musing

Outlaw beer and other random thoughts

One silly thought to get out of the way, then a few links related to “What did AB InBev buy most recently and what does it mean?” so Monday links can be focus on other matters.

I think Dogfish Head Craft Brewery founder gets credit for coming up with the term “indie craft beer,” an obvious play on “indie music.” But watching this made me think we could use more categories, starting with “outlaw beer.”

#RateGate

Does anybody know who should get credit for coming up with the hashtag?

– A craft beer backlash is brewing against RateBeer following AB InBev investment. [Via SFFATE]

– AB InBev Buys Stakes in Craft Beer Sites, Provoking a Backlash. [Via Advertising Age]

– RATEBEER and InBev. [Via Make Mine a Half; h/T @BoakandBailey]
– and Why i Love RateBeer. [More from Make Mine a Half]

This from the first article: “We’ve created an API through which other brewers, industry watchers, journalists and others can view the same ratings information that ZX Ventures does,” (Joe) Tucker told SFGATE. And there’s more details in Rate Beer Weekly.

So what is ZX Ventures buying if even us lowly journalists can access the information we want? According to Rate Beer Weekly, “ZX gains access to insights around consumer trends, a better understanding of the beer consumer and beer markets around the world, which enables them to keep a finger on the pulse. They believe RateBeer is the tool to help beer drinkers best navigate the sometimes overwhelming beer market, better informing them of all the beer selections so they can make the best choice for their tastes.” I’m still confused.

Anyway, I’ve heard stories like Craig tells (last two links) dozens of times. He writes, “It’s been a part of my Life for Over 10 Years and despite recent developments i hope it can continue to bring me many more years of joy.”

Rate Beer has provided the landscape/architecture and like-minded people have created communities (plural). It does not appear that ZX Ventures will be getting the loyalty of those various communities. Obviously, that would be more valuable than the data, no matter how Big.

Is it big beer data or beer big data? Either way a big deal

MONDAY BEER LINKS, MUSING, 06.05.17

Brewing Records and Why They Matter.
This proposal from Mitch Steele may appear simple. “I’m wondering right now if a concerted effort could be made by the industry to preserve some brewing logs from early craft brewers in a safe place, like a library or a museum, where researchers in the future could go back and learn about the techniques and ingredients being used today.” It is not simple. No surprise, I love the idea and agree how important it is. But I sleep with an archivist, so I understand how difficult finding the right home, then collecting, organizing, and maintaining those records would be. Perhaps an alternative is to remember the local connections beer creates and support regional archives like OHBA. Fact is I think the simple solution might be to clone Tiah Edmundson-Morton. [Via The Hop Tripper]

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Diversity, local, imagination; maybe they are related

MONDAY BEER AND WINE LINKS, MUSING, 05.29.17

It’s Memorial Day in America, so time to crank up James McMurtry and choose you beer wisely.

Local Brewers Defy the Lily-White Craft Beer Scene.
Cultivating Black Brew Culture Through Hip-Hop.
– This, “On May 12, a diverse crowd of around 100 people gather in Goodyear Arts for an exhibit called Mood: BLACK featuring visual art, live music and free drinks. In a back corner, folks gather around a table to try cups of Dat Dere or the Stokely Stout, two beers from Black Star Line Brewing, a black-owned brewing company based in Hendersonville.
     “Cut ahead by a few hours, on the afternoon of May 13, as people pour into a block on Louise Avenue for the opening of a new Catawba Brewing Co. location in the Belmont neighborhood between Plaza Midwood and NoDa. . . . While everyone seems to be enjoying themselves at each scene, there’s one striking difference between the two: despite Catawba’s location in a historically black neighborhood, there’s not a single black person to be seen among the hundreds of people there at around 5 p.m.”
– And this, “So what can Charlotte’s current brewery owners and regular patrons do to help change these preconceived cultural notions attached to Charlotte’s brewery culture? How can they help both budding and long-time black beer enthusiasts see breweries as a space of true leisure and relaxation for all?”

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Weekly beer links: International edition

MONDAY BEER AND WINE LINKS, MUSING, 05.22.17

Pay no attention to that elephant in the room. More long (and I dare I suggest passionate?) screeds this past week related to AB InBev and buyouts in general. But there is a whole world of beer out there . . .

RUSSIA

Burnt by the sun.
This is from last summer, but it just hit my radar. “Defying centuries of Christianisation, the Chuvash are still largely a pagan people with colourful rituals and a pantheon of gods that make ancient Greece look like a spiritual backwater.” And they grow hops. Not like in the 1980s, but there is a plan. [Via Calvert Journal]

SOUTH AFRICA

The true import of South African hops.
Yes, that is the elephant over there, but last week I suggested a conversation about South African hops should include South Africa and now somebody has. [Via All About Beer]

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Beer links 05.15.17: ABI & ABI-free

There’s enough op-ed in several of these posts I’ll mostly forego musing this week.

EVIL EMPIRE (UNLESS IT’S NOT) RELATED

Killing Craft? AB InBev Blocks Sale of South African Hops to American Craft Brewers.
[Via Craft Beer & Brewing]
AB InBev is Coming for All Your Hops, Unless They Aren’t.
[Via This is Why I’m Drunk]
I will be in South Africa in July. Although we won’t be near the hop growing region I hope to talk to some farmers, because I haven’t seen a report in which somebody does. After all, they are central to the story. (Added May 16: Lucy Corne reports from South Africa for All About Beer.)

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