Monday beer briefing: My favorite story is the first one

04.01.19, BEER AND WINE LINKS

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Picking hops in nineteenth-century Wisconsin.
This is such a delightful discovery, and not the first Jennifer Jordan has found in Wisconsin. Maybe wishful thinking, but there must be dozens more diaries like this waiting to be discovered, particularly in New York.

Hear Me Roar — With Magic Rock Purchase, Lion Acquires Second U.K. Brewery in as Many Years.
Boak & Bailey noted, “It’s interesting that of the four breweries involved in the founding of United Craft Brewers in 2015, three have now been bought by multinationals.” I was a bit surprised to see that Magic Rock would be classified as a microbrewery were it selling beer in the United States. The brewery produced 15,500 hectoliters in 2018, comparable to 13,208 U.S. barrels. That’s almost exactly the same size as KC Bier Company in Kansas City, which produces wonderful beer although most beer fans from more than a few miles away have never heard of it. Better known breweries such as Jackie O’s, Reuben’s Brews, Other Half and Port Brewing/Lost Abbey are of similar size, but it is hard to imagine a multinational purchasing them.

Everything You Don’t Want To Know About Guinness: ten Guinness myths that need stamping out now.
Not your average listicle.

How the Brewmaster of Brooklyn Brewery Spends His Sundays.
This is a very New York story about a Sunday in the life of Garrett Oliver. Which make this twitter thread all the more interesting.

Dom “Doochie” Cook Wants to Expand Your World.
I’m pretty sure that Dom “Doochie” Cook, who is also from New York, does not spend his Sundays the same way. Cook and Oliver are advocates for beer. Cook lists Oliver’s The Brewmaster’s Table under recommended reading, but that book and This Ain’t The Beer That You’re Used To speak to two different communities. This Ain’t The Beer intends to change that.

WINE

Napa’s Rise of the Machines.
This summarizes it: “On one side, you have winemakers who are eager to use every app, human labor-eradicating machine and grape-analyzing gadget to elevate their wine game, save money and create a consistent, predictable product. On the other, you have old-school winemakers who believe the best wine is made in the vineyard, and that using manual labor in the vineyard and superannuated winemaking techniques in the winery are best way to create wines that evoke a sense of place.”

FROM TWITTER

Click on the date to read the entire thread.

MORE LINKS

ReadBeer, every day.
Alan McLeod, most Thursdays.
Good Beer Hunting’s Read Look Drink, most Fridays.
Boak & Bailey, most Saturdays.