Happy Holidays from The Void. It’s been a while since there’s been a Void because of user error, but fret not. We have an extra special version to get you through the holiday ups and downs. And at least you’re having a better day than whoever had this happen to them:
What a nightmare that is for so many reasons.
A lot has happened since we last spoke. The U.S. men’s soccer team entered and exited the World Cup. Some Guy bought Twitter. I won’t mention him, but you know his name. That has led to an existential crisis in the Void, which we’re used to, because the Void itself is its own existential crisis. How can we continue to write the Void, which relies so much on posting if the posting platform goes belly up? Evan Rail had some thoughts on that as well. But, here we are, in December, and the posts keep coming, whether we like it or not. Let’s get to them.
We wanted to give a shout out to the good folks behind what is now former brewery Rocket Frog in Virginia. Owner Richard Hartogs joined The DC Beer Show to talk about the ups and downs of the brewery and its then impending closure. I hope you were all able to get one last brown ale and some merch. I know I did.
Dry January is on its way. I’ll be doing one myself this year. But don’t embark on the journey without reading Kate Bernot on the rising price of NA beer and what that means for the style and the industry overall. With that said, the great freight crisis of the pandemic has abated but many small breweries are still feeling the crunch with the lack of scale. And those that are feeling the crunch most are shutting down. Rocket Frog is not an isolated case and it isn’t just isolated to the U.S. Though, not everyone that’s closing down is a sympathetic case, as a brewer at a popular Chicago brewery points out:
Here’s a break to stare are beers that look like artwork:
The news isn’t all bad though. Some breweries like Settle Down Easy in Oakton are getting compliments on the food they serve.
Read a deep dive about Mexican lager.
And what better place to get a Mexican lager or any other type of beer than the airport.
Are beers better at the airport at 6:30am? Discuss in the comments.
Scientists found the wild strain of yeast used to brew ancient beer in the soil in Ireland.
What was the problem with English hops? Matthew Curtis says its that they’re delicate and should be handled with care.
Finally, dessert beers. Usually I just have beer for dessert, not with it, but if you’re into beer pairings, here’s some advice from Jeff Alworth.
This has been a holiday edition of The Void. Ho ho ho. We didn’t have enough problems with you people for a Festivus celebration. Maybe next year. It’s the holidays, so I’ll be drinking Big Beers until we meet again. Have a relaxing end of the year and see you in 2023.
One response to “Screaming Into the Void: December 2022”
I haven’t lived in the DC area in almost a decade now, but I’m always a fan of a new Void. Keep ’em coming!