This week The Ale Runner announced and then confirmed the rumor that we will be seeing Southern Tier enter the Louisiana market. Looks like a possible May release. We also know about New Belgium entering the market this week as well. And of course I still think Lagunitas will be making an appearance this year. I could be wrong and have no sources to back that up but it makes sense considering it's in Texas and Florida.
All of this is pretty wild. When I started this blog five years ago(yeah FIVE years ago) I remember getting excited about Harpoon coming to town and we were super pumped about that new brewery opening up in New Orleans. What was it called again? Oh yeah, NOLA Brewing. And there was this bar that was working on changing from a "dive bar" to a craft beer bar! Look at Avenue Pub now! Man, how things change.
At the first beer tasting we threw there were only like 6 people there. Hell, I couldn't make it because of work. Now when we throw a tasting we can have anywhere from 40-100 people. We used to be super excited when someone brought Stone Brewing beers as well! Crazy.
Our distributor situation back then was stupid. I used to complain regularly on this blog about how they weren't doing enough to bring in craft breweries or promote them. Now? They all have their own special little craft beer division with major players from the craft beer market as employees. Like craft beer A-Teams.
We've come along way since I started The Beer Buddha. I originally started the blog as a way to learn more about craft beer but also promote the craft beer industry in what I considered a craft beer desert at the time. Obviously times have changed and I feel my mission has changed as well. I feel now my purpose is not only to keep promoting craft beer in New Orleans but also to keep the craft beer scene in check. We can't allow those who want to take us into the world of craft beer douchebaggery to do so. They are out there and they are trying. I see it often. Many of us have worked hard to help this craft beer scene grow and we also worked hard to keep the douchebaggery out of it as well.
Beer douchebaggery may work fine in cities like Portland, San Diego, Boston or Philadelphia but New Orleans isn't large enough to handle it. We are a small city and we have a new and fragile scene. Douchebaggery could hurt it. It could turn away new people who may be interested in trying craft beer. We need more craft beer drinkers. The more we have the better the scene will become. Being a douche and acting like craft beer is some sort of hipster inner circle club just hurts us. Those of you being beer douches be ready cause I'll keep ya in check!
We've come a long way since those early days. It's been a fun journey and it will continue to be fun! New Orleans is slowly becoming a beer meccha for the South. We have some work to do but it's definitely coming around!
Cheers!
The Beer Buddha
PS Please note I have no idea if those cities I named are beer douchebag cities. I named them because they are large enough beer cities to handle beer douchebaggery.
4 comments:
What a long strange trip it's been.
You have been displaying a lot of hostility in your posts lately and it's making your blog suffer. You say that you are trying to prevent douchebaggery, but that's what your blog has become. Maybe in a different sense than what you're railing against but douchebaggery nonetheless. You're rarely seen out in the craft beer scene so you've become like a monastic prophet who spews his "wisdom" from a cave. Blindly promoting brewers in public that are not producing consistently good beer doesn't necessarily benefit the scene. It's just creating mini-Abitas. Elsewhere in this country with more established scenes, brewers know that you can't put out mediocre product and hope to succeed. It's possible to make tasty beers that aren't extreme that can appeal to non-craft drinkers. I just don't see it down here. People need to step up their game.
You claim my blog is suffering from "hostility" in my posts yet I've received more positive comments and love from those posts than ever. Go figure.
You also claim I am rarely seen in the craft beer scene. I guess the beer festival this month doesn't count?
And I agree it's VERY possible to make tasty non extreme beers. I actually would love to see it!
I hate that you posted anonymously. Kinda sad actually. Would love to have more of a discussion with you rather than some accusatory comments on here. You make great points and it should be more of a discussion.
My recent posts are because of things I have witnessed lately. That's it. If you think it's douchebaggery that's cool.
Email me at thebeerbuddha@gmail.com so we can discuss the beer scene further as I would love to get your thoughts.
Cheers!
BB
I have to admit curiosity as to which brewers are being referred to as producing inconsistent or mediocre 'extreme' beers. Can you be more specific? Also, calling BB out as monastic and being in a cave while posting anonymously? C'mon man.
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