Yesterday, you heard thoughts and opinions from Howard Weintraub and Suzanne Woods. Closing out the week here today (chosen in random order) are Jim Crane, Joe Sixpack/Don Russell, and Arthur Etchells. Please be sure to click the links and visit their sites. It shows that you came from The Brew Lounge and that you care about their work :)
Jim Crane (Proprietor, Goshen Beverage in West Chester, PA)
"I fear the recession has hit the beer biz. Sales for what is usually a good month were very disappointing. Perhaps it is people watching the dollars more closely, perhaps they are finding better prices by going across state lines, perhaps beer in supermarkets have put the nail into the coffin for PA beer distributors.
The availability of beers from around the country and the world, as well as proliferation of brands is something the consumer says they want...I can't tell you how many times someone browses through the 500+ different beers
that I have in stock, then asks for Fat Tire or Shiner Bock or Moose Drool, then walks out with Yuengling or Lionshead or Bud Light Lime...talk about a disconnect.......Meanwhile the pioneers of the craft business suffer because the craft customer wants "the new beer". Flagships like Stoudts APA and Pilsner are great beers, but the sales of those items would not lead you to believe it. In my opinion the craft consumer needs to be thankful for the wealth and breadth of great local beers available in our back yard, and do their best to insure that when the smoke clears they can still find these great beers on the shelves. Meaning support your local businesses, both brewers and retailers, and be careful what you wish for. Craft beer from China could be around the corner.
As a retailer I will continue to stock what my consumer wants to buy, plus what I know to be some of the best beers in the world, all the while juggling space and code issues."
Joe Sixpack (Philadelphia's long-time, award-winning beer writer and promoter posing as Don Russell...too many links to include, start with JoeSixpack.net)
"2009 was the unfortunate victim of 2008. Last year, I published two books, helped launch Philly Beer Week, spent serious time in Denver, Portland, New York, San Francisco & D.C., got stupid drunk at Oktoberfest in Munich and cheered my ass off on Broad Street. It really couldn't get much better than that, so this year wasn't so bad, but... Thank god the beer was excellent. Burton Baton on draft at Tria, the new Yards IPA, fresh Southampton Double White after picking hops on Long Island, Sierra Nevada Kellerweis, the porter at Manayunk, the R5 beer crawl during PBW with a small, tight group
of beer lovers - those were my highlights.
Next year? Philly Beer Week will step up to an altogether bigger, greater level. As much as I love the flattery of no fewer than 20 other cities copying our beer week, they ain't seen nuttin' yet."
Arthur Etchells (mastermind behind Philadelphia's food and beverage wealth of information, Foobooz)
"2009 was....
The year Philadelphia demanded to be known as the America's Best Beer Drinking City. The second Philly Beer Week was the embodiment of that claim but the echoes of those ten days can be seen on draft lists across the area. Breweries from Colorado, California and Michigan have become common place at Philadelphia bars as these brewers have realized Philadelphia is a great market of beer lovers looking to devour the latest one off or hard to find beers from the likes of Avery, Russian River or Founders.
2010 will be....
2010 will continue to see more brewers bringing their beer to the Philadelphia area. It will be interesting to watch which brewers can get a foothold in the competitive market and which will make a single push with little long-term traction. Philly Beer Week is already shaping up to to be the ultimate such event in the US and maybe the world.
Local brewers will need to step up their marketing and beer-making efforts in order to stay on taps as Philadelphia will be only become a more crowded and competitive market. The local beer scene does a great job of supporting each other at a grass-roots level and they'll need that support to hold off interlopers. It's time for a "Drink Local" campaign aimed at local beer drinkers and bar owners."
Showing posts with label 2009 Year in Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2009 Year in Review. Show all posts
Friday, December 11, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
2009, In Their Words--Part 3
Yesterday, you heard thoughts and opinions from Lew Bryson, Brian Yaeger, and Jennie Hatton. Next up are (chosen in random order) Howard Weintraub and Suzanne Woods. Please be sure to click the links and visit their sites. It shows that you came from The Brew Lounge and that you care about their work :)
Howard Weintraub (Proprietor of both Drafting Room locations and Brickside Grille) "2009 was bitter sweet. Restaurant sales were down, but beer drinking crowds and bar sales were the same, if not better. 2009 was bitter sweet as Wegmans finally did the obvious and got licensing to sell beer. Disruptive to local tavern owners and distributors? Apparently not. 2009 was joyous as additional new products arrived in our market. 2009 was as joyous as a successful Philly Beer Week jump-started additional "beer weeks" throughout the country. Expect 2010 to bring more options as additional breweries arrive in our market as well as additional "beer bars" open. Expect beer prices to continue to rise, and probably never fall back to the days when a good pint of beer was $4 or $4.50 And let’s just hope, although Budweiser is very hard to drink, that they continue with Jimmy Football, "Tail Gate Tested, Tail Gate Approved" marketing campaign in 2010."
Suzanne Woods (agenda too lengthy to list here, not least on the list though, Sales Rep for Sly Fox, IPA founder, and writer under the Beer Lass pseudonym) "-->A gang of us brought 2009 in at Standard Tap. We gussied up and traded in our standard pints for champagne that night. -->As it always does- the year came and went quicker than I go without getting a parking ticket. -->We saw the entrance of a lot of new brands into the market that kept a lot of us local guys on our toes. Bars started rotating a lot more. -->Nick Johnson got married in '08 but continued shananigans. I can't walk into a festival without him screaming "b o o z a n i m a l" -->Casey Hughes launched his Exit series-= maddening M.A.D.D. but making all of us very happy. Exit 4 was one of my year's favorites. -->Steve Mashington met a chicken wing and continued to know everything.jkid -->I forged some great new friendships in and out of beer. Tracy Mulligan of Victory, Megan Maguire of Ommegang, and Wendy of Dogfish Head and I started "Beer bitch" getaways. -->I started going on "dates" with Gordon Grubb. -->I developed crushes on Anniversary beers from North Coast and Great Divide. Must be the wood. -->I had a Kuhnhenn Raspberry Eisbock. That was more than a crush. -->I wasted a night watching Beer Wars when I could've seen the Felice Brothers in concert. -->Bars started doing away with brewery handles and went the way of the Chalkboard. -->I twittered the heck out of my life. -->I beer tripped through Michigan. -->I finally got to Three Floyds. -->I finally got to drink Sly Fox Prometheus- our smoked porter. -->Philly got themselves a beer magazine with Philly Beer Scene -->Cans started taking off in bars. -->Sly Fox launched Chester Co. Bitter- a new cask ale to be served authentically and with TLC. -->Jose Garces continued to expand his empire including great beers on all his lists. Starr continues to not really get it. -->Restaurants started to change their beer lists. Mini-chains like Marathon and Fishtown corner bars like Paddy's Well offered craft. -->More American craft breweries started pushing Nitrogenated Stouts. This gave me high blood pressure. -->I met a ton of women this year that are truly into beer. Women writing books, women making documentaries, women focusing on beer for their school semester projects, women homebrewers, and all the inspiring ladies of Pink Boots Society. -->South Jerz got themselves a brewpub and a PJ's Pourhouse -->In 2010 I'd like to see more beer lists switch up in Jerz. I'd like to see that last liquor warehouse on 30 east as you head back to Philly carry Sly Fox cans. -->I'd like to see a major relationship forged between beer emporium takeouts and BYOs. -->Beer Week will be different. Not better, not worse- just different. I am confident that once it's here- people will shut up about the change in month -->I hope to drink a Rochefort 10 on the cheap in Belgium or maybe a trip to California. At the very least- I will visit the Windy City for the first time. -->BREW will open with a beer selection as awesome as the coffee they brew. -->South Philly Tap Room will expand to another location called American Sardine -->I predict Brendan Hartranft and Leigh open at least one more bar. -->YARDS will finally get their tasting room. It will be a huge hit. Maybe I will even have my birthday party there in April. They will continue to expand their presidential line with a series called the "Jimmy Carter Series"...where they pay homage to local Philly homebrewers by brewing a different recipe every month. not really. -->Chris Lapierre of Iron Hill Maple Shade will have the largest mug club in the Country. And maybe he'll even let me brew with him one day. -->John Doherty will finally get a twitter account and 90% of his tweets will take place at either the South Philly Tap Room, Standard Tap, TJs, Teresa's Next Door, or Local 44. -->The beer scene will continue to expand in University City. Smart sales reps will spend more time there getting the students to get to know craft beer earlier. -->The Varga Bar ceiling mural will be expanded to include Casey Hughes -->Captain Lawrence will come to Philadelphia. I will celebrate with a Cuvee de Castleton party at my house with special guest Scotty V. -->I will see more shows at Johnny Brenda's -->I will spend more time selling in the burbs. -->I will brew a beer with my sister -->I will make beer icecream. I will actually go to the gym to burn off said beer ice cream -->I think Devil's Den will get the upstairs open and it'll be a great place for events/dinners -->Adam and Jennifer Ritter of Sidecar Bar will have beaut of a new bar in Fishtown- it will be packed constantly -->Prism Brewing will start distribution in the area. Owner seeks to brew new takes on classic styles. Funky ingredient play. Stay tuned. -->Philadelphia Brewing Co will release their coolest tap handle yet -->I promise my blog won't look like a blogger blog anymore. -->2009 saw mainstream media embrace craft beer. Esquire, NY times, Details, etc. I'd like to see that continue. Perhaps have chefs cooking with it on the Food Network- that kind of thing. -->I will drive a Sly Fox wrapped car. Probably not. But a rep can dream right? -->I can tell you one thing with certainty- I would be honored to be in the company of all the same folks drinking champagne at Standard Tap once again when the clock strikes 12. Auld Lang Syne couldn't sound sweeter any other way. I'll raise a cup o' kindness to them any ol' time. One thing that won't change with the years is the family we have in the beer community of our city. I'm lucky. We're all lucky. Cheers!"
Stop back tomorrow to read yet more sage tidbits from (chosen once again in random order) Jim Crane, Don Russell, and Arthur Etchells.
Howard Weintraub (Proprietor of both Drafting Room locations and Brickside Grille) "2009 was bitter sweet. Restaurant sales were down, but beer drinking crowds and bar sales were the same, if not better. 2009 was bitter sweet as Wegmans finally did the obvious and got licensing to sell beer. Disruptive to local tavern owners and distributors? Apparently not. 2009 was joyous as additional new products arrived in our market. 2009 was as joyous as a successful Philly Beer Week jump-started additional "beer weeks" throughout the country. Expect 2010 to bring more options as additional breweries arrive in our market as well as additional "beer bars" open. Expect beer prices to continue to rise, and probably never fall back to the days when a good pint of beer was $4 or $4.50 And let’s just hope, although Budweiser is very hard to drink, that they continue with Jimmy Football, "Tail Gate Tested, Tail Gate Approved" marketing campaign in 2010."
Suzanne Woods (agenda too lengthy to list here, not least on the list though, Sales Rep for Sly Fox, IPA founder, and writer under the Beer Lass pseudonym) "-->A gang of us brought 2009 in at Standard Tap. We gussied up and traded in our standard pints for champagne that night. -->As it always does- the year came and went quicker than I go without getting a parking ticket. -->We saw the entrance of a lot of new brands into the market that kept a lot of us local guys on our toes. Bars started rotating a lot more. -->Nick Johnson got married in '08 but continued shananigans. I can't walk into a festival without him screaming "b o o z a n i m a l" -->Casey Hughes launched his Exit series-= maddening M.A.D.D. but making all of us very happy. Exit 4 was one of my year's favorites. -->Steve Mashington met a chicken wing and continued to know everything.jkid -->I forged some great new friendships in and out of beer. Tracy Mulligan of Victory, Megan Maguire of Ommegang, and Wendy of Dogfish Head and I started "Beer bitch" getaways. -->I started going on "dates" with Gordon Grubb. -->I developed crushes on Anniversary beers from North Coast and Great Divide. Must be the wood. -->I had a Kuhnhenn Raspberry Eisbock. That was more than a crush. -->I wasted a night watching Beer Wars when I could've seen the Felice Brothers in concert. -->Bars started doing away with brewery handles and went the way of the Chalkboard. -->I twittered the heck out of my life. -->I beer tripped through Michigan. -->I finally got to Three Floyds. -->I finally got to drink Sly Fox Prometheus- our smoked porter. -->Philly got themselves a beer magazine with Philly Beer Scene -->Cans started taking off in bars. -->Sly Fox launched Chester Co. Bitter- a new cask ale to be served authentically and with TLC. -->Jose Garces continued to expand his empire including great beers on all his lists. Starr continues to not really get it. -->Restaurants started to change their beer lists. Mini-chains like Marathon and Fishtown corner bars like Paddy's Well offered craft. -->More American craft breweries started pushing Nitrogenated Stouts. This gave me high blood pressure. -->I met a ton of women this year that are truly into beer. Women writing books, women making documentaries, women focusing on beer for their school semester projects, women homebrewers, and all the inspiring ladies of Pink Boots Society. -->South Jerz got themselves a brewpub and a PJ's Pourhouse -->In 2010 I'd like to see more beer lists switch up in Jerz. I'd like to see that last liquor warehouse on 30 east as you head back to Philly carry Sly Fox cans. -->I'd like to see a major relationship forged between beer emporium takeouts and BYOs. -->Beer Week will be different. Not better, not worse- just different. I am confident that once it's here- people will shut up about the change in month -->I hope to drink a Rochefort 10 on the cheap in Belgium or maybe a trip to California. At the very least- I will visit the Windy City for the first time. -->BREW will open with a beer selection as awesome as the coffee they brew. -->South Philly Tap Room will expand to another location called American Sardine -->I predict Brendan Hartranft and Leigh open at least one more bar. -->YARDS will finally get their tasting room. It will be a huge hit. Maybe I will even have my birthday party there in April. They will continue to expand their presidential line with a series called the "Jimmy Carter Series"...where they pay homage to local Philly homebrewers by brewing a different recipe every month. not really. -->Chris Lapierre of Iron Hill Maple Shade will have the largest mug club in the Country. And maybe he'll even let me brew with him one day. -->John Doherty will finally get a twitter account and 90% of his tweets will take place at either the South Philly Tap Room, Standard Tap, TJs, Teresa's Next Door, or Local 44. -->The beer scene will continue to expand in University City. Smart sales reps will spend more time there getting the students to get to know craft beer earlier. -->The Varga Bar ceiling mural will be expanded to include Casey Hughes -->Captain Lawrence will come to Philadelphia. I will celebrate with a Cuvee de Castleton party at my house with special guest Scotty V. -->I will see more shows at Johnny Brenda's -->I will spend more time selling in the burbs. -->I will brew a beer with my sister -->I will make beer icecream. I will actually go to the gym to burn off said beer ice cream -->I think Devil's Den will get the upstairs open and it'll be a great place for events/dinners -->Adam and Jennifer Ritter of Sidecar Bar will have beaut of a new bar in Fishtown- it will be packed constantly -->Prism Brewing will start distribution in the area. Owner seeks to brew new takes on classic styles. Funky ingredient play. Stay tuned. -->Philadelphia Brewing Co will release their coolest tap handle yet -->I promise my blog won't look like a blogger blog anymore. -->2009 saw mainstream media embrace craft beer. Esquire, NY times, Details, etc. I'd like to see that continue. Perhaps have chefs cooking with it on the Food Network- that kind of thing. -->I will drive a Sly Fox wrapped car. Probably not. But a rep can dream right? -->I can tell you one thing with certainty- I would be honored to be in the company of all the same folks drinking champagne at Standard Tap once again when the clock strikes 12. Auld Lang Syne couldn't sound sweeter any other way. I'll raise a cup o' kindness to them any ol' time. One thing that won't change with the years is the family we have in the beer community of our city. I'm lucky. We're all lucky. Cheers!"
Stop back tomorrow to read yet more sage tidbits from (chosen once again in random order) Jim Crane, Don Russell, and Arthur Etchells.
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
2009, In Their Words--Part 1
I started off thinking that I would receive snippets of thoughts that could be woven into a year-end wrapup and future looking post. It would prove, therefore (hopefully!), to be more interesting then just hearing/reading my thoughts. Was it also a way to off-load some of the work involved in a year-end retrospective? Well, I NEVER!!
After soliciting the serious, the irreverent, the brief, the lengthy---what I received was mostly at least moderate in length and serious in nature. So, then what am I supposed to do with that?! It turned out that I made a lot more work for myself if I was going to now pick apart what was sent to me, choosing only bits and pieces to suit some sort of an article. And, I gotta tell ya, time is running a bit short on supply around here. (Hawaii posting, anyone???? anyone?)
So finally I decided the best approach was to go back to my original statement to these individuals...that this would be the year-end wrapup in their words. This would ensure that nothing got lost in translation and that the full context was delivered. I am, though, cleaning up any obvious typos and grammatical errors...that's just the kind of guy I am...not just a cut and paste kind of guy!!
And, I'd make it into linkedy-link fest...because, really, these folks are some of the best at what they do, so why shouldn't I help to bring attention to just that.
Let's get on with it. Yesterday, you saw my personal review of 2009. Here comes (chosen in random order) Maureen Ogle, Carolyn Smagalski, Mike Scotese (Scoats), Jim Wiggins, and Nick Johnson. Please be sure to click the links and visit their sites. It shows that you came from The Brew Lounge and that you care about their work :)
Maureen Ogle (Historian & Author) "My year-end update/roundup/prediction is something like: godhelpmebuti'mgonnafinishthisnewbookin2010ifitkillsmewhichitmay. So I'm totally out of the loop re. beer. Wish I weren't but there you go
The Beer Fox-Carolyn Smagalski (Bella Online Contributor, Beer Connoisseur Journalist, to name just a couple) "2009 was a roller coaster of beer and whisky events, power-packed with enough fuel to keep the after-burners as hot as a hose-sass and my nose glowing as red as Rudolph's...or is that Rude Elf's? The Whisky Festival of Northern Netherlands celebrated the launch of International Whisky Day on the anniversary of Michael Jackson's birthday, 27 March, 2009 - to honor the Whisky Chaser himself and "...the many unsung heroes of the past and present, who have been crafting the King o' Drinks for centuries..." At the same festival, two important books were released: "Whisky & Jazz" written by Hans Offringa and dedicated to Michael Jackson, and "Beer Hunter, Whisky Chaser," with contributions by 13 international beer and whisky writers, for the benefit of the Parkinson Society of the UK. Philly Beer Week reaffirmed its reverence for beer in the Philadelphia area with the enormous success of 679 events and a promise for continued expansion. Jeannine Marois made headlines with the Mondial de la Biere in both Montreal, Quebec and Strasbourg, France. The Sam Adams Longshot in Boston and the Pro-Am Competition in Denver proved that homebrewers and professional brewers walk hand-in-hand in creative artistry. Under the big top - the Colorado Convention Center - The Great American Beer Festival, with an additional 92,000 square feet, continues to set records with sell-out crowds who spilled over into the Beer & Food Pavilion, Farm to Table, the Brewers Studio Pavilion, and the largest commercial beer competition in the world. Tap that off with "The Naked Pint" by Christina Perozzi and Hallie Beaune and a re-capping of Don Russell's Christmas Beer and life doesn't get much sweeter than that. Unless you're 2010. 2010 will bring continuous great beer with more intense flavor through environmental initiatives - our own terroir, the signature of the American Craft Brewer. In the meantime, this is the year of the World Beer Cup and yours truly, the Beer Fox, will continue to do her best to "taste and assess" as many beers as possible. Even if my nose does keep glowing red..."
Mike "Scoats" Scotese (Publican & Lodgemaster-The Grey Lodge Pub, Philadelphia, PA) "2009 brought craft beer in to the mainstream. It's hard to go anywhere in Philly and not find at least a half decent beer. A good beer focus now seems mandatory for any new establishment. Strangely 99.4% of all of new establishments in 2009 set up shop in South Philly. 2010 will bring more good things in small packages as session beers increase in popularity."
Jim Wiggins (Origlio Beverage Sales, Craft & Specialty Brand Segment) "2010 will bring still greater number of interesting offerings as even big craft brewers continue to expand their limited production offerings (i.e. Sierra Nevada Life and Limb, Harpoon 100 Barrel Series and Ommegang Adoration). We will see more Breweries open up the SEPA market as these craft brewer's home markets get saturated and this region's rep continues to resonate thought out the beer world. New Belgium?"
Nick Johnson (Tröegs Brewing Company, Sales-Eastern PA, NJ, DE) "2010---- Year of Local Craft Beer Movement and Steve Mashington.......... a hope that local craft beer takes back over the Philly taps which have been taken over by one-off-over-hyped-brews from out-of-state breweries.... get back to your roots everyone!!! On a totally unrelated note, 2010 will also bring the year that Steve Mashington graces the cover of GQ magazine sporting his once nicely well fitted red suit... and by the way not the GQ you are thinking of aimed at men who shave their chest (Casey Hughes) and wear tight pants (Mike Fava), we are talking Ginger Quarterly, the one and only print mag dedicated to Ginger folk!!! viva la red! See you all out at the bars! Cheers! Johnsonator, Tröegs Brewing Ambassador"
Stop back tomorrow to read sage tidbits from (chosen once again in random order) Lew Bryson, Brian Yaeger, and Jennie Hatton.
Maureen Ogle (Historian & Author) "My year-end update/roundup/prediction is something like: godhelpmebuti'mgonnafinishthisnewbookin2010ifitkillsmewhichitmay. So I'm totally out of the loop re. beer. Wish I weren't but there you go
The Beer Fox-Carolyn Smagalski (Bella Online Contributor, Beer Connoisseur Journalist, to name just a couple) "2009 was a roller coaster of beer and whisky events, power-packed with enough fuel to keep the after-burners as hot as a hose-sass and my nose glowing as red as Rudolph's...or is that Rude Elf's? The Whisky Festival of Northern Netherlands celebrated the launch of International Whisky Day on the anniversary of Michael Jackson's birthday, 27 March, 2009 - to honor the Whisky Chaser himself and "...the many unsung heroes of the past and present, who have been crafting the King o' Drinks for centuries..." At the same festival, two important books were released: "Whisky & Jazz" written by Hans Offringa and dedicated to Michael Jackson, and "Beer Hunter, Whisky Chaser," with contributions by 13 international beer and whisky writers, for the benefit of the Parkinson Society of the UK. Philly Beer Week reaffirmed its reverence for beer in the Philadelphia area with the enormous success of 679 events and a promise for continued expansion. Jeannine Marois made headlines with the Mondial de la Biere in both Montreal, Quebec and Strasbourg, France. The Sam Adams Longshot in Boston and the Pro-Am Competition in Denver proved that homebrewers and professional brewers walk hand-in-hand in creative artistry. Under the big top - the Colorado Convention Center - The Great American Beer Festival, with an additional 92,000 square feet, continues to set records with sell-out crowds who spilled over into the Beer & Food Pavilion, Farm to Table, the Brewers Studio Pavilion, and the largest commercial beer competition in the world. Tap that off with "The Naked Pint" by Christina Perozzi and Hallie Beaune and a re-capping of Don Russell's Christmas Beer and life doesn't get much sweeter than that. Unless you're 2010. 2010 will bring continuous great beer with more intense flavor through environmental initiatives - our own terroir, the signature of the American Craft Brewer. In the meantime, this is the year of the World Beer Cup and yours truly, the Beer Fox, will continue to do her best to "taste and assess" as many beers as possible. Even if my nose does keep glowing red..."
Mike "Scoats" Scotese (Publican & Lodgemaster-The Grey Lodge Pub, Philadelphia, PA) "2009 brought craft beer in to the mainstream. It's hard to go anywhere in Philly and not find at least a half decent beer. A good beer focus now seems mandatory for any new establishment. Strangely 99.4% of all of new establishments in 2009 set up shop in South Philly. 2010 will bring more good things in small packages as session beers increase in popularity."
Jim Wiggins (Origlio Beverage Sales, Craft & Specialty Brand Segment) "2010 will bring still greater number of interesting offerings as even big craft brewers continue to expand their limited production offerings (i.e. Sierra Nevada Life and Limb, Harpoon 100 Barrel Series and Ommegang Adoration). We will see more Breweries open up the SEPA market as these craft brewer's home markets get saturated and this region's rep continues to resonate thought out the beer world. New Belgium?"
Nick Johnson (Tröegs Brewing Company, Sales-Eastern PA, NJ, DE) "2010---- Year of Local Craft Beer Movement and Steve Mashington.......... a hope that local craft beer takes back over the Philly taps which have been taken over by one-off-over-hyped-brews from out-of-state breweries.... get back to your roots everyone!!! On a totally unrelated note, 2010 will also bring the year that Steve Mashington graces the cover of GQ magazine sporting his once nicely well fitted red suit... and by the way not the GQ you are thinking of aimed at men who shave their chest (Casey Hughes) and wear tight pants (Mike Fava), we are talking Ginger Quarterly, the one and only print mag dedicated to Ginger folk!!! viva la red! See you all out at the bars! Cheers! Johnsonator, Tröegs Brewing Ambassador"
Stop back tomorrow to read sage tidbits from (chosen once again in random order) Lew Bryson, Brian Yaeger, and Jennie Hatton.
Monday, December 07, 2009
2009, In My Words
2009, where has it gone? Heck, where has the decade of the aughts gone? Haven't we still not yet decided upon what to call the decade (the aughts, the naughts, the zeroes, the ohs, the two thousands, the....)? And in just a few short weeks it will be relegated to the history books. Many will argue that it has been an ignominious decade for the United States but I'll leave that one to the political, cultural, and sociological pundits.
Before we go off the so-called rails already, I'm here to discuss the world of craft brewing and most will agree that it's been a good one for the industry of craft brewing and many of those involved. If I tried to take on the whole of the decade at this point, I'd probably never get around to sharing it with you. I'm closing out my second full decade of drinking this stuff that we think of as better beer in a year that has seen some ups and some downs.
Between the world economy in general and the resource markets specific to beer brewing, 2009 brought more price fluctuations, industry expansion, and contraction than in the past. Some breweries/brewpubs made it and grew larger (some, much larger), while others didn't fare so well based on raw material costs, real estate market turmoil, and industry competition that is growing a bit more fierce. There will be plenty of others who will weigh in with industry analysis, so I think that I will leave that mostly to them...those that cover it more completely and intelligently than do I.
Over the next few days, I will be sharing the Year 2009 with you in the voices of those who bring you the beer, the bars, and the written words. I'm beginning here today with my own perspective on 2009.
It certainly was the year, in my opinion, when craft beer and events began filling in around the country in spots that once were lain barren and thirsty. With "popping of the caps" (states' ABV restrictions) and customer demand, it has become easier to find a beer dinner in Florida, homebrewing resources in Utah, and strong beer tastings in Alabama and South Carolina.
Collaborations were as common as just about any other trend in the industry. This doesn't seem likely to subside any time soon. And, why should they? They're a fun insight into creativity and possibilities that beer embodies.
Now I'll get a bit more personal. My 2009 went a little something like this:
~New Year's Eve/Day on a self-made NYC Beer-Hopping Tour, January '09
-->what in beer's name did this mean?: It meant finding a handful of new beer joints in NYC and enjoying a blistering-cold New Year's Eve with my wife and getting started in Philly at Local 44's grand opening on New Year's Day with a little hair of the dog
-->read back links: 1/6/2009 (New Year's Eve in NYC, part 1 of 2) & 1/2/2009 (Local 44 debuts)
~Annual Beer & Hockey trip to Pittsburgh, February '09
-->what in beer's name did this mean?: It was only 2 guys for this year's trip but we still made the most of it with visits to Church Brew Works, Fatheads, and the new Hofbräuhaus. This coming February should be quite a story when we again head to da 'Burgh for the last Flyers/Penguins game in the Igloo.
-->read back links: 3/25/2009
~San Francisco Beer Week, February '09
-->what in beer's name did this mean?: A 10-day Beer Week in my second favorite city/region proved exactly what I expected them to prove. That they are one of strongest and most vibrant beer regions in the country. Unfortunately, I could only stay for half of the Beer Week's festivities. Good thing, probably, since I had my own hometown Philly Beer Week to prepare for less than a month after SFBW.
-->read back links: 2/26/2009 (part 1 of 3)
~Philly Beer Week, March '09
-->what in beer's name did this mean?: It reinforced the meaning behind Philly being the first in the country to hold a 10-day extravaganza showcasing the best of what's around. Simply, there is no other region as deeply rich in the combination of brewing, importing, retailing, neighborhood pubbing, homebrewing, event-throwing, and personalities.
-->read back links: 3/22/2009 (an index to writings and pictures)
~San Francisco Redux, June '09
-->what in beer's name did this mean?: That I just cannot get enough of my second favorite city/region in the U.S. A successful week of work rewarded each night with some of the best beer the region has to offer. A Magnolia dinner (one of the cities best breweries, imo) at Incanto in the Noe Valley was one of the highlights of the week, as was a meetup with beer writers and homebrewers at the house of author, Brian Yaeger.
-->read back links: 6/29/09 (part 1 of 6)
~Ommegang BCTC, July '09
-->what in beer's name did this mean?: Just another year of great Belgian-inspired brewing at one of the country's most picturesque brewery locations.
-->read back links: 8/5/09
~New England Tour, Ebenezer's, & HomeBrewChef (2 Paxton dinners this year), August '09
-->what in beer's name did this mean?: It meant a gastronomical affair of the decadent hosted by Ebenezer's in Maine and The Home Brew Chef (Sean Paxton) of California. It also meant beer tripping through Portland, Maine, and Burlington, Vermont making for one of the best beer trips in recent memory.
-->read back links: 9/21/2009 (an index to a 6-part series)
~Hawaii, October '09
-->what in beer's name did this mean?: it meant a whole bunch of stuff that I still haven't shared with you. Suppose this now goes to the top of my New Year's Resolution List.
-->read back links: STILL UNDER DEV'T
~The Running of Two Marathons (Pittsburgh, Philly) & TRAINING, May & November '09
-->what in beer's name did this mean?: I did a lot of talking about how moderate beer drinking can go just perfectly fine with an athlete's training plan (although, I use the term 'athlete' very, very loosely). For me, that meant a can of Oskar Blues Mamma's Little Yellow Pils the night before the Pittsburgh Marathon in May and a pint of cask-conditioned Yards ESA the night before the Philadelphia Marathon in November. Following up each was Church Brew Works EKG IPA and another cask-conditioned Yards ESA after Pittsburgh and Philly, respectively.
-->read back links: 4/28/2009 (a marathon beer-drinking guide to Pittsburgh) & 5/9/2009 (and a post-marathon wrap-up) & 11/25/2009 (a Philadelphia Marathon wrap-up)
~Somewhere around 340 Postings by year-end
-->what in beer's name did this mean?: Not much really. Certainly not meant to be boastful...because I would trade 340 postings of empty ether for 1 posting of substantial value. (hopefully, I'm somewhere in between?!) But it is worth noting that in addition to everything else in my life, I continue to be a contributor to the Philadelphia Area Voice of Beer Writing (PhAVoBeW?! Let's work on that acronym!) That is something of which I will be unabashedly proud.
-->read back links: eh, how about you begin with this one? It's about The General Lafayette and one of the most commented on of the year.
~Speaking of The General Lafayette and Running
-->what in beer's name did this mean?: In addition to conducting a Beer Run during Philly Beer Week, I conducted a few others during the year as well. All more proof that responsible beer drinking can be an important part of active lifestyles.
-->read back links: Here's one at "my local" that you can look back on
~Back into Platelets/Plasma
-->what in beer's name did this mean?: Nothing really, except maybe that Lew does it too? and, it calls for a nearly-mandatory night or two off from the action.
-->read back links: 10/24/2009 (an explanation of my distractions)
~Concerts: Jimmy Buffett, Elton John/Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, The Killers, The Cat Empire
-->what in beer's name did this mean?: Saw and heard some great musical acts. Only confirmed that Citizens Bank Park still has the best arena craft beer selections around (included in these venues were the Spectrum, that Camden New Jersey ampitheatre, and Nokia Theatre in NYC.)
-->read back links: couldn't track anything down that I wrote about music and craft beer, though with this past weekend's activities in NYC, that may change in the next week or two
~Miscellaneous Writing
-->what in beer's name did this mean?: Like I had more time in my schedule (!), but I began taking on some extracurricular writing in the form of a press release for Artisan Homebrew and a Brewsletter for Exton Beverage. The content for Exton Beverage can be found both at the front counter at the distributor as well as online at http://www.extonbeverage.com (a free account required). Are you reading this and have an interest in me doing some craft beer writing for you? mailto:Bryan@BrewLounge.com.
-->read back links: 10/13/2009 (Press Release) and 11/15/2009 (Grand Opening)
It's probably only fair that I fess up and talk with you about what I dropped the ball on after the New Year's Ball of 2009 dropped. Two things come immediately to mind. I had planned to do a series of Bartender Profiles. I have a list, I've checked it twice and even have some Q&A scripts ready to roll. I just never got around to pulling it off. I've since seen a couple of other sources of food and beverage writing take this on...It won't stop me from still doing it, I just need to dedicate some time to it.
And, that dastardly links table that I said I would do to organize all of the other wonderful sources for beer and beer-related information. Where is that anyway? It's not like it's all that big of a deal---I've got the list and and content. Content has never been an issue for me, it's the darned technical side of these things, like, uh, coding! We'll see; I know it's somewhat important and it's been such a while since I've done any sort of administrative cleanup around this Brew Lounge hangout...it's probably about time, eh? And, what is time anyway?
Be well all of you. Enjoy New Year's Eve. Party hardy rock 'n' roll and be safe. See you 'round the watering hole.
Tomorrow: A look back and forward with (chosen in random order) Maureen Ogle, Carolyn Smagalski, Mike Scotese (Scoats), Jim Wiggins, and Nick Johnson.
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