Monday beer reading: Equity, ticking & mixed up Guinness

Getting right to it . . .

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ESSENTIAL READ OF THE WEEK

Of course, you should not follow only one of these links, but if you do then make it Jamie Bogner’s interview with Kevin Asato, executive director of the National Black Brewers Association (which I overlooked the week before while we were traveling).

“We can identify that racism and access to capital have been a standard miss—that’s consistent, not just with beer, but with several other industries—but as I’m digging down into it, this capital-intensive brewery model is [a barrier itself]. Most of my brewers—92 percent—are contract brewers. Contract brewing is yet another barrier to ownership because essentially, you’re cooking up a recipe in someone else’s kitchen. We need to get that kitchen for our own brewers. That’s my biggest hurdle right now.”

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“I average out at fewer than four pints a day, and cask beer generally has a lower alcohol percentage, about 3.5% to 5%. I did once try one that was 23%. It was so strong that I forgot to mark it down in my notebook.”

— Andy Morton, who has ticked more than 50,000 beers.

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YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY

– Mixing it up. “Guinness, in fact, is a beer that some experts say has an unfounded reputation as a novelty cocktail ingredient, and when added to the right drink — and in the right way — can garner a lot of likes without stoking controversy.”

– Here come the pilsners. “Pilsners have really become standard, at least in pubs in Portland. However, the corollary is that the (or my) reports of pale ales’ extinction appear to be in error.”

– Not just another “essential” guide. “The architecture of a good beer and crisp pairing lies in the primal subconsciousness that growls within us. It is not about facts, but about feeling.”

– Medals and math. Wouldn’t it be interesting if there were a publicly shared list of every beer entered in the Great American Beer Festival?

– The Augustiner beer ritual. Rinse. Drink. Repeat.

– Hipsterism redux. Following up on chatter from last week. “I’ve been rediscovering the quiet power of standard-issue lager. Like a Ginsters pasty or a visit to the M&S menswear department, it isn’t glamorous, but it hits the spot, and it never lets you down.” (H/T Alan McLeod)