Monday beer links: They aren’t always pretty

MONDAY BEER AND WINE LINKS, MUSING, 02.06.17

Who lives
Who dies
Who tells your story?
– From Hamilton, An American Musical

I don’t care who tells a story as much as I care about the story. There is lot of excellent ones this week, but before getting to those a few thoughts provoked mostly by the rollout of a new beer website called October. It kicked up quite a ruckus in my Twitter feed (one example, and another) and inspired at least one righteous blog post, mostly part because the site has been “co-created with beer giant AB InBev.” And that is something to think about seriously (and maybe even talk about how this is different, or not than A-B’s Here’s to Beer campaign 10 years ago — but not here today).

A brewing company owning, or owning part of, a publication is different than a brewing company advertising regularly in a publication. Something you should feel comfortable feeling uncomfortable about. But, if we are being honest, I wonder if fans of smaller breweries would be as upset if Sierra Nevada Brewing or New Belgium Brewing took a stake in an online (or print, for that matter) publication. In one Twitter exchange (sorry, didn’t save the link) somebody brought up CraftBeer.com, which is produced by the Brewers Association (of course, the BA includes its logo at the bottom of every page).

To return to the matter of the story, at Beervana Jeff Alworth asks if there is anything that distinguishes the content in October from any other beer publication or if it has a clear raison d’être. A fair question, although it feels too early to pass judgment. This might be a stretch, but at Good Beer Hunting, founder Michael Kiser, who is executive producer at October, wrote “ambitions are big. It’ll have a far greater reach than GBH, and a much broader audience in certain ways.” Also, “Which of course begs the question, how is October different than GBH? To us, it’s pretty clear, and will only get more clear over time. We think of GBH as sort of the Grantland to October’s ESPN.”

Hubris aside, it feels like he has set the bar for both. And introduced The Ringer, which rose from the ashes of Grantland (OK, Grantland remains, but is no longer updated). The Ringer is Bill Simmons’ sports+pop culture website and podcast network. (And should that intrigue you a crazy-long interview with Simmons nicely filled a good chunk my time between Super Bowl commercials.) Will we end up describing October as beer+pop culture and something else? Or something else?

My needs are simple. A Monday link to pass along now and then. For instance, “A Practical Guide to Off Flavors” would fit fine below were it not right here. Now we’ll returning to regular programming.

The Juniper Mystery.
So much about beer before it became industrialized simply is not known. There’s good reason that D. Gay Wilson of the University of Cambridge once wrote: “Beer is a popular subject, and the literature abounds in unsupported statements, misleading or inaccurate quotations, and inadequate references.” How the heck did the beer community overlook the historic use of juniper for so long? [Via Larsblog]

Let’s talk about sexist beer marketing.
I’m repeating myself, but, sigh. It never ends, does it? Consider what Alan Brown writes in the comments, “So here’s a challenge to the men reading this blog. Go to Facebook, email, Twitter or your social media weapon of choice, contact the brewers mentioned in this article, and tell them ‘As a man, I am disturbed that you would feel your sexist imagery has any place in the modern craft brewing industry. Get your shit together.'” [Via Ben’s Beer Blog]

Mainspring: The Fall of British Craft Beer, Part 1.
And so we wait for Part 2. [Via Chris Hall | Beer]

JUST THE LINKS

Pardon the long list. One reason I compile these every week is otherwise Pocket gets too full or bookmarks grow out of control. These lists act as an archive. In the interest of brevity I am foregoing musing.

Georgia’s Race to the Bottom.
[Via Good Beer Hunting]

Sorry, Folks, Beer Isn’t a Health Food.
[Via Outside]
The Close Ties Between Exercise and Beer.
[Via New York Times]

The Politics of Hops.
[Via Boak & Bailey’s Beer Blog]

In the cans versus bottles battle, craft beer brewers and drinkers differ.
[Via MarketWatch]

Hazed and Confused – The Blurry Future of Modern IPA.
[Via Total Ales]
Flour in Pale Ale.
[Via Shut Up About Barclay Perkins]

In Search of the Perfect Beer Temperature.
[Via Munchies]

Hop Growers of America – things I said about history.
[Via The Brewhistorian]

State Economist: Brewers Must Push Beyond Oregon’s Borders.
[Via Oregon Beer Growler]

Craft Beer is a Cult.
[Via Booze, Beats & Bites]

WINE

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Manufacturing Wine.
“Producers love to say that wine is made in the vineyard, as if it happens by itself magically. They may not mention all the effort that goes into managing a vineyard.” [Via New York Times]

Tasting: Dealing with a Dominant Aroma in the Glass.
Replace “mint/eucalyptus” with “juicy/mango” and you are good to go. [Via Tim Gaiser]

The Unending Nightmare: Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon And Iggy Pop. Or Schubert.
“There’s even an argument that in order to submit entirely to some types of classical music or avant-garde jazz, you have to be a bit pissed.” [Via Sediment]

FROM TWITTER