Beer News (Feb. 10–17)

Graphic by John Weerts. (I taught him how to homebrew. So if you ever meet him at a homebrew event, that’s my fault.)

I’ll start this week’s news wrap up with a reminder that there are dangers to brewing. In Houston, a fermenter ruptured during a tour of Franconia Brewing. (Note: there is NSFW language on embedded video.) Homebrewers should keep an eye on airlocks and blowoff tubes to ensure they don’t get blocked. Many a homebrewer has had to mop their ceiling when a fermentation bucket lid has blown off after the airlock got plugged. Worse things can result if this happens in a glass carboy. Brew safely.

Education

If you live near Chicago, Siebel just opened a new teaching hall at Kendall College, complete with a brewery on the premises. If you want to educate yourself on beer aging, here’s an article that manages to stretch a few simple ideas — store big beers upright in a cool, dark place — to over 1,300 words.

Craft Breweries Expanding

New breweries are opening every day in the US, but few will be as big as the new Sam Adams facility coming to Cincinnati. They are apparently spending dumptrucks full of money for that plant. San Francisco’s 21st Amendment is also planning a large expansion. (And yet somehow the little brewpub (Bastrop Brewhouse) that was literally a two-minute walk from my house, with brewers that are friends of mine, is now closed. What am I going to do now, brew my own beer? Hey wait, I just had an idea . . .)

Cider

This week’s obligatory list names the 5 best ciders in America, according to Men’s Journal. (Cider? I hardly know her!) And apparently, cider is all the rage these days, competing with beer for sales.  Even USA today ran a story on cider’s “massive comeback.”

Love Was in the Air (and Websites Looking for Filler Material Were Keen to Tell You What Should Have Been in Your Glass)

According to these articles, you should have been drinking The Duchesse, stouts, chocolate beers, or beer paired with chocolate . (Note to self: Next Valentine’s Day, write a fluff piece for Beer and Wine Journal on Valentine’s beer as clickbait.)

This Week’s Clueless Writer Opining on Homebrewing

Are “brewing robots” going to lead every restaurant to start brewing it’s own beer? This author’s attitude towards homebrewing could use a little adjustment.

 Yet Another Video

A video poking fun at the things craft brew enthusiasts say.