Trends

I know, it’s a bit click-baity to have article titles like ‘the worst x in y’, however I thought most of the answers to this article pining on the worst trends in brewing were worth hearing.

Sure, some can be ignored-people criticizing taste trends, for example-but critiques about the treatment of women both as employees and consumers, the absence of people of color in the industry, the usurping of smaller breweries into larger ones that now pose as those tiny places, concerns about the distribution model; these are things that conscientious drinkers ought to take into consideration when we spend our money.

Little spoiler here: if you’re a consumer, you’d best start being conscientious about where you spend your money, whenever you can.

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Some Lite Beer History

When asked by people who are neophytes to craft brewing, I always tell them that one of, if not the most difficult style of beer to brew is a light lager. Simply because; you cannot mess it up. If that beer is flawed in any way, everyone will know it.

This article goes into some cool history and science on the subject.

From Prank To Physics

A neat story about how they used beer to study the movement of carbon dioxide bubbles. Because what else would you use?

I mean, they even drop bottles of beer off tall structures. Are you not entertained?

In Praise Of The Short Pour

This isn’t a problem in Portland, but with the new Monday theme I’m doing, I am SO glad I have the option to get short pours almost anywhere I go.

Workplace Transformation

So while the website this article is hosted on has a design of hot garbage, the content is interesting. Craft brewers are in a unique position to transform their workspaces in ways that we haven’t seen in a long time, or at all, because the industry is still an emerging space and full of younger people who have a better understanding of how older economic systems have damaged their futures.

I have no idea if any of this will come to pass, but that the ideas are being circulated is really exciting.

On Gatekeeping

As someone who is into some pretty nerdy things, I have had a short trip but long journey when it comes to things that I like.

Essentially it went: I like this and I don’t get why nobody cares about it.

Then it was: I like this and I don’t get why everyone else is into all this stupid stuff.

Then, I like this and I want people to get into the thing I like.

Finally, I’ve come around to: I like this, and it’s totally ok if you want to join me but if you have something you like and want to share, let’s hear it!

Which is why stories like this are a little disheartening. There are going to be people who are new, or who want to get into something, every day. Why make it difficult for them by making jokes they don’t or can’t understand, or make them unwelcome?

False Equivalencies

I hate to say it, but this human sounds like an old man ranting at a cloud.

The whole tone is set off by being upset that ‘these kids just don’t know their history’ and my first question is: What does history have to do with whether or not a beer is good? It makes the author seem as if they are more concerned with the history than the quality of the beverage in their hands.

And I’m sorry but with beer, it’s always, always, going to be about what’s in your hands right now. So instead of asking why these people don’t appreciate where the roots of the craft beer they’re drinking comes from, why not ask, ‘why aren’t brewers doing a better job promoting what they’re about’ or, just as relevantly, ‘why aren’t other craft beer drinkers doing a better job of putting things in context’?

Because of course a new craft beer drinker, given the chance to drink the Abyss or Pliny the Elder for the first time, is going to be underwhelmed. They’ve spent how many days or weeks or maybe even years, hearing about HOW GREAT this beer is. Nothing can live up to the hype that you build up yourself.

But where they really lose me is where they compare comic book geek knowledge, or film director knowledge, to the knowledge that an average beer drinker has.

Comic book geeks and film directors have specialized. They know more about the art form because that’s what they’ve spent their time investing in.

The better comparison is to brewers, but that comparison never gets made. And I promise you that the younger generation of brewers knows who Sam Koch is (founder of Sam Adams brewing), why Fritz Maytag is important (he rescued Anchor Steam beer from bankruptcy), and why Garrett Oliver matters (chef as brewer bringing new perspective to beer and food, elevating the status of beer).

It isn’t on the person drinking the beer to know this though: the only questions they need to answer are: do I like this? Why?