It’s our collective responsibility to create a better beer culture by challenging ourselves, having those hard discussions about our community, naming names and remaining open to constructive criticism.
Plenty of beer advocates out there are grateful to the retail Robin Hoods who risk their businesses and gamble their licenses by selling rare beers to loyal customers, or offering illegal beer to attract new beer geeks. But who stands to lose?
For as long as Beeradvocate.com has published a list of the world’s top beers there have been those who attempt to sample everything on it. Why? Because, like a mountain, it’s there. And because you know you’re trying the best beer in the world, as determined by a broad consensus of beer advocates.
In a 2008 Last Call column Tomme Arthur condemned eBay’s alcohol sales policy, which prohibits private sales of all alcohol—except beer. Efforts by Arthur have resulted in eBay removing several beers from auction, but not all of them.
A white whale is just beer, albeit a limited one. And while the hunt might sound like fun, many have argued that their existence and subsequent harpooning has harmed the beer industry.
Shelton Brothers: The Bane of New York Breweries?; Diageo Pressures BII to Bamboozle BrewDog; Shipping Beer via USPS Now Allowed; Michigan Brewing Company Losing Ground; and Tragedy Strikes Redhook.
KettleHouse Brewery pulls back on distribution in Montana; Alpine Beer Company takes action against illegal beer trading; Louisiana brewery changes name to avoid conflict; and new legislation brewing in New York, Mississippi, New Jersey, and Alabama.
If you find yourself trapped in a beer wasteland, do not despair, for there is hope. Like Virgil leading Dante through the pits of Hell, let this guide lead you safely to survival in an otherwise uninhabitable clime.
