Boozin’ Blog

Name five craft beer brewers. If you live in the US, chances are Sam Adams or the Boston Beer Company was on that list. Like ‘em or not, no beer lover in the US doesn’t know ‘em. If you live outside of the US you probably thought, “When the hell will these damn Americans stop talking about ‘craft’ beer? There’s no such thing!” Well, you’re right but that’s a different issue.

Here’s why I’m thinking about this: I stopped in at my local convenience store yesterday to pick up a 6-pack of Bully! Porter from Boulevard Brewery in Kansas City of which I’m particularly fond. They usually have it but not yesterday. In fact there wasn’t a drop of good dark beer to be had! Don’t they know that its winter and the beer nerds need our porters and stouts? Oh, they had Guinness Draught in a bottle (Brilliant!) but I said GOOD dark beer.

So I settled for a 6-pack of Sam Adams Boston Lager, always a decent fall-back. I was amused to find an adhesive gift tag in it. I’ve been going on this season about how the perfect gift for a beer lover is some of his favorite beer. And now Sam Adams is making such a gift that much easier.

Jim Koch gets something that few other craft brewers in the US get. He understands marketing. He knows how to identify an audience and then craft messages to that audience. Although they make relatively few truly great beers and there are other brewers out there that are making beer that is far superior, Sam Adams remains the most successful craft brewer because Jim Koch understands that making good beer is only part of the equation.

I visited one of my favorite beer makers some time ago. I was talking to one of the brewers and he blissfully told me that their brewing philosophy is to make the kind of beer that they want to drink, then they drink as much of it as they can and sell the rest. There is a truth to this and it’s easy to admire a brewer like this that refuses to make beer designed to have mass appeal. And they are successful. They far from the best selling beer company but they make some truly great beer and have develop a loyal following over the years.

So who’s the superior brewer; the one that makes great beer and almost accidently sells it or the good-enough brewer that knows how to market his beer? I don’t know. One makes great beer and the other spreads the message of great beer. These are just my mid-December beer thoughts.

And, damn it, I still want that porter!

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I just noticed that today is November 25, exactly one month before Christmas. Stumped about what to get your favorite beer lover or booze hound? Well, of course the top of our list here at BoozinGear.com is reserved for branded beer gear. But if you’re looking for something else watch this blog over the next few weeks for our recommendations for the perfect gift.

Today let’s look at beer magazines, shall we? The spectrum of these publications ranges from those written to the total beer geek who worries about barley terroir and IBUs (If you don’t already know what those things are then you probably don’t want to.) to the T&A/guzzler mentality. Don’t get me wrong, both are legitimate reasons for beer and beer culture to exist; I’m just saying that’s the best way to view these magazines.

So, here is a look at some of the choices out there.

5. Beer. This new comer to the beer mag scene has the surprising title of Beer. Surprising, that is, because a magazine called Beer didn’t already exist. This slick mag has all the class of a Girls Gone Wild infomercial and almost exactly the same about of T&A. Looking for a print version of seeing the world through a pair of beer goggles? This is your magazine.

4. Zymurgy. Homebrewers delight in this publication from the American Homebrewers Association. This is a super geeky examination of how beer is made and how to make your own. Only get this one if you are already immersed in homebrewing and prepared to commit many more hours to the hobby.

3. Draft. Beer’s (the magazine) more responsible older brother, Draft is a bit more of a thoughtful look at the beer culture. It doesn’t dwell on the finer points of beer but it does give an entertaining overview of beer and beer drinking.

2. BeerAdvocate. BeerAdvocate.com is far and away the most successful website devoted to beer. The print magazine was started just over a year ago and has maintained the standards of the site. The geek meter is still set pretty high for this one but beer lovers of all stripes can usually find something interesting inside its covers.

1. All About Beer. Our number one beer magazine pick manages to strike just the right balance between the two extremes of the beer magazine spectrum. The articles are always interesting without getting too geeky as well as entertaining without being bawdy or adolescent.

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