Blank Slate Brewing Company, A Cautionary Tale For A Brewery Lost

Blank Slate Brewing Company was one of our local breweries here in Cincinnati. For five years they were able to produce solid well-crafted beers and then one day, poof! They were gone. How does this happen? A brewery that makes well tasting and solid beers is one that many would think would be around for a long time. There are many breweries that make beer that is only half decent at best, and yet they have been around for decades. How could this happen? Well the simple answer may just be that we often take good beer for granted.

Currently across America, we have over 5,300 breweries that are now in operation and I believe the true number may be closer to now being about 5,500. Think about that number…5,500. This includes Brewpubs, Microbreweries, Regional Breweries and of course, the big boy macros. In 1981, there were 40 breweries operating…across the country. That is some massive growth my friends and at some point, some of the smaller ones are almost in a spot to inevitably face an uphill battle due to the large amount of choice now across the beer landscape.

When Blank Slate closed its doors, so many couldn’t believe it that its owner, Scott LaFollette, even released a statement to end any speculation which had begun to swirl. His response was very simple, yet telling.

“The reason for our closure is pretty simple. We ran out of money. There is no big conspiracy, no secret takeover, no legal troubles or personal issues. We simply don’t have enough cash to keep going.”

Simple and effective, to the point and addresses what may be one of the biggest obstacles for smaller breweries to face, cash flow. Without this, breweries cannot do all that is needed to keep things sustained for some. This is just basic economics, so how do we avoid this for the breweries that we love and appreciate? Here are a few of my thoughts:

·         Show and Maintain Support – We have to show up for these breweries and keep on showing up, we can never assume they are good enough to just make it.

·     Respect The Breweries – We need to be conscious to do the things that respect the brewery and avoid those that don’t. For example, not taking beer glasses that cost the breweries to replenish their stock. There is nothing wrong from buying them and they will appreciate it.

·         Spread The Word – Get others excited about the breweries by sharing their story and encouraging others to check the brewery out. One of the great things about the craft beer community has been a sense of just that, community. We can always do more of this. Also, ask stores if they are carrying the beer of breweries that you like. The more they hear it then the higher the chance of the brewery being distributed if they are set up to do so.

      Craft beer has become a highly competitive marketplace and not paying attention to one of your favorite breweries may lead to them possibly disappearing, so make sure you wave that flag of the brewery you love. Not doing so and being silent may end with you being compliant in their disappearance.  Now go Get Your Beer On and show that brewery some love!

      Cheers!

Did I miss anything? Let me know your thoughts by dropping some comments in the comment section. Feedback is always appreciated, as well as sharing with others!

HOPii | Your Personal Micro-Brewery

HOPii Personal Micro-Brewery System

HOPii is one of the newer innovations to be coming soon to the beer market for those that love beer. Being positioned as being able to provide a better beer experience at home that can be brewed by any beer lover on their own counter top, this invention may end up revolutionizing how some will enjoy beer moving forward.

So why should interest be piqued about this product? Think about how good beer is when at a brewery versus at home. Beer that is bottled or canned can still taste good, don't get me wrong. But the most avid beer drinker or beer connoisseur will tell you that nothing is as fresh as when you have it on draft and at the source. And that is what makes this product stand out it seems thus far from all that is being discussed.

Now personally I have not tried the beer, but on their site you are able to see what others are thinking with some also being from the brewing industry. Highlighted by having the freshness of that of the same quality of a brewery is astounding in itself. Place this with some of these other features below, and this is one item that definitely may be worth a look.


Quality Craft Beer at home. Tons of features on your countertop, plus the crazy powerful new temperature controlled fermentation tank.

Self Cleaning. More easy than ever before with one touch sanitizing - you'll never have to take it apart to clean.

Access to the best breweries. A slick kitchen gadget and some beer kits that us AI to produce some of your favorite hard-to-get microbrews. We even use the ingredients direct from the brewery, so it's guaranteed to taste the same or better.  The beer kits include a three-liter bottle of wort (basically beer juice) as well as an ingredient pack containing dry hops and other flavors, along with a pack of yeast.

Faster than normal brewing. Get all our stretch goals from the campaign as we finish them, including more beer kits. Most beers finish brewing in 4-7 days!!

Check out their kick starter site for more details by clicking here, and prepare yourself for what may be the next coming innovation in beer.

Beer Review: Southern Tier Cherry Gose

Here is my look at the Cherry Gose from Southern Tier Brewing Company. This Imperial sour ale comes in with an alcohol content of 8.3% ABV and is brewed with tart cherry juice. I had not previously seen an Imperial sour ale, so I am looking forward to seeing what this one has to offer. Southern Tier makes some pretty good beers overall, so let’s see how this one delivers. Check out my YouTube video below to see what I think as I run this one down. Grab a cold one; join me, and Get Your Beer On!

Beer Review: Crooked Stave Hop Savant Amarillo Brettanomyces IPA

From Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project out of Denver Colorado comes the Hop Savant Amarillo Brettanomyces IPA, a sour IPA with an alcohol content of 7% ABV and this is my look at this ale that I acquired on a recent beer run. I had heard a lot about this brewery, so the fact that I was now able to find one that somehow reached one of my beer stores was downright awesome. So here are some of my thoughts on this beer which you will see below or you can also scroll down to the YouTube video if you would just like to watch.

Well in looking at the beer, I have to admit that I did like their labeling of the beer and it did provide some of the key details. One thing noticed was that they placed details for the best temperature for enjoying the beer. That’s always a nice thing to know and for this beer, the desired temp was between 46 to 54 degrees Fahrenheit. As for the beer in the glass, it poured out a nice hazy golden color with a large foamy white head. The head was actually larger then desired, so I did have to let it settle for a little bit. Why this took place, I was able to get a good sampling of the aroma and the notes of the beer. The Amarillo hops came out easily but there was also the funkiness and sourness of the brettanomyces as well. But it wasn’t like a tart sour, but more of something almost like sour milk but just not as bad. I mean really, funky is the best word in describing it.

The tasting of the beer was solid though as it carried all of the usual characteristics of an IPA. There was a citrusy feel as I received orange as well as a piney and earthy feel. There wasn’t much if any of grapefruit which is common in IPA beers, but think of that being replaced with the brettanomyces as well. That sour taste sat on the tongue but unlike the aroma, it was more pleasant for me. Medium bodied and somewhat dry, this ale did provide a nice overall crisp texture and solid taste.

Overall, I found this beer to be one of those unique ones. I had another much more straight forward variant of this ale and for me that one would be more to preference. That being sad, I did enjoy the ale enough that I rated it 3.25 out of 5 for my Untappd score. You can definitely tell it was an IPA as pretty much mentioned earlier, but again that funkiness just was a standout for me. How about you? Have you had this beer? If so then leave a comment and let me know what you thought. That all being said, thanks for stopping by to check out my post and if you like then catch my YouTube video below as well and catch a little bit more tidbits about this beer. Cheers and Get Your Beer On!

Beer Review: Magic Hat Brewing Circus Boy Hefeweizen

Time to take a look at the other side of the mixed Hefeweizen collection that I had picked up from Magic Hat Brewing Company and this is Circus Boy. Now previously I looked at Zirkus Boy which is their German styled Hefeweizen, Circus Boy is their American version. Wait, there’s an American version? Shhh, don’t ask questions and just play along. So Circus Boy like its counterpart also comes in with an alcohol content of 4.5% ABV and shares some of other commonalities as well with some slight differences.

One of the first differences noticed for me deals with the appearance. This offering does provide more of a haziness which was not really offered by the German version which had great clarity. The head itself was a little more as well but still dissipated quickly. It seems like this would be more suited for the German version but maybe that’s just me. Anyway, the appearance wasn’t bad at all and in fact, it was pretty solid for the style.

Once I got into the aroma and taste, all was there that was to be expected. There were the notes and tastes of clove and lemon qualities, although I did find the banana lacking. However, there was also a crisp and refreshing quality which also stood out with the beer. And as for mouthfeel, there was a good amount of flavor and tingling which I enjoyed. The texture was solid and not too thin for this light bodied beer and surprisingly, it wasn’t as yeasty as I was expecting.

All in all, the beer delivered nicely in my opinion as I rated it 3 out of 5 on my Untappd. A good beer that won’t knock you back but I don’t think it will disappoint you either. Especially if you like a beer that can offer that often needed refreshing quality following a hard day of work. Have you had this one? If so then leave a comment and share your experience with this beer. I always enjoy hearing feedback from others about the beers consumed so please feel free to share.

That all being said, thanks for stopping by and checking out my look at this beer, and hope you keep coming back as well. Cheers!

If you would like to see my full YouTube video review of this beer as well then just click the video below for some other key highlights about this one!

Beer Review: Magic Hat Brewing Zirkus Boy Hefeweizen

Sometimes you just want a refreshing beer to end the day or to cap off the finishing of some yardwork. Something that brings a certain quench and satisfaction and says job well done, now kick back and enjoy a cold one. Zirkus Boy for me kind of brought that type of quality of enjoyment. I found it to have a subtle refreshing quality with it and at 4.5% ABV, a few of these could easily be had an enjoyed.

The beer itself from Magic Hat Brewing Company out of South Burlington, Vermont, was done in the style of a German Hefeweizen and did well bringing together some of the qualities associated with this beer style. There was a subtle aroma of banana and clove along with that of lemon and some breadiness. But with a Hefeweizen, the beer is expected to be cloudy and hazy as this is a bottle fermented style usually. This one was as clear as a bell, more looking like a Pilsner than a Hefeweizen. But appearance aside, we know that taste is really the thing that brings it home. So how was the taste you may be asking?

Zirkus Boy offered a refreshing taste overall in my opinion and opened up with a nice flavor burst which led to a pleasant mouthfeel. All of those on the nose also came through in the taste: the lemon zest, the clove, the banana and on the back a little bit of a spice kick as well. So while the look was off, other factors were definitely there. There was a nice crisp finish on the back-end, and the light body of the beer made it to be one that could easily be quaffable. And this is always a positive as far as I’m concerned.

All in all, I think this was a decent beer and for me I rated it a 3 out of 5. This places it at the good level for me. Is it going to knock you back? No, but it’s not going to knock you down either. And, the beer itself was a pleasurable drink that I would drink again. There wasn’t much disappointment at all with this one. So that’s my take on Zirkus Boy from Magic Hat Brewing. Have you had this one? If so then leave a comment and share your experience with this beer. I always enjoy hearing feedback from others about the beers consumed so please feel free to share.

That all being said, thanks for stopping by and checking out my look at this beer, and hope you keep coming back as well. Cheers!

If you would like to see my YouTube video review of this beer as well then just click the video below!