The Desert of the Real

This week we’ll discuss a world where the things that are more real are fuzzier than the things that are less so. Getting together with friends and strangers, figuring out what is good and what is not, those things are all real. Going to the liquor store for beer flavored alcoholic syrup to put in your soda stream is, well, less so. These are the show notes for this week’s Beer with Strangers podcast. We’ll get to as many of them as we can.
Let’s begin.
It’s been a great week for local beer as we added our newest place, Revolution Brewing Company, in Rehoboth. I went over there thinking I was going to do a pre-opening story (which I kinda did), but ended up in the middle of their soft opening. The best part about soft openings is there are so many people who are invested in the brewery there.

So what, exactly, are you trying to do?

We have covered most of these as they were announced over the last year. The short version is most of these homebrew gadgets are a combination of things for people who don’t want to brew beer, but want to say they’ve brewed beer and people who are tired of paying $7 per pint in the bar when they can pay $10 at home. Out motto is, “Drink what you like and be happy” but at some point you have to wonder why many of these things were funded.

A bridge too far?

I’m working on a story about the cicerone program. I think it is a good thing for a ton of different reasons. First, someone should be in charge of making sure there is beer that people will like, as opposed to beer that distributors want to push, in relation to whatever food is being served.

The title says it all

Because it is my job, sometimes I click on click-bait that I know is pointless. Occasionally (but rarely) I share it with you. The short version is that many of these are trite and a little boring. But some of what the criterion says is important. Walkable/bikeable is huge, for example. But walkable/bikeable usually follows breweries (which tend to promote these ideals and look for towns that are brewery-ready in this aspect) rather than precedes them.

Zing!

Mostly gimmick, but apparently part Heiniken as well. Poorly reviewed, but keep tabs on the technology. Because if it ever gets cheaper, maybe this will be available for better beers without kegs eventually.

Irresponsible journalism (but I don’t care)

This is clearly made up and, as your friendly-neighborhood beer writer, I’m supposed to ignore clearly made up things. That said, it is hard to let something like this go without comment. If you exercise regularly, beer won’t hurt you. In fact, I choose how much beer I’m allowed to drink (even on the podcast with Doug) based upon the likelihood and duration of my daily workout.

Smell the Glove

My second book tour is turning out to be vaguely disastrous, so if anyone wants to come out tomorrow and buy one while drinking Dogfish Head beer in Rehoboth, I’d be really, REALLY, happy to sign a book for you.