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.
It’s time for another edition of The Void, brought you by confirmation bias. You ever want to have a big, cold glass of expectation? Bryan Roth says pour yourself a glass of socially constructed beer dry-hopped with authenticity. Mmmmmm, social constructs….
Did somebody say dry-hopped?
Oh. Oh no. This time you’ve gone too far.
You know what else shouldn’t look like that? Cask beer. Thomas Cizauskas says that isn't going well either in Britain, let alone the US. And across the pond a new wrinkle has been thrown into the recent debate: a brand new price war.
Kate Bernot says welcome to the January seasonal beer slump. Or is it just a perception? The article mentions big stouts and barleywines that are on the market right now. Here are a hundred stouts for you to help these sales numbers rise, ranked.
Or, maybe consumers are more into mass-market craft this time of year.
OK, I have some good news and some bad news? Which do you want to hear first?
All right, I know, you don’t need any more bad news, so let me get that out of the way first. Green Flash has laid off 25 employees and it appears the leadership of Alpine has been shaken up. Boston Beer also appears to be not doing as well as it had hoped.
OK, now for some good news. If you’re reading this, you are likely a drinker. You also probably know someone who has been afflicted by alcoholism. New research shows a virus may help end the affliction. Also, beer yeast is more "sophisticated" than wine yeast. YEAHHHHH, EAT IT WINE ENTHUSIASTS (please note this beer writer also drinks wine).
The much-maligned but heavily used growler is falling out of favor with breweries. Perhaps this is a sign of maturity. Personally, I just drink beer straight from the tap, so no need for any of these.
In local news, a Purcellville hop farm has decided to cut out the middle-man and dive into brewing. Also, if you’ve never been to the Brookeville Beer Farm nestled in one of Maryland’s hottest farm brewery areas, here's a preview of what you'd see.
Finally, get educated about everyone’s favorite beer ingredient: hops. You thought I was going to say malted barley, didn’t you? And, in non-beer-but-sort-of-beer-because-places-that-make-beer-sometimes-make-cider-too news, get educated on the business of cider.
That’s all for this week. Stay safe out there.
