Beer, cyclical change, and fundamental change

MONDAY BEER LINKS, MUSING 07.27.15

So this happened during the Beer Bloggers Conference in North Carolina:

I may have missed other posts that resulted (feel free to send links) from representatives of AB InBev pouring Budweiser at the conference, but here’s some Monday morning POV.

The Antagony of Anheuser-Busch.
[Via Literature & Libation}
Thoughts On Rage {Against the Machine}
[Via heybrewtiful]
After I read the top post, I dropped Oliver Gray a DM asking what year he was born. I was mostly curious how much older he is than breweries that started, for instance, in 1988. In answering (1985) he added, with a smile, “Why, am I out of touch already?” Beer shift is constant, and this turn that began with the revival of Anchor Steam now stretches across generations. So two more posts that seem related.

Am I post-craft?
[Via It’s Just the Beer Talking]
The Craft Beer Cycle, Bookended by HMHB and Gilbert & Sullivan.
[Via weird beer girl]
Beer drinking cycleSpeaking at a conference last week, troublemaker Malcom Gladwell pointed to the difference between generational and developmental changes in people’s behavior. Developmental changes are part of everyone’s life cycle, while generational changes deeply affect one generation. Jeff Pickthall (first post) is talking about his own relationship with beer, but it is nonetheless interesting to consider the concept of “post-craft” with the one of “postmodern” Joe Stange put forth a few weeks earlier. And to throw in Lisa Grimm’s thoughts (and graphic she created), which are also about personal journeys but within the context of beer itself changing.

Gladwell asked the audience at his talk “to consider whether Snapchat is generational or developmental. Is it going to affect culture deeply, or is it just another way to communicate and gossip when we’re 17?” I’m not sure if there is a direct comparison to beer, or perhaps to specific beers (IPA, pumpkin, whatever), but something to think about.

In the future, everybody will be a sommelier for 15 minutes.
Or a Cicerone. [Via Steve Heimoff]

Beer Around the World Is Getting Boozier and Boozier.
“More global beer drinkers now view high ABV as a key quality indicator, inspired by the success of craft beer in the US – and increasingly globally over the past two years,” said Jonny Forsyth, Global Drinks Analyst at Mintel. “The craft beer phenomenon has made high strength beer acceptable for consumers. And not just acceptable, but trendy and sophisticated.” [Via FWx]

22 session IPAs ranked!
[Via Chicago Tribune]
Blind-Tasting and Ranking 90 of the Best “Session” Beers (under 5% ABV).
[Via Paste]
21 Session IPAs, Ranked.
[Via Deadspin]
Lists.

1 thought on “Beer, cyclical change, and fundamental change”

  1. Thanks for the two links “The Antagony of Anheuser Busch” and “Am I Post Craft”.
    These two articles represent some of the best, most sensible, and most coherent beer writing I’ve read in a very long time.
    I particularly like the phrase “post craft” and think that once the conversation becomes focused on quality rather than biases regarding small brewer versus big brewer, the beer world will become a much better (and much more sensible) place.

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