Los Angeles is a city of diversity, and this reflects a lot in what we eat here, but even more so in what we drink. LA is also a city of dreamers, of folks that punch in every day at gigs to pay the bills, but spend every other waking minute pursuing their passions, their reasons for waking up in the morning and putting on a tie and combing their hair. Some folks are fortunate enough to be able to have multiple passions in their life, and an even smaller slice of those folks who consider beer-making or teaching as those passions. Then, we have Henry Nguyen, who, while pursuing his goal of becoming a university professor, discovered that he really digs beer too, and decided, “Hey, why not do both for a living?”
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BELGIAN BREWING BY WAY OF LA: MEET HENRY NGUYEN OF MONKISH BREWING
April 28, 2012
1 Comment | 
Ale Factories, Travelogues | Tagged: LA craft beer, Monkish Brewing | 
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Posted by Jimmy Hoppa
THE STATE OF CRAFT BEER IN JAPAN: AN INTERVIEW WITH RY BEVILLE, PUBLISHER OF JAPAN BEER TIMES
April 15, 2012
When you think of Japan, craft beer rarely comes to mind, yet there is a very strong and innovative craft beer scene going on in the Land of the Rising Sun. At the heart of this scene is Japan Beer Times, a bilingual publication that celebrates the Japanese brewing scene and allows readers to meet some of the influential brewers who reside both in Japan and stateside, further illustrating that while it is a big world, we’re all really just here for the beer. I recently had the opportunity to speak with their editor, Ry Beville, a craft beer fan and publisher who has called Japan home since 1997.
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6 Comments | Beer Culture, Beer Industry, Travelogues | Tagged: craft beer japan, Japanese beers, Japanese craft beer | Permalink
Posted by Jimmy Hoppa
MEET THE BEER MISSIONARY
April 10, 2012
Trey Duval is a man on a mission. By day, he runs campus recreation at a local university in Los Angeles, CA. By night, he becomes the Beer Missionary, spreading the gospel of craft beer far and wide to all those who will listen with open minds and palettes. Over the past year, Trey has been hosting craft brewers on campus and doing what many may call a miracle, getting college kids to care about what beer they drink. I caught up with him at a recent “meet the brewer” night and offered him the chance to share the beer gospel with Aleheads.
Can you tell us a litte about The Beer Missionary and what it is that you do?
I started out a few years ago doing beer tastings as social events at things like birthday parties, wedding receptions, and gatherings of friends. I also taught a “Beer 101” extension class at a local University. Then the craft beer craze finally came to L.A. and that pretty much ended the tastings since people could go and taste/learn about beer at their neighborhood craft beer bar. Currently, I try and keep an eye on the L.A. Craft beer scene and send out information to anyone who is interested and occasionally do a tasting for a group if I have a connection with them. I also use my passion for craft beer to help operate a college pub. Read the rest of this entry »
4 Comments | Beer Culture, Beerxperiences | Tagged: Beer missionary, LA craft beer, Los Angeles craft beer | Permalink
Posted by Jimmy Hoppa
DOGFISH HEAD’S SAM CALAGIONE AWARDED THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE
April 1, 2012
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN- The Nobel Organization has announced that Sam Calagione of Delaware, USA, will receive the 2012 Nobel Peace prize for his efforts to break down barriers of exclusivity and oppression in the craft beer world. The Nobel Organization cites Calagione’s early 2012 impassioned screed, posted on the Beer Advocate forums, as the impetus for this honor which has also been bestowed upon the likes of Nelson Mandela, Henry Kissinger, and Mother Teresa. This is the highest honor to ever have been bestowed on a craft brewer.
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Comments Off | Beer Industry, WTF | Permalink
Posted by Jimmy Hoppa
AB INBEV ANNOUNCES “BUD LIGHT PLATINUM: OAKED EDITION” COLLABORATION WITH JAGERMEISTER
April 1, 2012
ST LOUIS, MI- In the wake of the successful launch of their latest innovation, Bud Light Platinum, Anheuser-Busch InBev has announced an even more impressive release, a limited edition, barrel-aged version of Bud Light Platinum that has spent 6 months mellowing in casks of the world’s most popular brand of liquor, Jagermeister. This new product, which in internal AB InBev memos has been described as a “craft beer killer with a powerful punch…like King Hippo” will be on shelves by summertime.
AB InBev’s Strategic Parnerships spokesman, Robert A. Bouie, describes this collaboration beer with great enthusiasm:
Along with our good friends at Jagermeister, we are proud to announce the first of many collaborative beers with the launch of Bud Light Platinum: Oaked Edition. This is what we like to call an “extreme remix beer,” which features the superior drinkability that consumers have come to expect from Bud Light Platinum mixed with the complex herbal flavors and oak notes that are the hallmark of that great “Jager” taste. Market research shows that Bud Light Platinum drinkers also like to responsibly enjoy the rich, smooth taste of Jagermeister, so we view this partnership as a natural extension of both of our brands that will keep fans talking and social media buzzing. We feel that the authenticity of this beer experience will push this limited release to become one of the best sellers of the summer. We also believe that it may convert a few craft beer drinkers. After all, it is barrel-aged, a trend which attracts the hippest segment of the 21-35 year-old male craft beer-drinking demographic. Read the rest of this entry »
4 Comments | Beer Industry, Beer Marketing | Tagged: AB InBev, bud light platinum, Jagermeister, Oaked Edition, Skrillex | Permalink
Posted by Jimmy Hoppa
AN ALEHEAD GOES TO BRUERY PROVISIONS
March 23, 2012
On a recent rainy weekend in LA, I decided to take a trip to beyond the orange curtain, to a place known more for Disneyland and mini-mansions than craft beer. But this trek would be no ordinary trek to the OC, for today I was to venture to the Bruery Provisions to pick up my first round of allocations from the Bruery Reserve Society, including my own bottle of this years Chocolate Rain. Nestled in sleepy downtown Orange, among cafes and antique stores is one of Southern California’s true beer gems and is a required destination for anyone who appreciates unique and interesting beer. Why you ask? Well read on, dear reader:
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8 Comments | Alehouses, Beer Culture, Beerxperiences, Bottle Shops, Travelogues | Tagged: Mother Funker, Sour in the Rye, The Bruery | Permalink
Posted by Jimmy Hoppa
CURTAIN CALL, OR AN ALEHEADS GUIDE TO SHOWER BEER
March 15, 2012
Every Alehead knows the scenario:
It’s a Friday evening after a long day of closing million dollar deals and remotely opening orphanages in Mali. You are headed home in the Veyron, the beautiful California sunset behind you, looking forward to a sophisticated evening drinking ale of the craft variety and engaging in witty banter with future heads of state, scholars wearing ascots, and people who race yachts for a living. All of a sudden the phone rings. It is Katya the Russian supermodel/biochemist and she insists on taking you out to the finest steak restaurant known the world over, the sort of place that has a five year waiting list and serves cuts of perfectly aged beef that have driven lesser men to the brink of madness. You agree, knowing that you could always write your dissertation on Infinite Jest that the Utne Reader has been begging for some other time and agree to be ready in 30 minutes.
Wait, 30 minutes!? How am I going to be tuxedoed up, smelling nice AND two beers deep by the time my lovely companion for the evening arrives!!?? What is an Alehead to do??
Enter the fabled shower beer.
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5 Comments | Beer Culture, Beerxperiences | Tagged: Shower beer, What to drink | Permalink
Posted by Jimmy Hoppa
ALEHEADS ALE-A-THON: HELP MAKE CRAFT BEER HISTORY WITH LUCKY TOWN BREWING
March 7, 2012
A few months back we highlighted the Lucky Town Brewing Company and their quest to bring craft beer to Mississippi, a state with only one existing brewery. You craft beer lovers out there responded with your livers and your wallets and through Aleheads.com, Lucky Town was able to raise more money than any other referral site. Thank you all.
Overall, the Kickstarter campaign has been going well, and Lucky Town has so far raised over 75% of their goal. They are still short though, and with just days left, the chance for Mississippi to have a new craft brewery, cranking out beers such as Jalapeno Smoked Stout, Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal Stout, The Flare Incident, and Hop Fiasco, is drawing to a close. We at Aleheads want everyone out there to be able to experience local craft beer, and we want the great state of Mississippi to have alternatives to Lazy Magnolia (an admittedly wonderful brewery), and the alpaca sweat that ABInBev tries to pass off as beer.
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2 Comments | Beer Culture, Homebrewing | Tagged: Kickstarter, Lucky Town Brewing | Permalink
Posted by Jimmy Hoppa
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROB CROXALL OF EL SEGUNDO BREWING COMPANY
February 1, 2012
El Segundo Brewing Company. Home of Blue House Ales
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4 Comments | Ale Factories, Alehouses, Beer Industry, Beer Marketing, Interviews | Tagged: Blue House Ales, El Segundo, El Segundo Brewing Company, ESBC, Rob Croxall | Permalink
Posted by Jimmy Hoppa
STELLA ARTOIS VS. WIKIBEATIA
January 12, 2012
(I've been drinking) STELLA!!!!
It has come to the attention of the Aleheads PR division that “the wife beater,” otherwise known as Stella Artois to those stateside, has been singled out by Portland Communications, an ABInbev hired Lobbying company, for termination. According to a recent article from the Independent:
Under the user name Portlander10 it (Portland) removed reference to Stella Artois from the Wikipedia page entitled “wife beater” and replaced it with a generic reference to lager or beer. Portland also tried to remove the reference to wife beater on the Wikipedia page for Stella Artois. But other users spotted the edit and reversed it.
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7 Comments | Beer Culture, WTF | Tagged: ABInbev, hooligans, Stella, stella artois, Stella Artois Wikipedia, wife beater stella artois | Permalink
Posted by Jimmy Hoppa
ANHEUSER-BUSCH IS NOW IN THE TOY BUSINESS
December 24, 2011
The depths to which big beer will sink to lure in new (read: young) consumers has reached a new low this week, with the announcement that the Draftmark™ tap system should be rolled out in the St Louis market at the end of 2011 and early 2012. The official press release is here but in Aleheads’ rich tradition, we’ll go ahead and translate the corporate speak for you, dear reader and craft beer lover, so grab a pint of the good stuff, sit back, and enjoy as we dive into the latest installment of
Corporate Speak Translated.
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3 Comments | Beer Marketing, WTF | Tagged: Corporate speak translated | Permalink
Posted by Jimmy Hoppa
THE YEAR IN DISAPPOINTMENTS
December 21, 2011
2011 was a monumental year for craft brewing, which saw overall beer sales down but sales within the craft industry increasing like never before. Craft was like a metaphorical Robin Hood taking money from the deep, evil corporate pockets of the AB InBevs and MillerCoors of the world and putting it back into the brewing community. 2011 also saw more independent breweries opening or being scheduled to open than any other time in recent history. The homebrewing community also became more popular than ever, with people of all ages and walks of life taking a genuine interest in how their beer is made. 2011 was a great time to be an Alehead. All that being said, 2011 was not without its disappointments in the brewing world, from once local hero breweries sidling up to the corporate teat, to marketing campaigns that insulted consumers, to the never ending pissing contest of gadgetry in the light beer world, I give you dear reader, the year in disappointments. Read the rest of this entry »
17 Comments | Beer Culture, Beer Industry, Beer Marketing, Best/Worst | Tagged: Dogfish Head, Southern Tier, Stone | Permalink
Posted by Jimmy Hoppa
