I have been lurking around beer related Zoom parties since they started popping up as a way to keep people engaged with brands and as a replacement for taproom or bar visits.
Some, like the Bruery discussion about spontaneous fermentation are quite professional except of course for that darn mute button which forces the moderator to remind the speaker to unmute.
Others are fine with discussions between two or three people over a certain beer or beers. But much like a great podcast versus a mediocre one, pace and questions that lead to conversations branching off are vital.
Last Thursday, I back-to-backed a pair of Zooms. One featuring a beer icon group of Cilurzo’s of Russian River, Rob Tod and Jason Perkins from Allagash and Jean Van Roy of Cantillon. There was business talk and tasting notes and thoughts on blending but what was most fascinating to me was the talk about the Cantillon cellar.
Their gueuze stash is 25K bottles strong. Crazy. I so want to visit. Real bad. And this is the best type of golden nugget that you want from a Zoom. You want to be sparked to excitement.
Then I tuned in for a Beer Paper LA chat with David Walker from Firestone Walker. Here the interesting tidbits related to their cancellation of the 2020 Invitational and having a brewmaster in Belgium.
Overall, tune in to those brewers you like but don’t be afraid to stop if it isn’t tickling your fancy.
Sounds like some great opportunities to get rare insights.