Monday, October 11, 2010 at 11:10AM I interviewed Kevin of (512) Brewing Company to get some background on the beers they brought to the festival. I also asked him what interesting beers he discovered at GABF this year. It's a quick one, so watch and maybe you'll discover a new beer you'll want to hunt down for your collection.
Thursday, October 7, 2010 at 1:10PM 
I just returned from the 2010 Business of Software Conference in Boston. I had a lovely time and had a few glasses of Sam Adams and Harpoon beer that aren't readily available in Austin. Glorious!
One surprising theme that appeared in the conference was that of using a software business to do good in the world. Many of the conference speakers touched on the theme, including Derek Sivers and Joel Spolsky. I didn't expect the topic in a business conference, and I found their speeches quite moving.
The notion also got me thinking about doing good in the beer world. Just as doing good in the software business doesn't mean writing good software, doing good in the beer universe doesn't mean making good beer. I'm talking about doing good in excess of just providing a product people want.
Looking back to the 2010 Great American Beer Festival, I found a few examples of doing good. First, there were a few events supporting cancer causes: the Beer for Boobs Brunch, and the Pints for Prostates rare beer tasting. Both of these events were an example of the beer universe directly supporting a cause to do good in the outside world.
The Ladies of Craft Beer itself is an example of doing a good. Although they don't directly come out and say it, I would say that their organization promotes social justice in the beer world. In this case, fighting the discrimination and mistreatment of women. No need to beat about the bush: some people in the beer world (many of them casual visitors to the beer world) act like jerks towards women. Most of those people aren't half as knowledgeable or involved as the Ladies of Craft beer. Just knowing these ladies are around should help take out the trash.
Beer itself can be a force of good too. Beer in moderation has health and social benefits. Beer was the social lubricant of choice at the Business of Software conference. I have no doubt that new relationships were formed because liquid courage helped break the ice. In some cultures, beer gives the drinker the power to remove her culturally-imposed mask and be herself.y
Many brewers also promote the use of sustainable and environmentally healthy practices within their own industry. The use of organic ingredients, the support of local suppliers, and more efficient packaging are some that I can think of off the top of my head.
The dark side of beer is that it can be abused. A great social lubricant in excess can break relationships and hurt people. It can even put lives in jeopardy. So another kind of good found in the beer industry is preventing the abuse of beer itself, and helping those who are addicted or at risk of harming themselves or others. Many of the larger brewers especially campaign against the abuse of alcohol. Some might call this reducing harm rather than doing good; that distinction is up to you.
To finish, I would love to hear from you. What other forms can doing good take in the beer world? Whether you're a brewer, distributor, drinker, or member of the beer media, what is your personal brand of good that you want to give back to the world? Are there ideals or ethical standards that we all should strive towards, or is it enough that we each focus on our own form of helping the world be a better place than we found it? Comment below.
Cheers!
Friday, October 1, 2010 at 2:29PM A quick introduction to 21st Amendment's Black IPA: Back in Black.
Thursday, September 30, 2010 at 5:47PM Jennie and I interviewed Charlie, Ashley, and Eric of Alaskan Brewing Company during GABF in Denver. They talked about their contribution to the Pints for Prostates Rare Beer Tasting, the barrel-aged Smoked Porter, brewing with spruce tips, and what beers they looked forwards to tasting at GABF.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at 1:50PM 
Barrel aged beers are the leather seats of the brewing world. The normal beer has a competitive price, but the beer aged in wood barrels costs a few bucks more. Nobody buys a car with cloth seats or crank windows. Why would you buy the beer without the liquor barrel aging?
Some of these barrel aged beers end up with more of the liquor flavor than the wood flavor. If the bourbon barrel still had a puddle of Maker's in the bottom, is the result a barrel aged beer, or an aged beer cocktail?
This trend seems to have culminated in breweries like Rogue and Dogfish Head distilling and aging spirits. Want some wood and rum flavor in your Rogue Chocolate Stout? Just add some Rogue Rum to your Rogue Beer.
I expect more large craft breweries to try their hand at distilling. If they can invent a cocktail using their existing beer, they might just kick off a trend.
What are the other brewers of note who are distilling too?
The name of this beer is a topic of political discussion that I'll skip, but this style seems to be going more mainstream. Sam Adams awarded Blackened Hops a winning slot in the 2010 Longshot competition. 21st Amendment Brewery is canning their Back in Black.
This will give us beer nerds a fun time introducing our friends / bartenders to a new style.
"What do you mean you haven't heard of an IBA / CDA?" you'll gloat to your buddy, "there were 53 entries in the GABF this year!"
Anyone have a good pairing suggestion?
The trend towards canning is slowly growing, but that doesn't mean that the debate is over.
Can you age beer in cans? Sure, less oxygen is able to break into in a can versus a bottle, but how much gets in the beer during the canning process? How big is the difference in environmental impact between cans and bottles? What are the cost differences?
I expect the canning trend to keep growing, although I expect bottles will always have their place. A nice big bomber just looks nice on the shelf.
Oh, and can someone please explain to me why beer wouldn't age well in cans?
Beer