Homebrewing and the Big Brew: BWS Episode 90

[podcast]

Homebrewing and the Big Brew

The Big Brew is on May 7 and, although Tony will be away Doug and the folks at Xtreme Brewing will be at the shop brewing up one of the two beers the Homebrewers Association is recommending for the event. If you’re unfamiliar, the Big Brew is when homebrewers all over the world brew one of two pre-selected beers (or both) and as a way of participating together.

If you’re a brewer and choose to participate, share your photos on our Facebook page and we’ll share them with our followers. You could become Internet famous!

Beer garden

I had the pleasure of drinking in the Zeppelin Beer Garden in Jersey City this week. Toward the end of the show Doug and I go over the pros and cons of having a great beer in a great beer hall. I had something on the order of 160 ounces of beer. When you’re doing that much drinking it probably is just as well to lay off the complex beers in favor of something more Oktoberfest-y. That’s what I did.

Budweiser battle

The difference between craft beer and big beer is community. Where huge breweries look for cheap land and tax breaks, craft brewers look for art districts, cool restaurants and supportive craft beer drinkers in the community. Communities that welcome craft beer have a cultural as well as a financial stake in the brewery’s success. That is why these kinds of communities are so attractive to craft brewers who are looking to grow or open.

Cigar City

Our official position is that the tides of capital coming in to the big, stable craft beers is a sign of strength not of weakness. With interest rates low, investing in reliable brands is the way to go for people who want to earn a fair return without too much risk. Craft beer might be the safest place to have your money now.