Alan McLeod has posted everything you need to know about his Xth annual Christmas Photo Contest, which this year comes with a bonus beer writing contest.
I’ve had my hopes and dreams crushed many times in past years. I meant to enter the photo at the top (taken in April of 2014) last year, but apparently neglected to. Maybe that’s why it didn’t win.
7 Paths to Development That Bring Neighborhoods Wealth, Not Gentrification.
Think about this in the context of breweries and beer drinking establishments. Or don’t. Either way, it is important. [Via Yes!, h/T Roger Baylor]
Do People Realise Breweries Have Gone?
Boak & Bailey accurately conclude, “Hardcore beer geeks like us obsess over details of ownership and history but, barring the odd scandal, most people don’t, just as we don’t keep tabs on who owns which car firms these days, or which chocolate bar brands.” And that’s OK. But where beer and community intersect both may benefit. [Via Boak & Bailey’s Beer Blog]
Back in black: living beer heritage in the West Midlands.
“As the US-inspired craft beer revolution sweeps the old beer countries of Europe, I’ve found myself hoping again and again that beer drinkers and brewers will come to appreciate both worlds and everything in between, recognising the threads that, despite appearances, link them together. Indeed if it hadn’t been for the Bathams and many other old-established European brewers sticking to styles and methods that well merit the label ‘craft’, we would likely not be enjoying the current abundance.” Related, I think, to both the previous posts. [Via Beer Culture]
How pot and hippie beer explain the future of the American economy.
[Via The Washington Post]
Best-selling business advice from a BrewDog.
[Via Zythophile]
Will craft brewers ever make ads as good as their beer?
[Via Hey Beer Dan]
Yes, The Future of Craft Beer Is In Question. Don’t Panic.
[Via Paste]
New wine film ‘Somm: Into the Bottle’ is ambitious, dangerously selective.
[Via SF Gate]
What It Takes to Be a Master Sommelier.
[Via The New Yorker]
So where are the TV shows and movies about Cicerones?
Why Do Most Languages Have So Few Words for Smells?
[Via The Atlantic]
Why does wine smell?
[Via Palate Press]
More links than musing this week, and not really a full week’s worth. Sorry for any abundantly linkable items I missed over the weekend, but we left for New Mexico on Thursday. I’m confident we are having a good time.
Poppa Don’t Preach: Do We Need ‘Craft Beer Evangelists’?
[Via This Is Why I’m Drunk]
The Cult of Craft.
[Via Literature & Libations
Oliver Gray’s reaction (the second article) to Bryan Roth’s question (in the first) provides a lot to think about, but it is different than mine. Roth writes, “Evangelism is about marketing, but more so, it’s about stories.” Here’s the thing, journalism is not just about stories, but it is certainly about stories. Find a good story, write it well, and you end up doing a marketer’s work. This should give writers pause. I’ve rambled on about this before.
A Reader Asks, I Answer: Lagunitas and Heineken.
In case you were looking for the “us against them” dialogue mentioned in the first two links, here is an example. [Via The Pour Fool]
Drink while you can…these bars are closing quickly.
I missed this when it first appeared (h/T BeerGraphs), but that neighborhood bar’s decline has coincided with a surge in craft beer drinking is troubling. “If you think about the neighborhood pub, it’s not really in a position to offer 35 beers on tap,” (Mario) Gutierrez said. “That tends to be a specialized establishment.” That “bars” and “eateries” are classified differently complicates matters. In our neighborhood a lot of places where you can find good food, a dozen or more beers to choose from and enjoy conversation have benefited from selling a wider variety of beer that costs a little more. [Via CNBC]
Why it is OK to say “Their Beer Sucks”…”
“A critic’s job, nine-tenths of it, is to make way for the good by demolishing the bad.” – Kenneth Tynan [Via Pivní Filosof – Beer Philosopher]
The New Wine Democracy.
The word “snob” is back for a second straight week. [Via Wine Spectator]
Wrecking Bar(n) — How a Georgia Brewpub Bought the Farm.
A “lifetime project.” [Via Good Beer Hunting]
Down the drain: A brewpub fails in just 4 months
Reality check. [Via Joe Sixpack]
And then there was this, which was still happening Thursday afternoon, the retweets and comments piling up Click on the date to see what I mean.
Here, in one photo, is why the term "craft beer" matters. Here's a hint if you don't get it https://t.co/cufndPfeKd pic.twitter.com/11hiPJehV2
— Scott Metzger (@beermonkey) November 2, 2015
With apologies to host Mark Ciocco there will be no Session post here this month. Unless something went wrong yesterday, we’re in New Mexico with a wedding to attend, lots of green chile to track down, and maybe a bit of beer to drink.
I highly recommend you click on over to Kaedrin Beer Blog so see how everybody tackled this month’s topic: “Double Features.”
In case you forgot, here’s the premise: “So your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to drink two beers, compare and contrast. No need for slavish tasting notes, but if you want to, that’s fine too. The important part is to highlight how the two beers interact with one another during your session (pun intended!) For extra credit, pair your beers with two films to make your own Double Feature. Now, I’m a big tent kinda guy, so feel free to stretch this premise to its breaking point. The possibilities are endless!”
A weekend of beer and history in Colonial Williamsburg, with a speaker lineup that includes Randy Mosher, Martyn Cornell, Ron Pattinson, Mitch Steele, Tom Kehoe and other people more interesting than you realize (plus me, so there’s the disclaimer).
You need to need more? “Ales through the Ages offers a journey through the history of beer with some of the world’s top beer scholars. We will explore ancient ales and indigenous beers of the past, examine the origins and consequences of industrial brewing, discover the ingredients brewers have used through time, and share a toast to brewers past.”
I’m not sure where else on earth you’ll be able to see Martyn Cornell, Mitch Steele, and Ron Pattinson give presentations on a Sunday morning. (Here’s the whole program.)
So pardon the plug for an event I’m speaking at. Even though it’s not until March 18-20 I thought you’d want to know about it. Registration is already open.