Thinkin’ and Drinkin’: Week of August 19 (It’s still summer!)

If you’ve wondered where Craft Brewing Business‘s weekly “Thinkin’ and Drinkin'” column had gone to, wonder no more! For we have returned from a restful retreat full of deep thoughts and tasty craft beers and emerged to once again share our thoughts and craft beer selection with you, our faithful CBB readers!

For the uninitiated, five o’clock rolls around early in the CBB office on Fridays and the crew gets together to share our favorite moments in recent craft beer content history. What interesting craft beer news caught your attention this week? What was your favorite feature? Here, have another one of my beers and then answer, “Who is your favorite CBB editor?” These are the types of questions we set out to answer in our weekly news wrap up. So grab a cold craft beer, check out what the CBB crew thinks about the latest developments in the industry and then share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

 A Hop Farmer’s Diary: 30 days in the life of Oregon’s Crosby Hop Farm

Jason Morgan, Editor:

Hop farming is, well, hopping these days. (Start the hop pun counter.) The growing hopes of many small hop farmers mirror that of entrepreneurial craft brewers who set out to brew up their own brand within the local community. Hop farming is not easy, as Blake Crosby and the fine folks at Farm and Ranch Living shared with us. The story gives us an inside look at the dedication and patience it takes to grow hops. While we’ve detailed the trials and tribulations in previous stories and tracked the trends of regional hop interest like the growing community found in New York, interest is budding, even down to a regional brewery that gave away hops plants for its customers to raise and bring back so they could craft a unique community beer. Like the hops themselves, what starts as a small seed of promise and inspiration, hopefully blooms into a robust crop of quality.

Craft choice: Thirsty Dog Rail Dog

(Pun count: five)

 

Better know a craft beer guild: San Francisco booms amid permit delays

Chris Crowell, editor:

This is less a thinkin’ post and more of a thankin’ post. I was going to start off (and still am) by thanking Brian Stechschulte, executive director for the San Francisco Brewers Guild, for sharing his insight for our “Better know a craft beer guild” series. Then I was going to transition to thanking (and still am) the teams at Redhook Brewery and SweetWater Brewing for sending over samples of their fall brewing creations. (I try to hold off on enjoying any Oktoberfests or pumpkin beers until the calendar officially hits fall, a.k.a., once college football starts. So, I have yet to give them a shot.) But then I took a step back and looked at the broader picture of Craft Brewing Business, and thought of everyone in the industry, from brewers in Hawaii to label suppliers to heads of distribution associations to video game developer Greg Zeschuk, who all have taken the time to talk with us, share their stories and insights and contribute to what we are trying to do here. It is a blast being able to write for CBB, but there wouldn’t be much to say without the enthusiasm and expertise of everyone in the industry. For those we have yet to speak to but are interested in sharing their stories and insights, don’t hesitate to let us know at [email protected]. Cheers!

Craft choice: Two Brothers Brewing Hop Centric (and then, admittedly, a ton of High Life at my fantasy football draft).

It’s still summer!

Keith Gribbins, editor

Yeah, the days are getting shorter, but I’m still sitting on my back porch (albeit in the dark, by myself) drinking turbo shandies and lager blondes. I’m not ready for fall yet, but craft brewers certainly are. From Oktoberfests to pumpkin ales, store shelves and barroom taps are already dressing up for Halloween and shelling out sweet, seasonal craft beers. What say you CraftBeer.com about all this fall fever?

“Autumn is a busy time of year for everyone, and American craft brewers are no exception,” said Julia Herz in a press release; she’s publisher of CraftBeer.com and the Brewers Association craft beer program director. “Small and independent brewers take advantage of the season’s offerings to create tasty and fuller bodied beers that reflect autumnal awesomeness. The flavor profiles fit with cooler weather and the ever-increasing demand for seasonally specific creations.”

Summer ends September 21, and till then I will be my stockpiling Founders All Day IPA and Victory’s Summer Love because in my garage it’s eternal summer. But since Football’s about to start (the greatest sport since gladiating), some of you fall fans can cozy up to these seasonal beer selections.

YOUR fall craft choice?

Arcadia Brewing Co. | Jaw Jacker, Pumpkin-Spiced Ale | Battle Creek, Mich.
Crazy Mountain Brewing Co. | Sticky Fingers Fresh Hop Ale | Vail Valley, Colo.
Crown Valley Brewery | Imperial Pumpkin Smash Stout | Genevieve, Mo.
Deschutes Brewery | Chasin’ Freshies Fresh Hop IPA | Bend, Oregon
Full Sail Brewing Co. | LTD 07 Oktoberfest | Hood River, Oregon
Grand Teton Brewing | Bone Warmer Imperial Amber Ale | Victor, Idaho
Heavy Seas Brewery | GreatER Pumpkin | Baltimore, Md.
Hermitage Brewing Co. | Fruit Crate Pumpkin Ale | San Jose, Calif.
Lazy Magnolia Brewing Co. | Me and the Dev-Ale | Kiln, Miss.
Lexington Brewing and Distilling Co. | Kentucky Pumpkin Barrel Ale | Lexington, Ky.
Mayflower Brewing Co. | Autumn Wheat Ale | Plymouth, Mass.
Mother’s Brewing Co. | Old School Oktoberfest | Springfield, Mo.
Starr Hill Brewery | Boxcarr, Pumpkin Porter | Crozet, Va.
Wasatch Beerston | Wasatch Pumpkin Ale | Park City, Utah