so you will have to think outside the tackle box. You could have golden Kolsch-style beers for those rooting for San Francisco and black stouts for Raven fans. Or you could do a west coast IPA versus east coast IPA taste test for each quarter. Another option would be to have some Abita beers since the game is being held down in New Orleans.

If you are really ambitious you can do some food and beer pairings to highlight the stereotypical foods of each city. Get a couple beers to pair with Ghiradelli chocolate and crabs to mollify both sets of fans.

At the very least, bring out the good stuff. Don’t get railroaded into drinking something bad when you could (at the very least, and it is a great very least) bring a growler of beer from your local craft brewery.

Hut-hut, hike!

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Package that Beer (differently)

The fine Portland folks behind the New School blog had a great posting about the art of craft beer packaging and I thought it was so fascinating that I wanted to link to it too.

So go HERE now!

My favorite of the group is(was) the Kegless design.
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Maybe it will be resurrected. Which one did you like?

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Take your Craft Beer to Market

I have always thought that (especially in Los Angeles) an adult Farmer’s Market in the early evening would be a hit. Have the usual vendors of greens and satsuma’s but throw in a local winery or brewery. Now it looks like Massachusetts is looking into doing it.

This snippet that I found on the interwebs has me hopeful, “The next legislative session hasn’t started yet, but one local official is already brewing a proposal that could help bolster the Bay State’s craft beer industry. State Sen. James Eldridge, D-Acton, plans on filing legislation next year at the State House, that if passed, would allow local beer makers to sell their products at Farmers Markets and agricultural events in Massachusetts.”

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Guiness Brats


I still haven’t seen these in my local supermarket but it might make an instant pairing with some cheese and Guinness.

Or you could head over to Gilt Taste and order some even more gourmet beer bratwursts for your next BBQ.

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Where to drink for London 2012

Now may not be the time to head to London to get a peaceful pint in a historic pub. There might be a few other people around. But with the Olympics in town is does afford me the opportunity to talk about British beer and lo and behold the New York Times beat me to the punch with this article</strong>.

But that is OK because it introduced me to the website for Des de Moor. Who has literally a ton of information (and up to date information) about craft beer in London. It is required reading for those planning a beer trip to London. Plus he makes the occasional Doctor Who reference which makes me laugh.

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The Firkin for June 2012


I do not watch much TV. I have my favorite shows. I don’t miss Community, Fringe, Parks & Recreation and Doctor Who but I do not watch any of the “occupation” shows like Storage Wars or Deadliest Catches or logging or wifery.

But I would like to see a show on craft beer. Especially if it was focused on someplace where I can’t go or can’t go to often enough. But as you can tell by what my current favorite shows are, I am nowhere near the target market of practically any network. I am too old. I do not buy what is advertised. I am way too discerning a customer and I simply do not believe that clutching a BMC (Bud-Miller-Coors) beer will automatically attract ladies to my side.

And that is half of where the problem lies. The average beer geek is not in the demographic that advertisers (floundering as they are in the age of skipping any and all commercials) want to reach. First of all, they buck trends. Something that is practically anathema to an industry driven by watching trends and capitalizing on them. You have a hard time selling a crappy sub sandwich to a person who is actively looking for quality in a product.

Secondly, the craft beer world, though growing as opposed to the downward spiral of BMC, is still but a small percentage of the world of BEER. So even though we are passionate and love to watch our people in action and will tune in and talk about it ad nauseum on the interwebs, still only make for a modest success at best. And you just cannot pit a pittance of viewers against the unlimited ad cash of the BMC and hope to keep a show on the air. Discovery and Dogfish Head and the amazingly magnetic (I have seen the magnetism in person) Sam Calagione could not pull enough to surmount that mountain.

But I am still not pessimistic about the future marriage of Craft Beer and TV. I think it can work. And it will work in two different ways.

First, you will see craft beer in more and more product placement. TV needs to pay the grips and props and actors and if commercials ain’t doing the trick then the in show ads will have to. And with our breweries growing bigger and bigger, there might be some loose cash for a modest placement because it is the step before commercials. I envision seeing Sierra Nevada in a bar scene or being pulled from a fridge in New Girl. (instead of the faux Heisler brau).

Second, there will be a cable show about beer but it will be on the travel angle or the cooking edge. A straight up occupation show it will not be. My crystal ball guess is that a home brew show will be first to make a mark and then a travelogue with a host going from city to city talking with the craft beer folk in each town. Maybe in a van like the A-Team had. Wouldn’t that be cool?

What do you think?

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The Firkin for July 2011

I saw this in the Wall Street Journal at the beginning of July and all I could do was shake my head. Another giant international beer conglomerate focusing everywhere but on the product.

Granted that seems to be the only arrow in the “water lager” quiver. Blanket all forms of media with ads in the hope that you can drown out the siren call of craft beer.

But that call is still getting through. It has been mentioned on many a blog but the state of Oregon now drinks 15% + craft beer. That is not a niche, boutique industry number. That is a player.

And as important as educating the consumer about craft beer is, I believe it is more important to just get the word out that craft beer exists. Break through the cloud cover of constant Miller ads and Coors billboards and Budweiser sports sponsorships.

How do you do that? Get outside the craft beer community. Partner with local restaurants that don’t have taps or beer lists. Give to charities in the community that are not affiliated with the food and beer industry. Get your beer on tap or in bottles where new people can find it. Or brainstorm your own, out of the box ideas.

Just get the name of the brewery out there. That is all the advertising you need. Let Heineken spend their money on Facebook and Google.

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Mohawk Bend preview

Speculation has been rife on the interwebs about the exact opening date for Tony Yanow’s Mohawk Bend in Echo Park. The time is almost upon us. In less vague terms, Sunday the 24th of July. CORRECTION-THAT DATE IS INCORRECT. I WILL UPDATE WITH OPENING DATE WHEN IT BECOMES AVAILABLE>

I along with a few others got to test drive Mohawk Bend on Tuesday night and here is what you need to be excited about….

Tony and Paige introduce the crowd to Mohawk Bend...

…and there is a lot to acquaint yourself with. This is a large space. With an outdoor seating area. A large communal table in the middle. A vegan and non-vegan kitchen that you can watch in action while you eat. Or you can gaze upon the craft beer on the other side of the room. Or pick a booth in the front. You can try a different spot each time you visit.
The many, many choices on the beer list...

…which includes 72 taps of beer. Two of which are cask. Primarily California brewed but each month a new “guest” brewery will be featured that may or may not be from the Golden State. If you like the beer list at Tony’s Darts Away, you will be quite happy here.
Cherries and goblets

The crafted in California extends to the spirits and cocktails, Keith Taylor is bringing in a mother lode of artisinal spirits. Obviously, I gravitate towards beer but the bottles Taylor has procured are the equivalent of the great beer list. And though the Mildred Pierce cocktail was quite tasty, I would suggest trying these gems straight-up first.
The fireplace in the Ramona room...

….named for the movie house that was on this spot 26 years ago. It is a sunlit room with that great big fireplace and two large indoor trees where you can sit and enjoy the great food like the dungeness crab and roast corn rolls or maybe a little casserole with your craft beer. Oh and pizza too. Who could resist a pie named Pig Newton?

For all of you who patiently waited, your reward awaits you.

Check out these other rave reviews:
Drink Eat Travel
Quarry Girl