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We blame the industry for this… It used to be that when we wrapped up our Weekend Picks on Friday, we could coast through the weekend. There was little need to check in for updates – things were pretty much done. But clearly all that’s changed. So here’s some of what’s happened in the world of craft beer while you were enjoying yourselves.
SweetWater Makes a “Walk-On” in The Walking Dead (Atlanta, GA) – SweetWater Brewery made a surprising cameo appearance when AMC debuted a trailer for the upcoming season of their hugely popular zombie apocalypse TV series “The Walking Dead” at this year’s Comic-Con in San Diego. Check it out: Walking Dead Preview
National Geographic Wades into Heavy Seas (Washington, DC) – When we think National Geographic, a number of things come to mind – but craft beer’s not one of them. And maybe we’ll have to rethink that because this Wednesday, Heavy Seas Beer is partnering with the venerable institution and putting on a one-of-a-kind event. Beer Tasting and Brewing in the Age of Pirates is a mashup of serious beer, entertainment, and history. Hugh Sisson and crew will be bringing down several cask ales (one in a wooden firkin) and acclaimed beer historian Richard Wagner will be demonstrating colonial brewing techniques using vintage gear. You can even take in Nat Geo’s acclaimed Age of Pirates exhibit while you’re there and touch a 250-year-old cannon while you’re enjoying a Loose Cannon!
Craft Beer Redefining Michigan (Marquette, MI) – With Detroit filing for bankruptcy last week and the automobile industry that defined the city and much of the state in decline, a changing of the economic guard is quietly taking place. While not as large or as centralized as Detroit’s manufacturing base, craft beer is clearly an emerging economic force in Michigan and is helping to redefine the state’s infrastructure. According to the Michigan Brewers Guild, there are currently 140 breweries, microbreweries, and brewpubs in Michigan. In 1992, there were only three!
Beer Activists Stake out Urban Hop Garden (Minneapolis, MN) – We think you’ll be seeing more and more of things like this! Twin Cities is reporting that Andrew Schmitt, the director of Minnesota Beer Activists, which describes itself as “a consumer group whose mission is to engage consumers in education, legislation, and community participation regarding beer, wine, and spirits in Minnesota,” has started a community hop garden on a vacant lot in the Longfellow neighborhood in Minneapolis. Possibly the first of its kind, “Schmitt thinks the project can serve as a model for hop gardens in other parts of the state.”
100-Year-Old Bottles of Beer Found and Local Brewers Plan To Drink Them (Tacoma, WA) – Original 100-year-old bottles from the long-deceased Tacoma Beer Company were recently found under a stairwell during a renovation of the American Exchange Hotel in Sutter Creek, California. They’ve since been purchased by Tacoma brewer Steve Navarro and the owners of the soon-to-open Pacific Brewing and Malting, who according to the News Tribune, intend to actually drink them! Better you than us guys…Enjoy!
Buzz Kill (Providence, RI) – We guess this is progress…but was this really the best solution you could come up with? First the good news…. WPRI is reporting that Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee signed legislation Thursday allowing breweries, distilleries, and wineries to provide adult customers samples of spirits or malt beverages manufactured at the licensed plant. Now the bad news…even though the legislation allows for samples to be given out in conjunction with a tour or tasting event – you can’t drink them there – they are for off-premises consumption only!
