Stan Hieronymus

Before pointing to interesting beer reading for the week March 3-9, a quick follow up to my journey last week along parts of the Gulf of Mexico. I saw the sign pictured above while heading in Cedar Key, Florida.

Matthew Curtis will be hosting The Session #145 on March 28, and the topic is “Critique not Criticism.” He explains:

“The aim is not to be judgemental, subjective or to showcase any particular bias; this is not some finger-wagging exercise. Whereas criticism involves building an argument about why you think something is simply good or bad, critique involves taking a more holistic approach, using carefully researched and considered analysis to build a reasoned, objective, and possibly even entertaining take that benefits readers by giving them good quality information to consider.”

This reminded me that the most commented on post ever here, by far, was almost 17 years ago when I cited a quote from Kenneth Tynan that, “A critic’s job, nine-tenths of it, is to make way for the good by demolishing the bad.”

To that, in the midst of the lengthy discussion, I added another from Tynan: “A good drama critic is one who perceives what is happening in the theatre of his time. A great drama critic also perceives what is not happening.”

There are certainly parallel examples to be found around beer, and I look forward to reading them March 28.

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“It’s very frustrating because it’s hard enough running a small business when your supply chain is intact. But when you have these ridiculous disruptions in the supply chain, it just causes chaos.”

                    — Bill Butcher, Port City Brewing owner
From Alexandria brewery owner worries about Trump administration-imposed tariffs

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KICKER OF THE WEEK

Possessing our entwined starter was much more viable than visiting a cemetery, placing a stone on a stone; here Joe could respond to me. Oh, I understand enough about sourdough science to know that very little of Joe’s original culture existed in the starter. But it didn’t matter. There was a little bit of his DNA in there—enough to make me believe that Joe was back, carrying my original starter on his shoulders, returning after hours in the fields during a blizzard. In a way. Not in the way I wanted, but in a way.

From Life, Death, and Sourtdough, and by Alice Feiring

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LIST OF THE WEEK

10 Female-Owned Breweries That Are Changing Beer. In 2021, the Brewer’s Association reported that 41.4 percent of breweries are owned by at least one woman. So this list could be a lot longer.

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YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY

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The photo above was taken at Wood Foot Brewing in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Yes, that’s a pickleball court with a fabulous mural in the background. On the lawn in front of the brewery patio a local Trad Jazz helps celebrate Mardi Grass a few days early. This is what works in 2025, at least when the beer is good.

Full disclosure. Last week, Vinepair posted a story about 20 Breweries to Watch in 2025, and I suggested Wood Foot. When Evan Rail asked me to contribute, I gave him a few choices and I mentioned I planned to visit here. I didn’t know it would turn out to be only a few days after the story posted.

Anyway, excellent band and beer. I don’t know how to rate pickleball courts, but I like the mural.

Today I’m off to to view the Gulf of Mexico from more angles, leaving behind a few links (and, for the most part, only the links).

– The Session #144 recap (Another excellent turnout)
– New Scientific Study Shows that Rats Can Effectively Blind Taste Wine (My favorite headline of the year to date)
– Saying Farewell to Massachusetts’ Cambridge Brewing Company
– I’m set to write a book about beer, or so this impending contract suggests (Buckle up)
– The Joys of European Beer Travel
– Small
– How a 150-year-old brand became the fastest growing beer for legal drinking-age Gen-Z (I have no words)

Thanks for the thumbs up from Todd last week about focusing only on pleasure. I’ll be doing that Friday when Boak & Bailey host The Session #144: The best beer you can drink at home right now. Meanwhile, a little chin scratching along with pleasure and not necessarily great news.

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“I was born in the ’50s, raised in the ’60s and ’70s. Both sides of my family have always been pretty healthy. I’ve been smokin’ dope, drinkin’ beer, and wine, and whiskey, and tequila, and vodka, and smokin’ cigarettes my entire life. If somebody comes from the surgeon general and says that a few beers are gonna cause cancer, I’m gonna tell them to kiss my ass.”

                    — Rex Porter, Lakeview, Arkansas
From Americans are Rethinking How and Why They Drink

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THINK SMALL

Tiny beers through history Walk (well, read) through the process of developing a theory, and stay for the lovely illustrations. “All study of history is an inexact science, reflecting the current state of our knowledge and discovery.”

How Low Can You Go? This is the a good chunk of a longer post from Beer Crunchers; you’ll need a subscription to read it all. I don’t subscribe, but if I were in the business of making and/or selling beer I would certainly consider it. This post offers quite a bit at no charge, including a list of 15 reasons to drink 2.5% ABV beer, starting with “Because the last time you drank big beers you had to leave the family minivan at Top Golf.”

Remember The Session Beer Project? I do. It is fun to sift through the archives.

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HMMMM

On the American Craft Brewing Hall of Fame. Jeff Alworth writes about his “confusion about why the Hall of Fame exists.” When he posted a link on Bluesky to this post, Jeremy Danner commented, “Can you imagine how mind numbingly boring it would be to visit the beer HOF?” For the record, I provided nominations and I voted in the election. I nominated Joe Owades (cited within the post), not because of the role he played in developing light beer, but because he was a key advisor to the early giants of microbrewing (even if the beer was not made a small breweries; goodness those were confusing times) such as Boston Beer and Pete’s Wicked Ale.

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The ceiling at Baumgartner’s Cheese store and Tavern in Monroe, Wisconsin, as seen from beside a glass of beer.

There was bad news for beer last week, and stories about the business and beer trends and all the usual stuff. You’ll find none of them here today. It is a holiday, Presidents’ Day (music courtesy of Loudon Wainwright III), so sticking to beer as one of life’s pleasures.

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“I would have to say wild and sour ales are overrated. First, they take way too much time to make — imagine how much good beer could have been made in the interim? Second, they’re kind of gross. Who really wants to drink something that smells like a goat barn? And third, they cost way too much. Think of all the good beer you could have bought with that $20 you spent on one bottle.”

                    — Jeffrey Stuffings, Jester King Brewery co-founder
From We Asked 16 Beer Professionals: What’s the Most Overrated Beer Style?

This was a listicle with many redeeming qualities. Granted, some of them are business related, but on the whole they made me smile. Jester King brought two beers to the Weldwerks Invitational nine days ago. Spon 3-Year-Blend, which is wild and sour and the sort of beer Jester King is known for, might have been the best beer in a room full of amazing beers (see below). So maybe Stuffings winked when he finished these six sentences above. The other beer they brought? Nelson Bliss, a hazy IPA. It is 2025, after all. Take the time for some of the other answers, particularly from Heather McReynolds and Gary Rogers.

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LEDE OF THE WEEK

I can barely hear Chit speaking over the sound of the boat engine.

“I said, I used to drive, but this guy goes way faster!” Chit beams, his chiselled grin just visible in the moonlight reflecting off the Chao Phraya river as we traverse through the northern suburbs of Bangkok. It’s 10pm on a Sunday, we’re on a speedboat, and we’re not exactly sober.

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