There was a lot to read last week. I felt particular pressure assembling these links because Boak & Bailey were out in the field and didn’t post their usual Saturday nuggets and longreads. I didn’t want to leave anything out, so pardon pairings that look strange and please be sure to at least scan to the end.<\/p>\n
Recreating Old Beer Styles Conference part 2.<\/a><\/strong> Wie ver\u00e4ndert sich der Biergeschmack?<\/a><\/strong> a) He wrote the recipe for a beer called “Hersbrucker” that was brewed at the Weihenstephan pilot brewery. I love Herbrucker hops. <\/p>\n b) At the end he is asked, “If you were young brewers today – what would you wish for and the beer?” He answers, “Dass es so bleibt wie bisher, mit dem erweiterten Feld der Craft-Biere.” In his view, tradition and craft can oo-exist. [Via Frankfurter Allgemeine, h\/T @STLBrewer<\/a>}<\/strong><\/p>\n Blind German Pils Tasting #3 \u2013 In the Land of the Blind.<\/a><\/strong> Cloudy IPAs:<\/strong> Cloudy with a chance of hops.<\/a><\/strong> [Via Joe Sixpack]<\/strong> and What We Need to Talk About When We Talk About North East IPAs.<\/a><\/strong> [Via Beer Graphs]<\/strong><\/p>\n Wooing the Brewery<\/strong>: How Asheville’s big beer deal fell flat.<\/a><\/strong> Remember the discussion last week about Roanoke “winning” Deschutes’ east coast brewery? This is the story from the other competitor. A very long read, about 5,000 words worth. [Via Citizen Times]<\/p>\n What Happened to the United Craft Brewers?<\/a><\/strong> Much of the discussion here is about defining “craft beer.” Where have we seen that before? Just because there is no definition that satisfies everybody does not mean tha craft beer<\/em> is not a thing. But, from Brew Geekery, there comes a warning: “Surprisingly, Brewdog’s project is an international one, as James told us he and Martin are in talks with Stone Brewing in the US regarding it. Stone has obviously been a massive influence on Brewdog, but how any definition of UK craft beer can be arrived at between the two perplexes me. It would make sense if Brewdog had applied to the Brewers Association about an international membership, but just what is it and Stone brewing here? A breakaway global movement? Craft brewers of the world unite? Whatever they are up to, they\u2019re no doubt set to throw a metaphorical hand grenade into the already volatile battleground of how to define craft beer.”<\/p>\n Anheuser-Busch buys Devils Backbone, its 8th craft brewery.<\/a><\/strong> On the Road Again: The Very Real Impact of Beer Tourism.<\/a><\/strong> Finding Cuban Beer in the Land of Cigars and Rum.<\/a><\/strong> Lithuania and its peculiar, little-known farmhouse ales.<\/a><\/strong> Two Atlanta beer pioneers talk local beer history.<\/a><\/strong> Reports from Atlanta, Chicago and Washington, D.C. Does the metro-centric aspect indicate anything? I’m not sure, but I know you too should love the barrel aged cask story (link No. 1).<\/p>\n Tuesday pic.twitter.com\/dEMkiADZFi<\/a><\/p>\n — Neptune Hops (@NeptuneHops) April 12, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nYou knew I’d put this first. Beyond the the nitty gritty details about styles you may or may not care about there is this: “After the Beer History Conference we had a preview of CAMRA’s revitalisation project from Tom Stainer. Martyn Cornell asked if this was CAMRA’s version of Tony Blair’s ‘Clause Four moment’. Ron Pattinson saw it as the choice between taking a Stalinist or Trotskyist position. To which I could only reply that when it comes to real ale revisionism I’m positively Maoist.” [Via Ed’s Beer Site]<\/strong><\/p>\nDEUTCSHEN BIER<\/h5>\n
\n(What happens to the taste of beer?)<\/em>
\nNext Saturday is the Big Day, the 500th anniversary of the Reinheitsgebot. If you are still catching up with what that might mean then read Jeff Alworth’s story in All About Beer<\/a> magazine. This interview (Google will translate it for you, although I sense something is lost in the process) with Ludwig Narcissus is fascinating. He offers first hand experience about the last seventy years<\/em> of brewing in Germany. There are many takeaways, beyond that Narcissus finds the Reinheitsgebot important. My favorites:<\/p>\n
\nWe can’t get most of these beers in the United States, but there’s a good chance you can’t get a bunch of the beers on any other “drink this” list. [Via Berlin Craft Beer}<\/strong><\/p>\nFOLLOWING UP<\/h5>\n
WITHER CRAFT?<\/h5>\n
\n[Via Boak & Bailey’s Beer Blog]<\/strong>
\nWhat Could UCB Ever Do For Us?<\/a><\/strong>
\n[Via Beer Noveau]<\/strong>
\nBrewdog and craft beer post-The United Craft Brewers.<\/a><\/strong>
\n[Via Brew Geekery]<\/strong><\/p>\nTHE SALE<\/h5>\n
\nJust one story about last week’s big sale,<\/em> an interview with Devils Backbone co-founder Steve Crandall. “We have a vision, and we\u2019ve had a vision since we started this business. We’re on 100 acres here in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and we want to develop a very positive experiential facility, including a campground and RV hookups. We’re a destination brewery \u2014 people drive to get here and want to stay on the property \u2014 but we couldn’t spend any money on it because everything was going to capacity. AB listened to us and believed in us. From the very beginning, we had a great relationship with these guys; prior to meeting them, I wasn’t sure they put they\u2019re pants on one leg at a time, but they do. They\u2019re decent people. So we\u2019re building the campground \u2014 plus some other things we\u2019re not ready to announce yet \u2014 and a 50,000-square-foot facility at our packaging facility in Lexington.”
\n[Via Chicago Tribune]<\/strong><\/p>\nBEER TRAVEL<\/h5>\n
\n“In a way, it\u2019s merely one end of a spectrum, where at the other, local rules supreme. Even if you may be a national brand, you can still find a connection to that powerful emotional theme of community.” [Via This Is Why I’m Drunk]<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n“‘This is the perfect drink for this country,’ our guide, Anna, explained as we drank mugs of helles lager. ‘People think we are sugar cane and rum, but here people are hot all the time. You go to the beach and the baseball game, and people drink beer. Not the mojito, not the Cuba libre. Beer. Every day they are drinking beer.’ [Via All About Beer]<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n“When we name the world\u2019s great beer-drinking people\u2014the Czechs, Germans, Belgians, Brits, and what the hell, Americans, too\u2014we probably ought to include the Lithuanians. Based on their number of breweries, distinct brewing traditions, sheer quantity consumed and beer\u2019s importance in their social life, they belong in that echelon. But people rarely mention Lithuania in that conversation, because they don\u2019t know much about it.” [Via DRAFT}<\/strong><\/p>\nINTERVIEWS<\/h5>\n
\n[Via Creative Loafing]<\/strong>
\nInside the Tank | Off Color Brewing\u2019s John Laffler.<\/a><\/strong>
\n[Via Porch Drinking]<\/strong>
\nHear From DC Brau’s Co-Founders About Their Five Year Mark.<\/a><\/strong>
\n[Via DC BEER]<\/strong><\/p>\nFROM TWITTER<\/h5>\n
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