Merry Christmas, everyone (or happy Thursday as appropriate). Yesterday’s post got some chat going about obscure Christmas music, and as I had by no means exhausted my list, here’s a thread with songs and links. Joy to you all—

Be warm, well, and happy, my friends.

This is not about beer, but it’s not really politics, either. Nor anything to do with the holidays! With an intro like that, you must be dying to read it:

Be warm, well, and happy, my friends.

This is not about beer, but it’s not really politics, either. Nor anything to do with the holidays! With an intro like that, you must be dying to read it:

Huh. “Jeff Crivello, former CEO of Famous Dave’s, plans to buy 10 Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant locations, including one in Philly. “‘We’re working diligently with all the landlords to figure out how to get them reopened either as Iron Hill or as another brand as quickly as possible,’ he said.”

And this was my skål for the norse jul (yule). Kinn Solsnu, and Solsnu literally means the sun turning.

The winter solstice happened exactly six minutes ago.

Bears and Packers in December—I’m so happy. Go Pack!

While we’re talking Irish beer, I feel like this is one of those pieces that tells me a lot more about the reviewer than the thing being reviewed.

In today’s edition of “Longreads,” @boakandbailey.bsky.social point me to a piece I missed in @pelliclemag.com (linked in the next post in the thread). It’s an amazing development in Ireland, and worth a 🧵. (Probably a blog post, too, but I don’t have a ton of value to add to the conversation).

Ron Pattinson (@patto1ro.bsky.social) noted that Martyn Cornell’s Zythophile is now offline. It is a terrible loss, and I hope someone can help preserve the material for posterity. Noting the loss, Ron has begun to consider his own legacy and how to preserve it. A short 🧵 on legacies.

Through war and peace, rich times and financial calamity, Anheuser-Busch has maintained the most impressive system for making beer in the world. In the US, it starts with the dozen separate breweries scattered across the US. So it was very big news to learn that they’re shutting 25% of them down.

Hearing from multiple tipsters about long-awaited signs of life at SF's beloved Anchor Brewing Co., which has been idled for more than 2yrs and currently belongs to billionaire yogurt mogul Hamdi Ulukaya. If you have more info, bang my line: [email protected] / dinfontay.11 on Signal.

The Bostoo Yook Yarters is really what I needed tonight.

I’m never confident about industry analysis, but I would like to advance a hypothesis for discussion. As the industry enters a protracted phase of stasis, growth will come via cannibalization, as the stronger breweries drive out weaker ones. *Some* breweries are doing great, which is bad for others.

Over Thanksgiving, I stopped in @allagashbrewing.bsky.social and had their delightful House ale. Though they describe it as a Belgian-style Patersbier, it has a more familiar flavor to my American palate. Think Yakima/Willamette Valley rather than Poperinge.

Over Thanksgiving, I stopped in @allagashbrewing.bsky.social and had their delightful House ale. Though they describe it as a Belgian-style Patersbier, it has a more familiar flavor to my American palate. Think Yakima/Willamette Valley rather than Poperinge.

I’m never confident about industry analysis, but I would like to advance a hypothesis for discussion. As the industry enters a protracted phase of stasis, growth will come via cannibalization, as the stronger breweries drive out weaker ones. *Some* breweries are doing great, which is bad for others.

Our Wednesday Beer gang went to Deschutes earlier this year for Zwickelmania and the Fresh Squeezed tasted amazing straight from the tank. Now we know why! Thanks for the great reporting, @beervana.bsky.social 🍺

“Old man shakes fist at listicle” is if anything less interesting than shaking fist at clouds. Yet this piece from Yahoo (I know, I know) was so bizarre it requires a shaken fist. It’s just bizarre framing. “Giant brewery cities?” What does this even mean? It’s a lunge for eyeballs, but a dumb one.

Very much enjoyed this piece from @beervana.bsky.social. I used to drink a lot of Fresh Squeezed, but I got away from it. This post singlehandedly ensures I'll be getting a six on my next trip to the store. Can't wait to try the revamp. Beer journalism at its finest!

I wrote this intending it as the last word (as in "definitive") on Gallup's beer numbers. The way the timing worked out it may be the last word chronologically. But thanks to @beervana.bsky.social for inspiring the thinking and very helpful comments on the manuscript.) firstkey.com/the-gallup-n...

ICYMI

A number of months ago, I chanced upon a pint of Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA. It had been years since I’d tasted the beer, and I didn’t find the thick, cakey ale of my memory, but a pretty awesome banger. Was I just misremembering it, or had Deschutes quietly reformulated their flagship?

A number of months ago, I chanced upon a pint of Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA. It had been years since I’d tasted the beer, and I didn’t find the thick, cakey ale of my memory, but a pretty awesome banger. Was I just misremembering it, or had Deschutes quietly reformulated their flagship?

Dave gets personal in this must-read. A touching tribute:

Bar culture is fun. I never got into cocktails, but stories like this make me wish I had.

“Secretary of State Marco Rubio waded into the surprisingly fraught politics of typefaces with an order halting the State Department’s official use of Calibri, reversing a 2023 Biden-era directive that Rubio called a ‘wasteful’ sop to diversity.” I have big font opinions! Short 🧵…

I’m assuming this is another major cause of beer’s woes: “Half of those surveyed said they find it difficult to pay for food.” If you can’t afford food, you’re not buying $14 six packs of beer.

In 2016, the very coolest thing to do was scoot down to your local brewery taproom, with its minimalist, industrial chic. You could pick up a four-pack of milkshake IPA in bright labels and impress your friends during the Packer game. That … is no longer the case.

In 2016, the very coolest thing to do was scoot down to your local brewery taproom, with its minimalist, industrial chic. You could pick up a four-pack of milkshake IPA in bright labels and impress your friends during the Packer game. That … is no longer the case.

Politics for those who indulge.

The Drinks Business reports on recent research with the attached finding. This is certainly obvious to anyone who has visited a brewery taproom in the last few years. At this point “taproom” tracks as “old” to young people and it’s one of the biggest challenges for small breweries.

Hoosiers.

This is really depressing. I’ve been a big fan of Fair State and had a wonderful book tour stop there in 2021. Great people, wonderful taproom. I also still *vividly* remember a single-hop Citra IPA they had on tap at the time. It was bright and very lemony and so good I think about it still. RIP

It’s not a local issue. Brewers across the country are fighting for survival. I don’t report on the industry, but reading @beervana.bsky.social at the Beervana Blog is a good place to start. www.beervanablog.com

Dave does a great job distilling and synthesizing the rise and fall of Rogue, and reading it makes me realize how out-of-step brands founded on toxic masculinity (to use a shorthand) have fared. The country is steeped in TM now, and it’s just not into beer brands offering more of the same.

😥😫😭

Me, too!

Homebrew stores are incredible resources. You can get a wider variety of supplies for less money on the internet, but you aren’t going to replace the community-building and knowledge that they provide. It has been sad to see a lot of shops closing in recent years.

I wasn't a homebrewer but for more than 20 years Steinbart supplied bottles, capsules, t-corks, and lots of other stuff I used to bottle olive oil

The oldest homebrew shop in America is closing. FH Steinbart was not just a small business, though—it was a critical part of the connective tissue that helped make Portland Beervana.

I tried to look at the past 13,000 years of beer brewing from a bird's eye perspective. That leads to some reflections I certainly didn't expect. A simple way to put it: there are three kinds of beer, but not the ones you expect. www.garshol.priv.no/blog/439.html

A reader writes with a question about legacy breweries and their aging flagships. It is an opportunity to delve into an issue I’ve thought about a lot over the years.

This is a cool article about breweries that are known for one iconic beer, and their related struggles to to stay fresh and hip while not losing their identity... or core drinkers, as times change

A reader writes with a question about legacy breweries and their aging flagships. It is an opportunity to delve into an issue I’ve thought about a lot over the years.

Let’s get a link in here:

Happy Thanksgiving (eve)!

Happy Thanksgiving (eve)!