I'm Todd Alström, Founder of BeerAdvocate, Ask Me Anything.

Discussion in 'Ask Me Anything' started by Todd, Apr 9, 2020.

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  1. ChicagoJ

    ChicagoJ Grand Pooh-Bah (4,073) Feb 2, 2015 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Thank you for allowing us to confound the lousy Troll Toll.

    We don't want to get in that boy's soul, and we don't want to pay the Troll Toll to get in (to the forums).

    Other interweb forums:
    [​IMG]
     
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  2. Todd

    Todd Founder (13,254) Aug 23, 1996 Finland
    Staff Super Mod Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Like beer, I don't have any real favorites. I try to keep an open mind and enjoy everything for what it is. When I lived in England as a civilian in the early 90s, I worked as a record buyer for Our Price/Virgin Records and was in charge of forecasting consumer demand based on the UK's music chart industry. Most of what hit the charts back then wasn't music that I'd ever listen to, but I had to put that aside and the experience reinforced my relationship with music. It no doubt impacted my relationship with other things, too.

    That said, at the end of the day I find myself listening to the same music that I did in the 80s. Alternative, punk, ska, and their subgenres. Lately, I've been exploring protopunk.
     
  3. Todd

    Todd Founder (13,254) Aug 23, 1996 Finland
    Staff Super Mod Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    That's true, but you know what I mean. :wink:
     
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  4. Todd

    Todd Founder (13,254) Aug 23, 1996 Finland
    Staff Super Mod Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    You lost me with this and the failed to embed image.
     
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  5. ChicagoJ

    ChicagoJ Grand Pooh-Bah (4,073) Feb 2, 2015 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    A reference to It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, an attempted humorous take on us not having to contend with trolls on the board. It's a good community because for the most part discussions are held within proper standards. Hope this explains the post.
     
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  6. Todd

    Todd Founder (13,254) Aug 23, 1996 Finland
    Staff Super Mod Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I've never watched the show, but I'll binge it one day. And agreed.
     
  7. ChicagoJ

    ChicagoJ Grand Pooh-Bah (4,073) Feb 2, 2015 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Start with season one. Danny DeVito doesn't join until the following season, and while he is a good addition, the writing and absurdity is season one is incredible. Charlie Has Cancer, Charlie Wants an Abortion, Underage Drinking: It's a National Concern, Charlie Got Molested. It's the sitcom to end all sitcoms.
     
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  8. cryptichead

    cryptichead Grand Pooh-Bah (3,813) Jul 3, 2014 Illinois
    Super Mod Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Did we lose Beer Karma points for the pics again? I was 19 away from Poobah :grin:
     
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  9. unlikelyspiderperson

    unlikelyspiderperson Grand Pooh-Bah (3,862) Mar 12, 2013 California
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    You moved as far west as you can at that latitude! And congratulations on the move and thanks for the site!
     
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  10. Todd

    Todd Founder (13,254) Aug 23, 1996 Finland
    Staff Super Mod Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Nope, but your Society membership expired yesterday.
     
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  11. cryptichead

    cryptichead Grand Pooh-Bah (3,813) Jul 3, 2014 Illinois
    Super Mod Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Oh! No alert? I'll renew and be back on the Poobah path
     
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  12. Todd

    Todd Founder (13,254) Aug 23, 1996 Finland
    Staff Super Mod Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    You should get an email if you accept emails from us. Check your spam folder, too.
     
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  13. traction

    traction Initiate (0) Dec 4, 2010 Georgia
    Trader

    Hey Todd, hope you are doing well.

    I was just curious if you could explain how the trending beers feature on the front page are calculated. Is it by recent review count or what? I often see beers on there I have never even heard of so I was just curious where the data is pulled from
     
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  14. Todd

    Todd Founder (13,254) Aug 23, 1996 Finland
    Staff Super Mod Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    It's simply a list of beers ranked by recent number ratings.
     
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  15. freewill35

    freewill35 Pooh-Bah (1,602) Oct 27, 2007 Indiana
    Pooh-Bah Society

    What’s the easiest way to post a picture?
     
  16. Todd

    Todd Founder (13,254) Aug 23, 1996 Finland
    Staff Super Mod Pooh-Bah Society Trader

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  17. AZBeerDude72

    AZBeerDude72 Initiate (0) Jun 10, 2016 Arizona

    Have you thought about hosting a festival for minority breweries? I don't recall anyone doing this, since Ba has been hosting many events don't you agree its time to stop being a part of the problem and more a part of the solution? Seems like the culture at Ba has been a club vibe its time to allow minorites to join the club No. ACAB brother
    Prost!
     
  18. lateralusbeer

    lateralusbeer Savant (1,158) Feb 7, 2010 North Carolina
    Trader

    Feel free to ignore if this question if overly personal:

    You've obviously prioritized your health more in the past few years. Was there a set moment where you realize the "BA lifestyle" was getting problematic? Do you still drink beer daily and just outwork it, or do you drink markedly less than you did say 10 years ago?

    I ask as someone who is forever trying to balance a love of stouts with a responsible weight.

    Thanks for all you and @Jason have done and continue to do. The education you've provided has been priceless.
     
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  19. Todd

    Todd Founder (13,254) Aug 23, 1996 Finland
    Staff Super Mod Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    First, I hate using the word "minority" when talking about people. It's degrading.

    Second, Fresh Fest and Coldchela are two awesome events that are run by, and focus on breweries owned by, people of color. We need more of them. Personally, I'm not looking to replicate cultural events like these, and honestly can't as a white guy, but I've supported these events and others, have learned from them, and will continue to support and learn.

    Third, we've always taken a hard stance against racism, bigotry, and the like on the site and recently our stance was reinforced. We've hosted over 70 events and our doors have always been open to all. Sure, it's no secret or surprise that hosting most of fests in Boston/New England has resulted in a mostly white crowd, but people of color were the vast majority at Extreme Beer Fest: Los Angeles back in 2017 and we welcomed a very diverse crowd at IPA Fest: Brooklyn last year.

    Finally, we can always do more. Last year we discussed inviting more non-straight-white-male-owned breweries to our fests so long as they met our core invite criteria, as well as introducing other inclusionary ideas. We also plan on hosting most of our events going forward beyond Boston. Unfortunately COVID-19 has put a pause on hosting fests, but I look forward to applying these changes once we're allowed to hosts fests again.
     
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  20. Todd

    Todd Founder (13,254) Aug 23, 1996 Finland
    Staff Super Mod Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Yeah. I partied hard in Boston. I drank and ate whatever and whenever I wanted. I started to slow things down when my wife and I moved to Denver in 2013, but it wasn't until two years later when we had a kid that my priorities shifted and my alcohol consumption dropped to probably a tenth of what it was. Soon after I started making small, incremental adjustments to my overall consumption and activity. By the end of January 2019, I had lost 75lbs. Now I'm maintaining my military weight circa 1989.
    Ten years ago I'd meetup with other BAs on a Saturday afternoon and easily drink a dozen higher ABV beers before last call like it was nothing. I'd go out multiple times a week on top of this for beers, food, and cocktails. Fun times, but not sustainable.

    Today, I'll typically have a couple of beers a day. Mostly lagers. And if I go out, I'm always mindful about my consumption, because no matter what I'm waking up early to hangout with my daughter or extra earlier to get some work done before she wakes up.
     
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