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26-05-2018, 07:21
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Here’s everything that grabbed our attention in the world of beer and pubs in the past week, from interviews to historical ponderings, via a pub crawl in Stafford. A bit of news to begin: Robinson’s of Stockport has decided to change the branding of its successful golden ale Dizzy Blonde (https://www.robinsonsbrewery.com/about-us/latest-news/evolution-and-innovation-is-key-to-success-for-180-year-old-family-brewer) after publicly resisting the idea earlier this year:

Dizzy Blonde has been the focal point of the sexism debate in the beer industry. Despite the fact that Dizzy Blonde is a much-loved brand by many, we*don’t have our heads in the sand. It is time to acknowledge that the presentation is not universally accepted by a society that strives for, and celebrates, equality.
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In an interview for the*Morning Advertiser*by*James Beeson influential American brewer Shaun Hill of Hill Farmstead (https://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/Article/2018/05/24/Beer-industry-failing-to-address-mental-health-and-alcohol-link-says-top-brewer)*has spoken about mental health and attitudes to alcohol in the world of craft beer:

“I was doing 12 to 14-hour days and because I live 15ft away from the brewery, there was very little decompression. I would typically drink too much in order to artificially decompress, and then I wouldn’t sleep well. Then when I woke up I would still be tired, so then I would drink as much caffeine as I could, which would then accelerate an overall sense of anxiety. It was a vicious circle.”
(Footnote: Mr Hill has since complained about this story (https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/shaun-hill-on-craft-beer-and-mental-health.574572/page-2#post-6034284), apparently surprised that Mr Beeson identified the most interesting parts of a broader conversation and shaped it into a narrative. Which is, of course, what proper journalists do.)
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It’s #BeeryLongreads2018 (https://twitter.com/search?f=tweets&vertical=default&q=%23beerylongreads2018&src=tyah) day, in case you’d forgotten, and*Lisa Grimm got in early with this reflection on changing attitudes to craft beer in the US, manufactured scarcity, and the popularity of ‘sours’ vs IPAs (http://www.lisagrimm.com/?p=1031):

While 10 years ago it would not have been remarkable to see people lining up to buy*Goose Island’s Bourbon County Breakfast Stout, it’s now something that sits on supermarket shelves. Some of this is, one presumes, in response to In-Bev’s purchase of*Goose Island; one wouldn’t want to be seen drinking a Secret Macrobeer, because Craft Beer Is Part Of Your Identity. And shifting tastes are no doubt at play to some extent as well, but I suspect two other factors are also in play: novelty and availability. When it was hard to find, either because of true logistical constraints or by design, it was Important and Special. Now…not so much.
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Here’s an interesting question from*Alan McLeod, illustrated with some lovely extracts from the archives: if Belgium only came into being as a nation in 1830, how soon after did the idea of*Belgian beer emerge? (http://abetterbeerblog427.com/2018/05/25/toasting-the-defeat-of-napoleon-iii-with-belgian-beer/)*Certainly by 1858:

Since Noah left the ark and the sons of Noah raised up new cities, each new-formed nation has found some new stimulant; but not one among the list of findings is at once so wholesome, cheap, and harmless as*Belgian beer,*and I look upon its introduction into the United States as an important reformatory movement.
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Kirst Walker visited Stafford for a pub crawl and the report (https://ladysinksthebooze.wordpress.com/2018/05/25/a-few-drinks-in-stafford/) is fun not only because it is peppered with her trademark wit but also because it brilliantly conveys the inevitable increasing tipsiness of such an expedition:

By this point, having not adhered strictly to the pub crawl recommended measure of a half pint, we were seeking sustenance, and so scurried to the Sun, a Titanic pub. Surely I had a plum porter in here, surely! Untappd says no, but I feel in my bones I did. The Sun sells giant burgers which are nigh on impossible to eat demurely – and mine came with chips and an egg. Whether I specially requested this egg I don’t recall, but it was very welcome.
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We like it when*Phil at*Oh Good Ale goes all stream-of-consciousness. This week he gave us a glimpse at the difficulties of leaving a Wetherspoon pub with porter at £1.79 a pint (https://ohgoodale.wordpress.com/2018/05/21/when-crafty-met-spoony/):

That porter… it’s good. No, I mean it, it’s fine. I mean there’s nothing wrong with it. Seriously, just as the beer that it is, you know… It’s an enjoyable beer, if you don’t think about…
You just feel a bit cheap after a while, that’s the thing. Or, maybe not cheap exactly, but a bit… off. A bit, kind of, is this what I’ve come to. Is this the kind of person I am?
Fag ash on the table, and everything. And the porter, I mean, it’s good, but…
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We’re delighted that someone has finally taken the hint and had a go at the ‘100 Words’ format, namely Dave S, who uses it to make a point about yeast (https://brewinabedsit.blogspot.co.uk/2018/05/100-words-yeast.html): “Everything else is additive, linear and predictable… but yeast is transformative.”
Finally, here’s a bit of news which comes with two photographs that might excited brewers keen to clone Fuller’s ESB:

Here is our latest Past Masters Recipe adapted from a ESB LP parti gyle from 8th January 1981 when a Mr @FullersJohn (https://twitter.com/FullersJohn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) Keeling first started. No dry hops, plenty of flaked maize and syrups. pic.twitter.com/baoUjuV5rp (https://t.co/baoUjuV5rp)
— Henry (@FullersHenry) May 24, 2018 (https://twitter.com/FullersHenry/status/999600817639436288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

News, Nuggets & Longreads 26 May 2018: Hill Farmstead, Fried Eggs, Fullers (https://boakandbailey.com/2018/05/news-nuggets-longreads-26-may-2018-hill-farmstead-fried-eggs-fullers/) originally posted at Boak & Bailey's Beer Blog (https://boakandbailey.com)


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