Brewmasters Reflect on 2016 and Look Ahead to 2017.<\/a><\/strong> I don\u2019t know if I’d call it the biggest surprise, but it has certainly been interesting to watch the craft beer market change as it further enters the mainstream. With more and more drinkers turning to craft, they are mostly turning to two broad flavor profiles, hoppy and crisp. According to the Brewers Association, IPA continues to dominate, accounting for roughly one-quarter of craft beer volume, while sales of refreshing Pilsners, Pale Lagers and Golden Ales are increasing dramatically. We’ve long known that interest in malty British styles, say, or smoky German Rauchbiers had and could likely continue to wane, but I don’t think we expected that stylistic tunnel vision would narrow to exclude the newly vaulted sour ales, along with classic Belgian ales and even roasty Stouts and Porters.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n This is not a prediction that choice is going away. Certainly not at Bluejacket. There will be plenty of choice, particularly at the local level. However, although the sour\/wild piece of the pie Bryan Roth has assembled (next link) looks pretty impressive does it represent what people are drinking? I don’t think I like the sound of the words “stylistic tunnel vision.” [Via PorchDrinking.com]<\/strong><\/p>\n A ‘Definitive’ Guide to the Best Beer of 2016.<\/a><\/strong> Cloudwater and the cask beer ‘craftermath’ \u2013 a blog post round-up.<\/a><\/strong> The emotional cost of social media.<\/a><\/strong> So, what\u2019s Belgium up to these days?<\/a><\/strong> A brief history of London brewing, 2000-2010.<\/a><\/strong> Note:<\/strong> if you are new to these parts, navel-gazing is another way to say Inside Baseball. Don’t feel a need to unbutton your shirt.<\/em><\/p>\n Michael Kiser of Good Beer Hunting.<\/a><\/strong> Ego is the death to good wine writing.<\/a><\/strong> The Perils of Being the People\u2019s Critic.<\/a><\/strong> “What’s going to eventually happen is a few select remaining Austin musicians will all be transferred to government subsidized housing and given daily stipends, and each evening they will trek out to musical safe spaces peppered throughout the city to play music to people almost like reenactors of what Austin music used to be.”<\/em> [Via Saving Country Music<\/a>] <\/strong><\/p>\n Seriously. Find 95% of the trends in brewing disheartening and amateurish. Make beer into a dry powder. Make hot beer. MAKE SOMETHING NEW.<\/p>\n — John Laffler (@jalaffler) January 7, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nThis question pops up about one third of the way into this very long post (drop it in Pocket): What was this year\u2019s biggest surprise in craft beer?<\/em> And Greg Engert of Bluejacket and the Neighborhood Restaurant Group in Washington, D.C. answers …<\/p>\n
\nThe big picture. [Via This Is Why I’m Drunk]<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nThank goodness for this roundup, because I had so many of these links saved and no idea which ones to include (but do read Tandleman). I have no idea how this played out on Facebook or in beer-centric forums, but in terms of number of words it feels like when AB InBev bought Elysian Brewing. [Via Brew Geekery]<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nThis should not be considered as the fair “cost of doing business.” [Via HardKnott Dave’s beer and stuff blog]<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nJoe Stange writes about pretty much every one of<\/em> the new breweries in Belgium, and even allowing that there may be a few others and his definition of a brewery is more rigorous than most (but correct) I see only 18 on the list. More breweries may have opened in Iowa last year. Why is Iowa not getting similar love? [Via DRAFT]<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nBecause, “The Telegraph<\/em> article’s fundamental inaccuracies – which included a claim that only three other commercial breweries were operating in London when Camden launched – suggest that very recent history in our industry is already being rewritten and forgotten.” And that’s in one city. Imagine what could be aocomplished in a country with 50 states. [Via Stonch’s Beer Blog]<\/strong><\/p>\nNAVEL-GAZING<\/h5>\n
\nIt’s long, not particularly easy to read because of the format, and maybe only makes sense if you are a regular reader of Good Beer Hunting and have followed the GBH account on Twitter for a few years. And it is more likely to suck you in if you write about beer. But for me the timing of the discussion is interesting because first there was a question I happen to be asked via email and then there was this Twitter exchange,<\/a> leading me to reread an American Brewer<\/em> interview<\/a> with Owen Barstow, who was Michael Jackson’s assistant for 12 years. Again, mostly of interest if you write about beer, but at least it is shorter. [Via Talk Beer]<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nThe same might be said of writing about another drink, because “Ego is the ravine that many writers risk plunging into.” [Via jamie goode’s wine blog]<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nAbout hype and execution. [Via Eater]<\/strong><\/p>\nSENTENCE OF THE WEEK<\/h5>\n
FROM TWITTER<\/h5>\n
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