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, long lines have some breweries worried, we make our picks for the best of the USA’s best, the ol’ faithful bomber may be on the decline, beer medal winners are laid out periodically, and a Dutch behemoth makes moves to get smaller, and a whole lot bigger.
BROOKLYN, NY — The New York Times offers insight into the minds of those crazy enough to wait 11-hours in line for beer. As demand for limited brews increases nationwide, brewers are faced with finding new solutions to avoid long waits, or to simply embrace the lines as we discovered during a recent visit to Brooklyn’s Other Half. [New York Times]
USA — For the second year running, The Hop Review contributed suggestions for USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. Voting continues through mid March so vote early and often for your choice in the several beer-centric categories. [USA Today]
USA — While they’re in no danger of disappearing completely, the classic beer bomber seems to be on the decline. Draft Magazine dives into the reasons why this might be, ranging from availability and economics to a simple change in consumer demand. While this is certainly an industry trend, at least one other brewer is going the opposite direction with this year’s special releases. [Draft Magazine]
USA — Sunglass Warehouse (of all places) put together a unique take on the periodic table, using the gold medal winners from the most recent World Beer Cup. Here’s hoping they build out something similar for future beer competitions. [Sunglass Warehouse]
NETHERLANDS — Dutch conglomerate Heineken is taking its first steps into craft with the creation of H41, a beer utilizing the “mother” of their in-house yeast, discovered in a Patagonian beech forest. In other Heineken news, the company announced plans to buy the loss-making Brazilian breweries of Japan’s Kirin Holdings, making them the second biggest brewer in the world’s third biggest beer market. [THR Wire, Fortune]
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Photo of cans from Brooklyn’s Other Half Brewing, a frequent destination for those willing to wait in line, from our late 2016 interview with founder Sam Richardson — by Jack Muldowney.