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Liberty, Diversity, Farms, and Money - Beer Links for Monday

The Story of Anchor Liberty Ale: The Beer that Started the Craft Revolution

"Michael Jackson, the famed beer writer, called Anchor Liberty Ale the first modern American ale".  A great look at craft beer's roots.

What should CAMRA do now to save cask ale – and itself?

The better beer movement in the US is generally may occasionally struggle with the limits of it's David v. Goliath narrative, it's generally much better served than our friend across the pond.  In the UK, the Campaign For Real Ale (CAMRA) started in the early 70's championing quality beer by preserving England's traditional cask serving style from overly cold, blend kegs of macro lager.  The same Goliath as in America.  Or maybe it's Goliath's dutch cousin.  Regardless, the better beer narrative became one of tradition and preservation vs. innovations that sacrifice quality for economy.  In some minds it reduced to old v. new.  The oganization is struggling to coexist with the UK's vibrant Craft beer movement, with stylish cans, skinny jeans, and heaven forbid kegs.  There is no effective analog in the UK for the brewer's association.  Smaller, suqabbling beer groups will have a better time saving the traditional pub if they work together.  I for one delight in pubs with a variety of casks, and craft kegs.  5-10 of each is heaven.

Cambridge Brewing Co.’s latest release is 14 years in the making

CBC's solea style beer is one of America's most charming, barrel aged beer.  Its history is a study in innovation.  Brewer Will Meyers synthesized west coast wine making techniques, traditional lambic brewing to create something truly new, and completely fabulous.  I've long enjoyed the beer on tap, and look forward to buying a few bottles.

8 Farm Breweries to Visit this Year

I love farm breweries.  This list is missing two note worthy locals, Stone Cow and Throwback.  It's a stretch to call one of the New England entries a farm, but it's definitely worth a trip.

There’s Always Money in the Lemonade Stand — How the Own-Premise Model is Rewriting the Beer Industry’s Future

"The second crucial advantage to own premise, and perhaps ultimately the most important, is the control and insight it gives you over your entire cash flow, demand, and place in the market. There is simply no substitute for having this information so within reach. As we watch the declining sales and buyouts/closures of regional craft breweries who have suddenly become the most vulnerable sub-designation, one can’t help but realize the benefit of eschewing complicated distribution networks—in which your product, now far from home, will languish on the shelf, competing with dozens of other brands in the exact same position—in favor of a lemonade-stand-style business model where you can make choices regarding expansion, product development, and other sales questions with much of the guesswork eliminated."  - Peter Bissel in a lengthy, thoughtful, and thorough analysis of his brewery business.

This plastic-gobbling enzyme just got an upgrade

Great news from scientists about a bacterial enzyme that can digest plastic containers.  Including some of those bizarre half gallon plastic growler things I've seen in some tap rooms.

J. NIKOL JACKSON-BECKHAM NAMED FIRST DIVERSITY AMBASSADOR AT THE BREWERS ASSOCIATION

Diversity and inclusion are key words in may conversations in 2018.  It's great to see the brewer's association take clear steps to advance the trade.  Some might say that the move is rent seeking, in an effort to get PR and quibble about small percentages.  However there are real demographic gaps in the US which are detrimental in the near and long term of the industry.

  1. Gender - Misogynistic labels are falling out of fashion.  The stylistic evolution of beer in general is becoming more welcoming.  I love what the Pink Boots Society is doing to highlight women's creative and entrepreneurial contribution to brewing.  
  2. Race - African American communities are under served, and under represented.  My recent efforts to associate a beer with Marvel's Black Panther was eye opening on this front.  I free associated Garret Oliver.  That man is a great ambassador for beer period.  Any additional qualification could be interpreted as diminishing his contributions. I also wanted to save Brooklyn for a character with roots in the borough.   The truth is there are almost no black people brewing craft beer.  A demographic with ~ 11 percent of the US population only consumes 3.2% of it's craft beer.  Economic disparity is a factor for sure, but there are a lot of areas the BA could address to foster development for an under served market. I found a 2016 article about 5 Black Owned Breweries You Should Know About.  That's about it.

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Greatest Hits

Nostalgia and New Ideas: Craft Beer Luminaries Find Ways To Stay Relevant

I'm not envious of the youngsters starting out in an era when good beer is available on every street corner.   Yes, things have never been more exciting in US Micro brewing but I feel the grip of  nostalgia.  New breweries are opening almost weekly.  New taprooms draw crowds to taste new, photogenic beers.  Novelty, at times, seems to surpass quality in importance to today's promiscuous drinkers.  Which isn't to say that we didn't get around in my day.  It's just that we didn't make such an effort to make an obvious trail, or tally our conquests.  Which were, admittedly, somewhat smaller in number.  Might today's craft drinkers missing some great beers from great breweries, in a quest for the next big thing, and a desire to avoid drinking one of dad's many microbrews?  The good news is that many are doing cool things to stay interesting, and remain in conversation. So many brewing luminaries of my youth are now ancient.  Great Lakes Brewing is 30. 

Beer Destinations: Prague

Beneath a fairy tale skyline of spires, domes, and towers, a modern city of industry and commerce sits upon cobblestone streets and ancient bridges.   Prague is a maddening riddle.   Brilliant minds like Franz Kafka and Bohumil Hrabal relied upon surrealistic visions to make sense of it.   Despite the city’s complex and frankly tumultuous history, there’s a millennia of brilliantly preserved architecture, miraculously spared the devastation of fire, war, and tasteless modernizations that have continuously reshaped many European cities. Located between the noble hop fields of Žatec (Saaz in German) and Moravia’s cascading barley fields, Prague is within easy reach of the ingredients to needed to sustain a vital brewing scene.    However, the city was not spared the 20 th century’s assault on local beer culture.   In the early 1990s, international breweries monopolized the city’s tap handles.   Brewpubs were mostly forgotten, a novelty for tourists, at best. This Prague earned a reput

Fathers Day Gift Ideas for the Beer Lover

June is a busy month with graduations, the coming of summer, and the wind down of the school year.  Fathers day always seems to come out of no where.  No worries.  Here are some ideas for the last minute father's day shopper. Beer Tour Beer tourism is a real and growing business segment.  Your city probably has one or two operators guiding minibus loads of attendees to typically 3-4 craft beer destinations.   It's a great way to sample a lot of new beers, and meet like minded folks.  Operators are a quick google away.  Consider companies like  Boston City Brew Tours ,  The New Hampshire Beer Bus , Portland OR's  BeerVana ,  The Chicago Beer Experience ,  Indy Brew Bus,  the Evan Rail designed  Eating in Prague Czech Craft Beer Tour , and even a  Napa Valley Hop Train .  Books I read a lot in the summer.  If your dad does too, here are some books he may enjoy. Barrel-Aged Stout and Selling Out: Goose Island, Anheuser-Busch, and How Craft Beer Became Big Business   b