After thinking about it very briefly I realize that I have already forgotten the beer related goals that I set for myself this year.  That did not take very long.

The last bit of beer news for January . . .

• We are far enough into the year that it is time to stop looking back at what happened in the world of beer during 2011 and start seriously looking ahead to what will be another awesome year of beer.  I enjoyed reading 8 opinions from the Mid-Atlantic area even though I do not live in the area.
• A good article, but it mostly just makes me miss the beers from them that I cannot get down here.  Not that I don’t want an excuse to get to the Pac NW again.
• I have been hearing that this was where the brewery was going to land for weeks and weeks, but they have finally made it official.  After checking that out take a look at how some of it was conveyed on Twitter.
• One of the cool things in the craft beer world is the camaraderie among many of the brewers and breweries.  I am just glad that in this case means my supply of hoppy awesomeness will continue mostly uninterrupted.
• Just the other day I said that I thought their new seasonal would be great for summer instead of spring, but I am glad that they do not stand still and continue to tweak the family of beers they release.
• Not knowing the guy I only have what others are saying to give me an impression of the man he was.  That impression is very good.
• I am interested in trying this one more so because of the strawberries rather than the gluten-free aspect.  Also the sooner the rerelease of “Sucks” the better!
• Always hearing how great the water is there should mean that the beer from there has a really good base to start from.
• Crowd-sourcing a beer should bring some fairly interesting results.
• The concept seem to have worked enough to continue to expand upon it, but my biggest surprise is how cheap the beer is considering the prices of the coffee there.
• “Brewing beer is becoming an extremely popular endeavor.”  Shocking statement.
• Just trying to keep you aware of your beer options if traveling to the Czech Republic is something that you are considering in the future.
• Ambitious goals for 2012?  I would say planning for 20 new releases would qualify.

via http://flyingdogales.com

For quite a while I was getting my posts out first thing in the morning.  Then it was pretty standard to let it slip toward late morning or midday.  Now this week I find myself letting the post slide into the afternoon or sometimes the evening.  I like to think that I will whip things back into shape for next week.

Thanks again to The Wife and Seattle Jeff . . . .

• Since two people sent me links to this article I guess that make sit important enough to lead with today.  Selfishly I do hate it when I lose access to a brewery’s beers in my area, but I do think that selling more regionally is the way it should be.  It just means discovering new beers while traveling will be even more enjoyable.
• In your Budweiser packaging design news of the week I bring you the bowtie.
• Not that I would choose it over a more local beer, but it is nice to know that I can probably find a Kirin if I ever get the chance to travel in Brazil.  I do love me some Kirin with my sushi.
• I do not know how many states or areas have officially banned this type of alcoholic beverage, but it seems like it may just have to disappear altogether very soon.
• One way to forget about a time where the sale of alcohol was completely prohibited is to host a beer festival featuring more than 100 beers.
• Having never actually been there I only had a vague knowledge of their wine history, but it seems like craft brewing is growing strong roots there as well.
• I have not been to that many beer dinners (not really sure why) but I thought this short list of pointers was pretty much spot on.  I especially support the one where he suggests that “boring and predictable” is just that.
• Just like my lack of experience in beer dinners I have only been on one cruise in my life.  I did really enjoy it though and I fully support the introduction of pubs on those ships.
• It is nice to have a list of excuses handy to explain why your sales are down during a time where others in the industry are doing just fine.
• I understand why they have to alter to restrictions of the law to match the original intentions, but any legislation that does not allow for a brewery to serve their own beer on premise is just ridiculous to me.
• I do not recall a time where I closed a beer news post with something about wine, but if that was ever to be appropriate I think this article fits.  Surely it will take some time to gain significant traction, but I expect that more and more wines will become available in this type of vessel.

via http://www.boston.com/

There are many days that my typically slow and methodical way of doing things can be a little frustrating.  That often includes the way that I take notes on beer, whether on paper or in my phone.  Since using my phone as a notebook is becoming more common as I am out and about or away from my computer I have been trying to find an efficient method of inputting information.  With that, I think that I will soon be running the Brew Review App through some paces to see if it is the answer I have been looking for.

Getting to the good stuff for this week . . .

• Breweries pulling back on their distribution seems to be more and more common to hear about lately.  While I agree that dedication to the local markets is a good thing I am scared of the trend as a person currently living in Florida.  Without bringing other good beer in, this state does not have enough breweries to keep me satisfied for long.
• Though I don’t have the option to buy one anytime soon (unless I make an impromptu trip to India), I wonder if I would pull the trigger on buying beer that comes in what I identify as a soda bottle.
• Just a slight oversight prevented any possibility of buying a brewery in a unique way.
• Speaking of PBR, I think that the possibility of a year long supply of it would be enough to get me to apply for a job.  Just think of all the horseshoes I could toss while working my way through that amount of PBR.
• There is something about drinking a beer under the sun that just feels right.  Now I would prefer to be under the Pacific Northwest sun than the oven like heat of Florida, but there are a lot of miles between here and there.
• It seems that there is some good fallout already from finally adjusting the laws in Minnesota to allow Surly to move forward with their plans.  I am not sure what took so long, but I am glad that things in the world of craft beer are looking up there.
• On top of all the information regarding sustainability practices in brewing at Sierra Nevada, there are also some good general interest nuggets in there about the brewery as well.
• There is no way to view expansion to 5 times current capacity and ability to start packaging 12-ounce bottles as anything but a good thing for a brewery.
• Finishing up with quite possibly the best or coolest or whatever beer label I have seen this year . . .

via http://beernews.org/

Since I chose not to use any sort of filter in putting together the news for today, I will try to be brief when introducing each piece.  Thank you (again) to The Wife for tossing me a story and on with the show we go . . .

• Taking two breweries that produce beer separately that I almost universally enjoy and having them collaborate on a beer seems like it can only end in a tasty concoction (for a worthy cause).
• There is no way that I will get a taste of the initially batch of this recreation, but maybe it will be popular enough to go into greater production in the future.
• I am not really sure how to pronounce the first word of this new series from Stone, but I am looking forward to trying some of it nonetheless.
• It is always sad to hear that a brewery closed, especially when having heard such positive things about what they were doing.
• Kudos goes to Asheville again, but the margin of victory over the cities it beat does not help me take the poll very seriously.
• Any steps in a positive direction is a good thing and hopefully the brewing industry in Alabama will gain even more in future law adjustments.
• My familiarity with Mexican beer is pretty much limited to what we all see on the grocery store shelves, but it sounds like a movement in well underway to change that perception.
• I felt like I had to include this since I was caught up in what a good marketing idea this was for a 12-pack.  Now I just need to set aside some time to sample all 6 of the IPAs and compare them side by side.
• The glory that is good canned craft beer has been highlighted many times here,  but this story takes a look at it from a different, perhaps more scientific angle when compared to glass bottles.
• There have been many discussions among my friends about how there are not a ton of options out there for really good, sessionable craft beer.  everything seems to be going higher and higher in alcohol.  As this story and this one explain, this may be changing at least a bit.
• With his popularity and with the proximity of his restaurant to the brewery I am a little surprised that it took as long as it did to have a collaboration beer made.
• I don’t know that I would support the argument it promoting morning drinking, but I do think you would have to be at least a little bit of an alcoholic to pay 34 bucks for a 4-pack.

Breakfast beer (via http://www.stuff.co.nz/)

With all of the stories available there is definitely no need for a long lead-in today so I am simply going to move on to the news for the week gone by . . .

• Starting with a very short one, but a story about beer labels and free speech that I find to be pretty interesting.
• Not that I have done any research into it recently, but I am at least a little bit surprised to hear that Bud might soon move a spot down the ladder that is the most popular beers in America.
• First Starbucks dabbled in the wine and craft beer thing (though I have not read much about it lately).  Now it appears that Whole Foods will be giving it a go as well.  I certainly would not mind the option of having a beer break during my grocery shopping.
• The title of this post is what caught my eye . . . that is really all I have here.
• There are so many places in the United States and elsewhere that we would love to travel to or get back to at any given time.  In lieu of actually getting back up there anytime soon, I will just have to settle for keeping up on the growing Boston craft beer and brewing scene.
• First here is the update on how the bracket is doing and then here is the explanation and breakdown of the voting for the most recent round of head-to-head beer matchups.
• Though I am very, very, very, very (you get the picture) glad that I do not live in one of the areas to lose this great craft beer, I am also bummed for them since I think this will become more and more common in the near future.
• Winding down with big story 1A of the week.  Is it too easy to say where there is smoke there is fire?  Probably, but it seems like the main source here is in a position better suited to comment on the situation than most anyone else (and I believe him if only for that reason).  Either way Brew Masters is to be no more and Sam does not seem to deny what is suspected to have gone on behind the scenes.
• Time to close with big story 1B of the week.  There is tons of stuff out there on the subject, but I chose three to share today . . .
  • A straight-forward explanation of why Anheuser-Busch did not hesitate to pull the trigger on the acquisition.  Maybe not the biggest point here, but I am surprised to hear that Porter is leaving Deschutes for Goose Island.
  • Now a little initial reaction to the announcement involving some boycotting.  I cannot say that I am surprised at all.
  • This one had to be shared if only for the short interviews at the bottom with both Greg and John Hall.

Maybe a slight change in logo is in order? (via http://www.wbez.org/)