Each week, Tony Budny pens SCREAMING INTO THE VOID and looks at the best in writing and social media conversation around the biggest issues in beer. If you feel something should be included, have a tip, or just want to sound off, feel free to look him up on Twitter @DrinksTheThings or email DCBeer.
FREE BEER
Now that I have your attention, welcome now to The Void of your discontent.
I promise I did not make this, but the advice of the nice beer-drinking mouse is solid.
'Tis the season for acquisitions and deals. AB-InBev has sold five European brands, including stalwart Pilsner Urquell, to Japanese brewer Asahi in AB’s continued quest to divest after the SAB merger. Meanwhile, Michigan favorite New Holland has struck a deal with Pabst for sales and distribution nationwide. New Holland points out the deal is not a merger or a sale, so good news for any fans who were worried.
Some new details from the FDA on beer labeling and menus are out. This letter from the Brewers Association seems optimistic this isn’t going to be a tremendous hassle for smaller breweries. Here’s more from them on premiumization across beer.
Frederick, Maryland has finalized a deal to sell Flying Dog more land to expand.
Want to drink in Alexandria? All About Beer has a guide.
Sometimes I think craft beer is a good community. Sometimes I don't. And before you ask, yes, sometimes a few bad apples can indeed spoil the whole bunch. Bah humbug. [Editor's Note: I'm just seeing this now. Holy hell there are some bad beer people out there. The "good people drink good beer" paradigm is not anywhere near as rock solid as it used to be. -BD]
Beergraphs writers have released their favorite beers of 2016. I never got to have Born Yesterday. It is one of my greatest beer regrets of the year. Relatedly, Paste Magzine has a list of the breweries of the year.
Big news from Boston: the popular and expansive beer selling franchise Craft Beer Cellar has a problem: bad beer. And its solution has rankled some of its franchise holders. CBC recently moved into the DC market as well, so this situation has farther-reaching consequences.
We need more food and beer pairing food blogs, imo. Here is a good one with a recipe for bulgogi with a Brew By Numbers Citra pale. You can substitute a Citra pale.
Here's a beer, I guess. Not sure what more commentary to provide. The philosophy of this kind, empathic beer writer is to drink what you like. I am not sure, however, how many people will like this.
Beer fatigue affects all of us sometimes. But there is some good news: there are some good beers you can find easily. In case you didn’t know, you don’t have to stand in line for beer. It is okay to drink a beer you find at a grocery or convenience store. Breathe into this paper bag, it’ll all be fine.
Union Craft Brewing in Baltimore is a favorite both in the city and out and Phil Runco writes about its deep ties to the city.
Finally, if you want a career in beer, this is another article with some advice on how to do that. There are over 5,000 breweries in the US now. I’ll be impressed when there are FIVE MILLION.
Make sure to buy your friends and family plenty of beer for Christmas this weekend. Wait, you didn’t know it was the last shopping weekend before Christmas? Better buy yourself plenty of beer in the process.
See you next week for a special Christmas edition of The Void featuring… something. I don’t know yet. It may even look a lot like this one. But since Christmas weekend is upcoming, it’ll be special. Trust me.
