Thanks again to Alan McLeod, for keeping me abreast with what I would otherwise miss on Twitter. Two questions popped into my mind after I read Michael Graham’s tweet.
A thesis I'm working on: Beer used to be the coolest alcoholic beverage and craft beer culture made it the least cool alcoholic beverage.
— Michael Graham (@ABWGraham) October 18, 2022
First, wtf is craft beer culture? Second, I suggest reading the book “the conquest of cool” when considering the cool, hip, whatever turns the sliver of the beer industry many call craft has taken in the past 40 years.
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Cultural Moneyballism. “Cultural Moneyballism, in this light, sacrifices exuberance for the sake of formulaic symmetry. It sacrifices diversity for the sake of familiarity. It solves finite games at the expense of infinite games. Its genius dulls the rough edges of entertainment. I think that’s worth caring about. It is definitely worth asking the question: In a world that will only become more influenced by mathematical intelligence, can we ruin culture through our attempts to perfect it?”
Intriguing idea of the week. The question: “What if booze was a public good?” This might entail reducing the density of liquor stores, increasing pricing and reducing industry profits. You don’t have to be a Marxist to read and contemplate, but you need to be a Fingers subscriber to listen to “Drinking Up a Revolution” author James Wilt explain the logic behind this. I suspect a conversation between Wilt and “Cool” author Thomas Frank would be equally interesting.
Wine is agriculture (as is beer). “It is not exempt from the conversations about food justice, soil health, and climate change that have permeated other agricultural sectors.”
Before beer was cool. New York City’s Upper East Side is rich with inviting places to drink that have avoided the hype.
Cringe/cringy. Apparently the word of the week. As seen here and here. Spoiler alert: not for fans of Brewery Ommegang and IPA.
AleBlazer. This is a job for a true believer.
Ya if beer was a public good that would really change everything, and probably in many ways that we never expected. Would be really interesting to see how it played out.