The closer that Nate and I get to opening a brewery (it’s still a ways off), the more questions we find ourselves asking.  It seems like a natural enough progression, but various forks in the road could drastically shape the outcome.  Specific questions that we have asked along the way relate to styles and flagship brews, etc.  However, one question that I have really been considering with some depth is “How big should the brewery be?”  Like so many other questions in life, the answer is “It depends.” Long ago, I came to the conclusion that happiness is not about money.  For most of us, this is aphoristic…at least on theoretical grounds.  In fact, I take the “mo money, mo problems” ideological framework to ground most of my activity.  Without expatiating too much, I’ll just come out and say that I simply want to make a living brewing beer.  Yet, there is quite a bit more to it than that. Granted, it takes money to make money (i.e., opening a brewery is not cheap by any means).  But once a profit starts posting and your brewery gains more popularity, you have to decide what level of growth and profit you are targeting.  ...

Anemic.  Perhaps this is one of the best ways to describe the job market.  Seriously, in my remembrance the job market has never beer worse.  Here I sit, with a couple of prospects and a Master's degree but still out of work for the period of about three months.  Needless to say, many people are in desperate straits.  Desperate times call for desperate measures, or so the platitude goes.  I'm finally being forced into an idea I've had for a while but am wondering about the market viability.  Even if it doesn't work as a full-time gig, perhaps I can eventually find a way to use it as supplemental income. Let me frame it this way.  Do you know anybody that wants to learn to brew?  Maybe you know someone who is having a beer party. Could there be bars who need advice about what beers to stock?  Do they have employees who are underwhelming in their knowledge about beer in general?  Is there a market for this sort of thing?  These are the questions I'm struggling to answer. So, here's the deal.  With little to no cost to me at all, I'm thinking about trying to looking into try to consult for ...

Remember that $787 Billion Stimulus package that congress passed in 2009?  Under the scrutinizing eye, it was in fact a tax, not a stimulus...the United States has yet to feel the pain of payback; however.  Regardless, free taxpayer money seems to be synonymous with "stimulus" these days.  What does a yet unpaid for tax stimulate?  Apparently not jobs, since the U.S. Unemployment Rate is hovering high still (higher than before the bills passage) at around 9.5% nationwide. I say all this not to lead into a political discussion, but a beer discussion.  Reading through my news feeder, a gripping headline caught my eye:  Beer Stimulus:  Can Hops and Barley Create Jobs? The use of the term Stimulus forced me into the guts of the article, as modern context led me to think the federal government was giving out future tax money to the beer industry.  Such isn't the case, the term is being used improperly in regards to a tax break. The benefit of tax breaks is that they DO encourage long lasting residual income for the populous and the taxman.  The problem with tax breaks, is that someone, somewhere, from some niche or industry or socio-economic strata writhes in anger at ...

Located about 2 hours away from Indianapolis, Three Floyd's Brewery is a very reasonable weekend day trip.  To not visit such a highly acclaimed brewery within one's arm reach would be a criminal's act indeed.  Many people make their way to Three Floyds for Dark Lord Day; in fact, there was an estimated 8,000-10,000 people there for the festivities this year.  It is truly a beehive of wonderful activity to behold. A Brewpub Saturday is not nearly as hectic as a Dark Lord Day, but do not let the reader misunderstand and think it isn't a busy time.  After arriving at 11:30 am, we realized we forgot to take Central Time into account (central Indiana is on Eastern Time and Munster, where Three Floyds is located, is on Central.  No matter, we waited half an hour and got right in the door.  However, there were about 15 other people already there right at noon, which is when the brewery opens on a Saturday.  We looked at the beer and food menus and made our selections.  There are plenty of beer selections.  Three Floyds had around 10 of their beers on tap and several guest beers on tap as well as a ...

Having children is hard work; but hard work is not bad, and usually is quite rewarding.  My wife and I have five children.  We also have forsaken sleeping in, alone time, date nights, and frivolous spending of money.  In the same breath we have gained so much more...pride, love, friendship, and countless nights enjoying our kids being kids.  Hands down, the trade off is worth it. There are certain moments when we, as parents, realize that our kids "get us."  In those moments we see that they don't see us as old geezers, that they enjoy us, trust us, and hold a hell of a lot of respect for us.  The feeling is mutual. How does beer fit into all of this...into child rearing? This past Sunday after spending the afternoon with my dad (yes, I bought him beer for father's day) we headed home, tired and ready to relax.  My son Malachi (seven years old)  asked if he could get out the crayons and paper.  Upon obliging his desired activity, he said, "whatever you do, dad, DON'T LOOK AT WHAT I'M DRAWING."  I knew he was making me a Father's Day card, and was touched that he took the initiative.  I was ...

Outside of Dark Lord Day, I've not been to Three Floyds.  Now that I'm in Indiana, I'm planning on hitting Three Floyds Brewpub for a bite to eat and a couple beers to drink.  Anyway, I don't know how many of you have local brewpubs but that's what I'll be doing on this Saturday.  I'm going to enjoy, I hope you are.

Today I watched Spain lose to the Swiss.  Keep in mind that Spain is widely considered the favorite to win the World Cup.  Many of the learned soccer experts, FIFA, and fans assume that certain teams will win or be great in the World Cup.  Of course, I'm not saying it's unfair to expect teams like Brazil or Germany to almost always do well, but it is interesting to see who actually excels and who doesn't. I almost always expect good performances by certain breweries.  Dogfish Head, The Lost Abbey, and a few others are almost always going to make a beer I enjoy.  Sometimes the beer is profound, other times it's pretty good,  occasionally I'll get a dud, which is a real rarity.  Other breweries are like the U.S. soccer team; they are major hit and miss ventures.  The beer may be good or the beer may be bad, but they don't seem ever to be great.  Still other breweries are like North Korea.  They get no respect and likely will not be good in the foreseeable future.  But some beers are like the Swiss.  You don't expect a lot, but they surprise you. Just like the supposed beer experts, the ...

Unlike ever before, the internet is proliferated with reviews of beer.  As if Beer Advocate and Rate Beer had not provided the interwebs with enough paradoxical opinions and love stories for that hopmonster of an ale you hold in your hand, there has sprung up a glut of beer blogs that are dying to tell you that they tasted roasted pine nuts and grapefruit in said beer. Before you dismiss this as a jaded libel loaded rant, keep in mind that the site authoring this article fits into the aforementioned category; blog that occasionally reviews beer.  Yes, we will occasionally pour a brew into a goofy looking glass, swish the sweet brew around, dig our nose into the aroma, savor the flavor in our mouths, and then tell you what we think about it.  One thing we try to avoid is the pitfall of esoteric-ism; a subtle trap that lies in any niche, whether it be beer, artisan cheeses, or wine. With wine in mind, a recent article was pointed out by a fellow beer blogger that served as the springboard for this piece of faux journalism you now read.  The article titled A Hint of Hype, A Tasted of Illusion, in ...

While interviewing for a job possibility the other day, I was looking at a Travel and Leisure magazine.  Normally, I'm not that interested in what they have to say...unless I'm traveling soon.  However, there wasn't much else to look at so I went ahead and started flipping through and saw an interesting article about the revival of real Stilton Blue Cheese. Basically, there was a food poisoning outbreak in 1983 that had one thing in common: Stilton Cheese.  It was later found that the cheese wasn't actually responsible for the outbreak, but not before the damage was done.  The response of the government was to ban the raw version (most of Europe followed suit).  Afterward, raw Stilton didn't exist.  But in the early 2000s, bans were being lifted and real Stilton was being made again (we, the people of the U.S., still can't get many raw cheeses). Obviously, this was enthusiastically greeted.  The new pasteurized version was said to be a dry, crumbly, and poor vestige of the past. The rediscovered cheese was gloriously buttery, soft, and utterly (no pun intended) delicious.  My mind began to turn to Americans who are rediscovering craft beer and leaving behind the hollow and insipid macro ...

Have you heard of Stragford Lough Brewing Company?  If not, don't feel bad...neither had I until a rep contacted me and offered some beer, free for sampling.  (As an aside, why is it that so many beer fanatics feel ashamed if they aren't on the leading edge of breaking craft beer news, new breweries, and releases?)  Anyhow, a box containing two ales arrived within a week:  St. Patrick's Best Ale and Legbiter Ale.  There are few packages I would prefer to arrive at my home than those containing brew, especially from abroad (Ireland...though I cannot attest that the beer was brewed). Having been on a bit of a "session beer kick" I was glad to see that St. Patrick's best, a session bitter,  had an ABV of 4.2%.  It's a bit risky for a brewery to send out a session beer for review for two reasons:  1) Flaws are more apparent than saw a morbidly hopped and malty Imperial IPA, and 2) the craft and beer blogging scene typically rates these brew lower than the monster ABV beers.  Legbiter is a 4.8% (also a session beer) that would be considered a golden ale. Just because the beer is free for sampling does ...