Author: Jon Cooper
300 Breweries In Craft Beer Card Game Thinking & Drinking
PHILADELPHIA – Thinking & Drinking announced today that more than 300 breweries have agreed to be featured in the card game, which is set to launch on Kickstarter next week.
“We are very excited to reach this milestone ahead of our launch. We are overwhelmed by the support of the brewing community and are grateful for the brewers who have decided to participate,” said Jonathan Cooper, founder of Thinking & Drinking. “We really wanted the first printing of this game to showcase local brewing and now we have representatives from all across the United States.”
Thinking & Drinking is a 300-plus question craft beer card game designed to foster conversation among players. Each card also includes the profile of a U.S. craft brewer, including the brewery’s name, location, website, social media handles, and the name and photo of a featured beer. Thinking & Drinking will feature six decks of 54 cards and featured breweries range from small start-ups to some of the country’s largest craft brewers. Breweries from all 50 states and Washington, D.C. are featured in Thinking & Drinking.
“We started the project with an open invite to breweries to submit profiles and we’ve spoken to brewers from all across the country. It’s amazing to see the diversity in styles and craftsmanship among all of these breweries,” said Cooper.
http://www.thinkingdrinking.beer
Star Wars Beers And The LucasFilm Legal Team
Toppling Goliath has Light Speed.
New England Brewing has Imperial Stout Trooper.
Empire Brewing has Empire Strikes Bock.
LucasFilm has a problem when it comes to Star Wars beers.
Iowa’s Toppling Goliath’s Light Speed – an American Pale Ale (5.8% ABV) – was originally labeled Millennium Falcon. As the brewery describes it now, “this seasonal pale ale was crafted with a perfect mixture of Millennium hops and Falconer’s Flight blend. Inviting orange aroma and hints of lemon flavor in this medium-bodied beauty will make you want to drink yours at light speed!”
Connecticut’s New England Brewing’s Imperial Stout Trooper – a Russian Imperial Stout (8.5% ABV) – is one of NEB’s most popular beers. “Brewed in a brewery not too far away and not too long ago,” NEB notes on their website, “Imperial Stout Trooper is “a full bodied stout with a majestic blend of seven different malts and Northern Brewer hops.”
Empire Brewing, located in Syracuse, N.Y., has Strikes Bock (6.5% ABV) which is a traditional German style Mai-Bock. “This is a true lager, made with German lager yeast and fermented for six weeks. The flavors are malt forward with a medium body, finishing with a dry peppery flavor that is derived from the hops,” according to Empire Brewing.
Ranker.com – People Want To Drink With Jennifer Lawrence And Bill Murray
Ranker.com, the site that lets you, well, rank whatever you’d like, asked its users to which famous man and woman they’d most want to have a beer with.
The question racked up 77,600+ votes between the two poll questions.
Here are the results:
1. Jennifer Lawrence |
1. Bill Murray |
2. Emma Stone |
2. Robert Downey Jr. |
3. Jessica Biel |
3. Robin Williams |
4. Olivia Munn |
4. John Goodman |
5. Scarlett Johansson |
5. Liam Neeson |
6. Mila Kunis |
6. Will Ferrell |
7. Yvonne Strahovski |
7. Jeff Bridges |
8. Rachel McAdams |
8. Steve Buscemi |
9. Olivia Wilde |
9. Bradley Cooper |
10. Cobie Smulders |
10. Samuel L. Jackson |
UnTappd: How 2 Guys Built Craft Beer’s Leading Social Media Platform In Their Spare Time
This post originally appeared on Medium
Tim Mather & Greg Avola Have Grown UnTappd From
‘Foursquare For Beer’ Into The Beer Industry’s Social Standard
When UnTappd hit the market in 2010 its founders were okay with being tagged Foursquare for beer drinkers, as everyone from Mashable to Inquisitrlabeled it. That’s because back then, UnTappd was basically that, a check-in service.
“Now, we see our app as a beer discovery app, rather than just a check-in service,” says Greg Avola, UnTappd’s co-founder and chief technology officer. “We’re focused on real-time and we focus more on the recommendation side. We want to help users plan their evening, to discover what beers to try.”
UnTappd has grown its offerings since its launch five years ago. The recommendation features has helped build a fiercely loyal user base of craft beer enthusiasts that topped 1.6 million by the end of 2014.
Avola is the East Coast half of UnTappd and is based in New York. UnTappd co-founder Tim Mather — the company’s CEO and lead designer — is in California. Though, it isn’t the fact that Avola and Mather have built a platform that is now home to 2+ million users and has catalogued more than 500,000 beers (commercial and homebrewed from across the globe) while being geographically separated — and without any advertising or venture capital dollars — that’s impressive. Avola and Mather have built UnTappd into craft beer’s social media platform of choice in their spare time.
Mather is a senior UX designer at Disney Interactive and he spends his days handing UX, UI and prototyping support for a variety of Disney’s online destinations. Avola is a senior software engineer for ABC News and is responsible for building and supporting various parts of ABCNews’ digital properties.
And after hours the pair manages a cross-country workflow that has allowed them to create the digital platform of choice in what is, according to theBrewers Association, a $19.6 billion craft beer industry.
“I think the key to being able to manage this is to manage your time efficiently and take breaks. Otherwise, you’ll be so wrapped into your full-time job and this and that, it becomes hard to see the line between them,” says Avola, who notes that he and Mather spend about 20–24 hours a week on UnTappd.
Avola notes that the lack of outside funding does slow down the design and development process, he notes that he and Mather do have the freedom to “have total control over the end result.”
ORGANIZATION: Avola and Mather rely heavily on Slack, Basecamp and “a healthy amount of iMessage” as their key communication and project management tools. “When a new task gets identified and scoped out, we add them to our lists, manage and report on our progress in those task lists. It’s been extremely helpful and easy to manage,” says Avola.
DISCIPLINE & FOCUS: With limited resources and time, Avola and Mather spend time before their full-time gigs catching up on anything urgent from the overnight. “Because we are remote and in different time zones, most of the work that Tim does is when I’m asleep, so it’s incredibly important to keep detailed status log so we can hand off work correctly,” says Avola. “We try to do as much siloed work as we can for task because we don’t have the luxury of working together on a task.”
FOCUS ON THE USER & COMMUNITY: “We didn’t expect that we would be dealing over 2 million users on the app when we first started,” says Avola. “It’s a humbling experience to have that many people using our service, and we use that as motivation to keep going.” UnTappd has a group of about 50 super users who help beta test new features and moderate content on the app. “Getting feedback is what we have been about since day one … Making all your users happy is impossible, but by listening, we can try to focus in on trends which help determine future enhancements,” Avola says.
COMMUNICATION: Even with UnTappd being a two-man team, communication is key. “When you are in an office with people you’ll see them every day and talk with them face to face with issues,” says Avola. “With Untappd we don’t have that luxury. We need to focus on being concise with our emails and messages, to make sure everyone is on the same page, so nothing gets missed.”
THE NIKE PRINCIPLE: “We built a prototype within 24 hours of having the idea back in the summer of 2010. I think that a lot of startups feel they need to search for funding for an idea, but at the same time, you can build an MVP and go from there to see if it sticks,” he says. Avola says the key to UnTappd’s growth was simply “just doing it.”
While UnTappd is a beer-focused platform, the key is the community beer and brewing creates.
“We’re the ones that can help foster the experience at the bar, connecting the brewery with the customer and the customer with the beer. And all of that benefits the venue,” Avola says. “The cool thing about beer is that it creates conversation across geographic boundaries and we can enhance that experience.”
Thinking & Drinking Includes American Craft Brewers From Every State, D.C.
Craft Beer Card Game Passes 200 Brewery Milestone Ahead of Launch
PHILADELPHIA – Thinking & Drinking, the craft beer card game launching on Kickstarter later this month, today announced more than 200 craft brewers from across the United States have already agreed to be featured in the game. The growing roster of breweries also includes at least one brewery from each of the 50 states and Washington, D.C.
“Thinking & Drinking will feature breweries ranging from small start-ups and first-time entrepreneurs to some of craft brewing’s biggest and most well-known names,” said Jonathan Cooper, founder of Thinking & Drinking. “The range of brewers we are including is reflective of the craft beer industry in terms of size and growth. We’re grateful to all those who have agreed to participate in Thinking & Drinking.”
Thinking & Drinking is a game featuring more than 300 question cards that are designed to foster conversation among players. Each card includes the profile of a U.S. craft brewer – including a featured beer.
“One of our goals is to introduce players to craft breweries and beers that they may not yet know,” said Cooper. “Thinking & Drinking is designed to get people talking, to get them to discover something new through conversation. The brewer profiles are another opportunity to add to that discovery.”
With more than 300 question cards included in Thinking & Drinking there is still opportunity for brewers to participate and submit a no-cost profile for inclusion in the game. Brewers can visit www.ThinkingDrinking.Beer/Form to submit a profile.
About Thinking & Drinking
Thinking & Drinking: A Game Of Self-Discovery Or Self-Destruction is a card game of 300 questions that are crafted to foster conversation. Each time a question is asked, every player must answer. Those answers may reveal something new about other players … and maybe even yourself. Thinking & Drinking is designed for players 21+ and should always be played responsibly. (www.ThinkingDrinking.Beer)
New Beer Mile World Record Set
“Chug a beer, run a lap. Chug a beer, run a lap. Chug a beer, run a lap,” says 21-year-old James “Jimbo” Hansen when explaining the rules before what appears to be his world-record-setting attempt to set a new ‘beer mile’ world record.
While beer and running have been linked, well, probably since the invention of each – and new start-ups Craft Brew Races have launched – it’s no surprise that there is a world record for the Beer Mile. Yes, we’re making it a proper noun to show it some respect! BeerMile.com a site that tracks the 89,000-plus attempts at the record so this is obviously something people take seriously.
The Beer Mile record rested with James Nielsen of Novanto, California who set it at age 34. According to Runner’s World, Nielsen was a two-time NCAA champion in the 5,000 meters while attending the University of California San Diego, and, in 2007, he won the Eugene Marathon and qualified for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials, finishing 50th in New York.
Note that BeerMile.com lists James Nielsen of Novanto, California as the world record holder with a time of 4:57. That’s because they haven’t yet reviewed (at the time we’re writing this) the attempt by Australia’s James “Jimbo” Hansen.
According to Runner’s World, Jimbo posted a YouTube video (it’s below) showing that he bested Nielsen’s record. Jimbo’s video shows a time of 4:56.25.
According to BeerMile.com the rules are pretty straightforward:
– Drink a beer that is at least 355 ml or 12 oz and 5% ABV before the start of each lap.
– Beer must be consumed before the lap starts and within a 10 meter zone on the track.
– The runner must open each beer; no specialized cans or bottles allowed (no shotgunning)
There’s a few more details that you can check out at the link above if interested.
We’re off the the gym … or the bar … or maybe one then the other.
Brewers Association Releases Top Craft Breweries List
The Colorado-based Brewers Association released its annual list of the top 50 craft and overall brewery companies in the United States.
The list, based on beer sales volumes, puts Pennsylvania-based D.G. Yuengling and Son of Pottsville, Pa in the top spot for U.S. craft brewers with Boston Beer Co., the Massachusetts-based maker of Samuel Adams, in the No. 2 spot.
“The companies on this list include the vanguard of the craft industry,” said Bart Watson, chief economist, Brewers Association. “They are exposing new beer lovers to craft, opening new markets and creating opportunities for the entire category. As they continue to grow, so will the availability of innovative and high-quality beers produced for all to enjoy.”
Sockeye Brewing In Boise Releases Unite Red Ale
Sockeye Brewing – which will be featured in the upcoming release of Thinking & Drinking – is tapping its Unite Red Ale as a fundraising brew for the Pink Boots Society.
As described by Sockeye when announcing the release, the “batch has a sweet, smooth, and rich red malt backbone. It has been hopped with four varieties, including a brand new experimental #6 from Jackson Hop farms in Wilder, Idaho.”
Proceeds from the beer will be donated to Pink Boots Society Scholarship Fund, and Boise’s Women and Children’s Alliance.
Stone Imperial Russian Stout 2015 Released
Stone Imperial Russian Stout 2015 (10.6% ABV, 65 IBUs) is on the market.
The California brewery describes its annual release as:
“A rich, hearty beer that emphasizes the roasty, chocolaty essence of dark malts, it stands out from Stone Brewing Co.’s typically hoppy stock, with a smooth, velvety body that’s tasty when fresh, yet also perfectly suited for long periods of cellaring.”
But as usual, Stone didn’t stop there.
The brewery also released a version “infused with tea and spices.”
The 2015 Stone CHAI-SPICED Imperial Russian Stout (10.6% ABV, 65 IBUs) is “inspired by the savory flavors and aromas of chai tea, a blend of cinnamon, cardamom, clove, ginger, black pepper and black tea was blended with batches of Stone Imperial Russian Stout, post-fermentation. The aroma primarily showcases the spice and tea qualities, followed by mild clove and roasted barley characters. 2015 Stone CHAI-SPICED Imperial Russian Stout carries rich cinnamon, ginger and cardamom characteristics, followed by flavors of sweet tea as well as coffee from the base beer. As it warms, cocoa and coffee notes will balance out the piquant tea-and-spice medley.”
Check out Stone’s beer finder at find.stonebrewing.com to track some down.
Paste Magazine: New Card Game for Beer Lovers Launches Soon
Graham Averill over at Paste Magazine gave readers an early heads up about Thinking & Drinking and we’re grateful.
“Thinking and Drinking is a new drinking game seeking funding on Kickstarter that has beer lovers in mind. You get a deck of cards, each of which has a thought-provoking question, like, “’If giving up cheese made you immortal, would you do it?’” he writes.
Here’s the most recent tweet from Paste:
New drinking game hinges on the weirdest place you slept and your feelings about cheese. http://t.co/nQrZ2y5eem pic.twitter.com/EZEhivnqXj
— Paste Magazine (@PasteMagazine) March 24, 2015
Philadelphia Beer: Brewery ARS Crowdfunding Its Launch
If you like Philadelphia Beer then you need to pay attention to this one.
Brothers Sean and Andy Arsenalt, award-winning experienced home brewers, are preparing to launch a crowdfunded brewery in the City of Brotherly Love.
Here’s some background from their Kickstarter page:
The engineers-turned-brewers are have launched a funding drive to purchase four fermentation tanks for their brewery, dubbed Brewery ARS.
Here’s some background from their Kickstarter page:
The real magic would happen in the subsequent years as Sean decided to move to France for four years while Andy remained in Philadelphia contemplating leaving his day job as an environmental engineer for brewing school … Andy’s contemplation would turn into reality as he would go on to attending one of the most prestigious brewing schools in the world, the University of California at Davis. During his time at UC Davis, Andy learned everything there was to know about the brewing process. Upon graduation, Andy went on to become a brewer at Victory Brewing Company in Pennsylvania for the next two years. During Sean’s four-year journey in Europe, he visited, tasted, and conversed with as many breweries as possible in order to gain knowledge and valuable insight into the beer making process. Sean was fortunate enough to visit over 100 breweries in many different countries such as Austria, Germany, Italy, France, The Netherlands, and Denmark, but he fell in love with the charismatic beers of Belgium. Trip after trip to Belgium led to a greater appreciation of the Belgian beer culture. Andy would also join Sean on several pilgrimages throughout Belgium where they would go on to create a commercial collaboration beer with Brewery Eutropius in Belgium.
The brothers have already inked distribution deals with Penn Distributors and Gretz Beer Co.
Whether you decided to back their project or not, that’s your decision (we did), but you have to watch their Kickstarter video. We’re hoping to see more of Rose in any update videos or in some future Brewery ARS marketing. #ROSERULES
Yards Brewing Starting #YardsBeeGarden
Even with snow falling in greater Philadelphia the folks at Yards Brewing are thinking spring.
Yards is bringing back Yards Bee Gardens (#YardsBeeGarden). The brewery is giving away some 20,000 see packages at locations where Yards is sold. The seed packs include seeds for purple coneflower and coreopis.
The aim is to help “sustain our region’s vital bee population,” Yards posted on its Facebook page.
The seed packs will be available starting next week and Yards is asking those who plant the seeds to show them how your Bee Garden is doing by tagging posts to social media with the hashtag #YardsBeeGarden.
Deschutes Brewery Redefines #DrinkLocal
Deschutes Brewery’s Street Pub Is Coming To A City Near You
If you can’t make it to Deschutes Brewery in Oregon then they’re going to bring their beer to you.
Deschutes’ Street Pub (#StreetPub) is a 400-plus foot transportable bar crafted from reclaimed oak and iron, complete with 40 taps and it’s making stops in cities across the U.S. starting in May.
“We were founded as a small downtown public house more than 26 years ago, and the personal connection with our patrons is a core part of who we are,” said Deschutes’ Joey Pleich, the brewery’s field marketing manager. “The Street Pub is our way to bring the essence of our pubs to fans across the nation.”
The Street Pub, which features all of Deschutes Brewery’s beers, will make seven stops during it’s 6,ooo-mile cross-country road trip. Each stop will include “culinary creations from Deschutes Brewery’s Executive Chef Jeff Usinowicz, and live local music” as part of a day-long street party in each city.
Deschutes Brewery, which donates $1 per barrel of beer sold each year to nonprofit organizations, will be selecting a charity in each city during the Street Pub tour and that charity will receive proceeds from the event.
Here’s where the Street Pub will be stopping (full details to be announced):
May 9: Bend, Oregon
May 30: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (noon to 10 p.m.)
June 27: Arlington, Virginia (noon to 10 p.m.)
August 1: Cleveland, Ohio (noon to 10 p.m.)
August 22: Chicago, Illinois (noon to 10 p.m.)
September 19: Minneapolis / St Paul, Minnesota (noon to 10 p.m.)
October 17: Denver, Colorado (noon to 10 p.m.)
November 14: Sacramento, California (noon to 10 p.m.)
Thinking & Drinking Wins Denver Comic Con Beer Contest
Hulk’s Mash!
Our entry into the annual Denver Comic Con and Breckenridge Brewery “Name the Comic Con Beer” contest was named the winner today.
Hulk’s Mash! – our homage to Mr. Lou Ferrigno, who will be attending the event – was named the winner and will now have a logo crafted by the Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design.
This year’s beer is described as a “mild-mannered pale ale brewed with Mosaic hops and mango puree – but don’t be fooled by this character – there’s some real punch beneath its cover.”
Past winning entries included The Fantastic Pour, The Caped Brewsader, and Brews Wayne.
Ninkasi Brewing Company New Beer Is Out Of This World
Ninkasi Brewing Ground Control
The Ninkasi Brewing Company in Oregon is launching a new stout that has traveled to the heavens.
Last summer the brewery launched the Ninkasi Space Program to boldly go where no brewery had gone before. With the help of the Civilian Space eXploration Team, the brewery sent two rockets into outer space carrying a payload of brewer’s yeast.
After touching down back on Earth, that yeast was used by Ninkasi’s brewers to create Ground Control, an Imperial Stout with 10% ABV.
Ninkasi describes Ground Control as being brewed with “Oregon hazelnuts, star anise and cocoa nibs, and fermented with an Ale yeast that survived a trip to space and back.”
You won’t have to travel to space – or even Oregon – to get your hands on Ground Control. The beer is launching in limited edition 22-ounce bottles at select retailers across the U.S. on April 13.
Americans Drinking More Craft Beer
Craft Beer Accounted for 11% of the U.S. Beer Market in 2014
For the first time ever, craft beer makes up more than 10% of American beer consumption, the Brewers Association announced today.
According to the Brewers Association, which represents craft brewers, craft brewers produced 22.2 million barrels of beer in 2014, which accounted for an 11 percent share of the beer market in the U.S.
“With the total beer market up only 0.5 percent in 2014, craft brewers are key in keeping the overall industry innovative and growing. This steady growth shows that craft brewing is part of a profound shift in American beer culture—a shift that will help craft brewers achieve their ambitious goal of 20 percent market share by 2020,” said Bart Watson, chief economist, Brewers Association. “Small and independent brewers are deepening their connection to local beer lovers while continuing to create excitement and attract even more appreciators.”
As illustrated in this Brewers Association infographic:
- The number of breweries operating in the U.S. grew 19% in 2014
- There are 3,464 breweries with 3,418 craft breweries (1,871 microbreweries, 1,412 brewpubs, and 135 regional craft breweries)
Who Makes The Beer You Drink?
This map by VinePair.com gives you an idea of who owns the brewery that makes the beer that you drink.
Milwaukee Brewers Bring Back Barrel Man
The Milwaukee Brewers announced out that Barrel Man – who was the team’s mascot back in the 1940s and 1950s – is returning to the Major League Baseball team’s mascot lineup this season.
Don’t worry, Bernie Brewer is still the team’s official mascot. And, the Famous Racing Sausages aren’t going anywhere either.
The Barrel Man is being added to the Brewers mascot bullpen.
The Man Behind The Beer Label: Fast Company
Imagine having the job where you decide what breweries can and can’t put on the bottle and can.
Meet Kent “Battle” Martin, who Fast Company calls “the eccentric bureaucrat beer-label designers love to hate.”
As Fast Company writes:
“This year alone, 29,500 individually designed beer labels have been submitted for approval to the Trade Department’s Tax and Trade Bureau. And every single one of those label designs was approved or denied by a single man: Kent “Battle” Martin, a man who is the bane of the beer industry for his power to reject labels for the flimsiest of reasons.”
The story details how he’s rejected labels for everything ranging from depictions of Santa, images of a King of Hearts (because, Fast Company reports, “the heart implied that the beer would have a health benefit”), and a label featuring a hamburger because it might lead buyers to think the beer contained meat.
Read the whole Fast Company piece here.