Mostly they were bought on accident, either from not checking the dates or unable to see the dates due to the packaging. One is a gifted old beer.
There’s nothing worse than an old IPA, especially a hazy.
Should I throw them out?
I currently have the space for them. They may not taste good but they are still beer. And I don’t have an infinite beer budget and sometimes run out BUT still really want a beer.
And sometimes a dude will show up and just want beer and not care how old they are.
Well, I guess I’ll keep them around then. Since I have the space for them at the moment.
Glad I worked that “problem” out here.
If I only live bed in a place that snowed and I needed to save parking spots, my problem would be solved here:
Welcome! Come on inside. You are safe. I will keep my mask on the entire time you’re in my newsletter shop.
Meme That Made Me Nod With Agreement (courtesy of Al Green)
As much as I agree with this and find it boring to use the same hops over and over, I also will buy this hop combo again and again. Forever.
Stone Of Controversy
As the drama continues regarding Stone vs. SawStone (Stone’s CEO left the company), a great byproduct happened this week. The Full Pint offered $500 to someone with inside knowledge of what’s going on at Stone…
…and then Stone’s Greg Koch comes in with a nice comment:
Gotta love the beer world.
Packaging Of The Week!
Stone & Modern Times colab for video play magic. This is available nationwide. The actual beer is a Hazy Coffee IPA. I don’t really know what the hell that is but I still want it.
Videos Worthy of Watching!
John G from Drakes Brewing kicks off a new video series by Drakes. In it, he leans into you for not liking pales more. I think I agree.
From the nice and knowledgeable blokes at The Craft Beer Channel, a solid primer on the basics of being a good beer geek when shopping for the right beer:
Beer That Stopped Me Scrolling
Definitely the beer I feel like I saw the most on Instagram this week, “Insert Hip Hop Reference There” by Trillium. Never had it, always wanted to though. Love that damn can art:
Window Of My Dreams
I did not think I’d be linking to a New York Post article today but I am because I think the concept of a wine window is rad:
(photo: nypost.com)
So yeah, the pandemic has sparked Italy to bring back a concept that the bubonic plague brought about: wine windows. The benefit is obvious right now, as little as contact as possible. Just move the concept over to taprooms and beer and we are set.
I have written about how we need more walk-up window style things, even before COVID-19, I would really love to see updated versions of these windows around the beer world, even staying after this is all over.
(Thanks to BenjClark for the heads up on the article)
Release To Look Out For
It’s been a while since I’ve gotten excited about a Sierra Nevada release. Besides the lovely can art and promise of dankness, Sierra has already committed (yes, before you even buy it) at least one million dollars towards community non-profits. The money will be helped by the sale of this beer, but Sierra will donate at least one million no matter what the beer brings in. Look for it mid-September.
Thank you for reading! Please subscribe if you are new here and think this newsletter is mildly rad.
During this time of bizarre hell and staying home, maybe you have time to do the nerdy things you never think of or never think you have the time for.
I have some random suggestions on things you could be doing at home, like I am. As a mostly homebody person that drinks most of my beer at home anyway, I should be a damn-ass expert!
Do More Things On Untappd
Join or conduct a contest! My friends, @ChewYourBeer and @TheFontanaJim will sometimes do contests on their Untappd accounts, sending a beer to the winner out of the kindness of their beer hearts. Maybe do that…if you’re bored…and like to ship things. Another thing I won’t do. But maybe you will.
Give longer reviews. In the latest Untappd update they expanded the space for leaving reviews. I still can’t get too deep into flavor descriptors. I stick with the basics. But maybe turning a check-in into a blog post is something I could get into.
Catalog Your Beer Fridge or Cellar. A recent thread on Reddit woke me to this. You can create a custom list in Untappd of your cellar. My cellar is the back of my fridge and I have only two. List complete.
Grab beer. Watch The Shit Out Of TV and Movies
Here is what I am making time for at the moment:
Ozark – Season 3. Maybe the best drama on TV, certainly on Netflix. And holy crap, Ruth is such a damn good character.
Homeland. The final season has been good, I’m going to miss this show.
The Walking Dead. Hit and miss this season, like every season.
Star Wars. I instinctively bought the BluRay for Rise Of Skywalker but I wish I hadn’t. Not because the movie is bad (I was surprised that I still liked it on 2nd watch, despite its definite flaws), but because there are no deleted scenes. Lame. I’m trying to catch-up on the Clone Wars series too. I recently watched Rogue One, for like the 6th time, and it’s still damn good.
I miss new SNLs and I hear that they are going to be doing some sort of Shelter-In-Place version. Better than nothing but a live audience is a major part of that show, it’s going to be…interesting.
Window and a Beer
I’m big on needing to relax and beer is a major part of that. One of my favorite things is sitting on my patio with a good beer (sometimes with music) and watching clouds, planes, birds, the squirrels that rule my neighborhood and also have nests in my trees, you know, whatever that comes into my view.
Looking out a window works well too. Subplots begin to form if you have the right window. Nothing pairs better with a beer than a good subplot. Miles Parks from NPR has a quaint one going:
Huge subplot of my life working from home now: following along as these birds build a nest outside my apt.
Roughly 15-20 times a day they fly up to the windowsill, with supplies in beak. They look right at me, either for approval or to flex, unclear
Just don’t look too dodgy while staring at stuff, like the guy below (Nick Heath and especially Andrew Cotter, have been hilarious during this whole thing with his commentary over everyday scenes) :
For more staring out windows tips and thoughts, check out Rob Walker’s latest newsletter.
Do It Live
I have yet to do a beer community-related Zoom. It sounds exhausting. I definitely need to pop in on a Perfect Pour GetIt sometime though. I tried last night and everyone had already left. This is my Zoom fear; joining a Zoom and there being only a couple people and I immediately regret my decision.
Live feeds from Instagram is huge right now. Lots of beer-related personalities and breweries have regular live feeds. I keep meaning to do it for the Perfect Pour. I’ve been enjoying Marc Maron’s, I have not poped in on too many other peeps yet.
Moody Beer With Moody Music
Listening to music and drinking some beers. Pretty damn relaxing. This is one that works well solo or with an agreeable mate. One band and one musician I have been playing a lot this week.
The Strokes have a new album “The New Abnormal” and it is a great, moody afternoon listen. I would call myself a fringe listener of The Strokes and I’m enjoying it on the Spotifys.
Folk musician, John Prine, passed away due to COVID. I knew the name but, I have to admit, wasn’t too familiar with his stuff. Started going through his music and discovered that I’m a fan. Marc Maron released an old episode of WTF with John, worth a listen.
Ship It Forward
Hope you live in a state like California that allows breweries to ship everywhere. My current California recommendations are:
You gotta really plop down some cash if you want Russian River at your door. At the moment I looked at the site, the only thing you can get is a $153 dollar case of Citra Flash Mob or Happy Hops or a mix of both. Plus some of their barrel-aged beers for even more. Seems steep but having Russian River delivered to your door also sounds pretty damn rad. Maybe that stimulus check could be used for one of these places.
Hope y0u’re able to get beer delivery at all, if you don’t live in California. In a shocker to nobody, drinking is up 42% because of the thing.
Some Travel and Beer Shipping Related Things I’ve Done
Gone through a drive-thru and Pine & Palm.
Had beer delivered to my door by Tioga Sequoia.
Done a drive-up at Zack’s Brewing.
Had some to-go takeout beer from Out Of The Barrel.
Did takeout beer from Tioga Sequoia with an online order.
Had a couple of growlers filled at Mad Duck Beer NW.
I have plans for getting something to-go from Amalgamation Brewing.
I got to-go food from Eureka Burger and somehow didn’t think about maybe getting a growler filled which is something you could not do before but now I bet you can.
I continue to buy from the markets I always buy from, The Market and Save Mart. I have not been into Whole Foods since this whole thing went down because they are having you wait in lines to get into the store. It’s something I support but also something I’m not taking the time to deal with yet. I’ll see you on the other side of this pandemic, I guess, Jeff Bezos.
Blogging Is Cool Again?
Today I discovered a new beer-related blog called The Retro Dad. I like how Shelter In Place has gotten some people back to blogging again. Even Matt from the Perfect Pour started blogging again and folks like Beth Demmon:
I haven't blogged in two years, but with West Coaster on indefinite hiatus, one last Prohibitchin' column got caught in the COVID-19 crossfire, so I put it up on my site. It's about SDSU's craft beer program's director, Evon Yousif. 🍻https://t.co/cUeNHja9wO
— Beth Demmon (like “Lemon” not “Demon”) (@delightedbite) April 6, 2020
Take Care Of Yourself
Hope you are being safe as you can. Thank God we can still have beer in this madness. Enjoy the quiet time.
Stay safe. Feel free to leave a comment with your Pandemic Drinking Habits or any recommendations for breweries that are shipping now.
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What does “smooth” mean when describing beer? Don’t say it doesn’t mean anything because you ALL know what it means!
So, people out there on Beer Twitter making fun of smooth because it was the top description on Untappd last year.
99% of the use of "smooth" is simply coming from relative beer neophytes who don't possess any other descriptive language and are simply using it to mean "good" in any way, shape or form. And even moreso, when it comes to spirits.
Don’t get flipped, bro! Neophytes? Go back to your spirts cave. That’s not what most people are saying.
It’s not bitter. Easy to drink. Drinkable. Hence: SMOOTH.
Yeah maybe it’s lazy but we ALL KNOW WHAT THE FUCK IT MEANS!
So back the hell off of SMOOTH! Back the hell off because smooth isn’t the only common term that means something and nothing all at once.
How about?:
Crisp
Bright
Flavorful
Light
Hoppy
Thin
Accessible
Complex
Balanced
Clean
See?! It’s all crap AND useful, at once. Unless you tear down all beer descriptors, leave smooth alone.
Deeper Take
As humans, all we really want is for things to go smoothly. We want our day to go smooth. Wedding. Trip. Latest hazy release.
Smooth is good. Smooth makes us happy.
So, as a brewer, don’t you want your beer to make people happy? If someone says your beer is “smooth”, they like your beer. Pretty nice if you think about it.
Smooth might be the most positive beer descriptor out there.
