Craft beer is dead. Or, so says an author at Thrillist. The reason? Because he doesn’t like gose — the slightly sour, slightly salty style of German beer that is experiencing a bit of a renaissance. Needless to say, the response to his piece from craft beer enthusiasts has been negative. See the comments section of the article for examples.
The author’s point seems to be that since gose is now being revived, we’ve hit the bottom of the barrel when it comes to dredging up old beer styles, and therefore craft brewing is out of ideas. Among the things he neglects to consider is that new types of beer don’t have to come from resurrecting old beer styles. American-style pale ale, IPA, and double IPA did not exist prior to the craft beer revolution. And brewers around the world are more than capable of brewing new and interesting beers. The “Belgian-inspired” segment of brewing alone will likely continue to come up with many new and interesting brews. And of course, the simple idea that other people may enjoy something even if he doesn’t seems to elude him.
As beer enthusiasts, we’re used to shoddy reporting and commentary on beer and brewing related issues in the mainstream media, but this article is worse than most. It is better than the Food Babe’s crap, but that’s not saying much.
Fussing Over Bud
A Bud ad that aired during the Super Bowl also angered some craft beer enthusiasts (as I mentioned in the previous edition of Beer News). It wasn’t only beer drinkers, though. Some lawmakers who support the craft brewing industry were miffed, too. If you recall the ad, Bud claimed that their beer wasn’t to be fussed over. As if to hammer home this point, Bud Light recently introduced a new lineup of beers that certainly don’t need fussing over.
Barley Woes
Last year, bad weather damaged much of the US barley crop. (I posted about this when it happened.) Now, some sources are reporting that these crop failures may result in higher beer prices. In addition, malting barley that did make it to market may be lower in quality. The website Appellation Beer also had more commentary on barley and US craft brewing.
Sexy and Sexist
Hoping to cash in on the whole Fifty Shades thing, Scottish brewer Innis & Gunn have released Fifty Shades of Green, a beer brewed with ingredients they claim are aphrodisiacs. In other “sex”-y beer news, one beer store wrote a blog entry decrying sexist beer labels.
Brewing Education
New brewing classes are being offered all over, including these new classes at Mt. St. Joseph University. And in Tennessee, a lawmaker has introduced legislation to allow 18-year-old students in brewing courses to taste beer. They can taste it, but they can’t swallow. [Insert your own joke here.]
How Brewsters Saved the World
Craft Beer & Brewing posted an interesting story on the history of women in brewing.
Miscellaneous
Ever wonder what it’s like to run your own brewery? Commercial brewers explain the ups and downs in this article. And finally, beer may help prevent Alzheimers and Parkinsons. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but I’d like to believe it (which is why I’m trying to be extra skeptical).
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