This content was originally published by The Hop Review, a digital magazine that joined the Hop Culture family in March 2020.
This piece was written by Tom White.
In this week’s Hoplinks, a Michigan brewery leaves home, rare beer is featured, some trends need to stop, a macro rebrands, and another gets a Super Bowl ad. Let us know what else we missed in the comments.
ELK RAPIDS, MI – Short’s, previously a Michigan-only distributed brewery, will begin distribution outside of the state on February 5th. Founder Joe Short stated that the move is to ensure they “continue to thrive as a business.” No word yet on where they’ll be distributing, but our money’s on Chicago, based on the huge number of Michiganders living in the Windy City and the fact that Northern Michigan is a common summer holiday vacation for Chicagoans. [Short’s Brewing Company]
ST. LOUIS, MO – You’ll be seeing a new look on Budweiser packaging, as the 140 year-old brand has moved toward a modern-meets-traditional look. Perhaps as a reaction to a similar steps taken by rival Miller, the brewery still claims craft beer has no impact on their decision, stating “This was not a responsive move; this was the move of a leader.” [Adweek]
LAKEVIEW, CHICAGO – JP Burke’s, one of the more underrated beer bars in the city, is hosting their
2nd Annual Rare Beer & Barrel Aged Tap Takeover on Thursday February 11th. The entire list is impressive with highlights including BCBS 2015, Hopslam, and Abyss 2015. [THR Wire]USA – Craft beer is getting a Super Bowl ad…sorta. The first appearance of any non-Bud/Miller/Euro-import brew during the big game will be from Shock Top. Originally created in 2006 as AB’s answer to Miller’s Blue Moon, the beer giant will pay around $5 million for the 30-second spot. [Market Watch]
USA – As craft beer continues to get bigger, there are certainly some developing trends that need to stop. We highlighted some of our least favorite trends in our 2015 wrap up, and now Thrillist calls out some other great examples. [Thrillist]
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Photograph from our visit to the Goose Island Barrel House for a small BCBS tasting event.