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What’s up, beer geek! This is The Beer Scholar 6-Pack weekly newsletter, a short clean email featuring 6 bulleted links with brief descriptions for each.

Howdy, beer geek! This week was a bit slow here at Beer Scholar HQ as the effects of my bout with Covid19 have dissipated more slowly than I would've preferred. It'a been a doozy of a week in the States with all the craziness coming from the Supreme Court, but if you do happen to be in the US I hope you have a BBQ, really good beer, and some kiddie pool time with your people this weekend for the 4th!

As always, here are 6 dope links for your Friday 6 Pack. Enjoy.

TBS 6-Pack

CITRA ABSURDLY DOMINANT AS US’S TOP HOP

Cascade acreage growth outpaces Citra – So what? By Stan Hieronymus in Hop Queries. Citra is still getting more than double the acreage of Cascade this year. In fact, Citra is so dominant as the US’s top hop it’s shocking. No other hop comes even close to Citra’s acreage. I was surprised to read that acreage of Sabro was reduced last year by more 50%. Sabro, imho, makes amazing flavor. Another fave, Strata, is up 30%. Here’s the USDA press release about all this fun stuff. 

BIG BEER DICTATES “SHELF SCHEMATICS” AT STORES...FOR NOW 

Minding the Store — Feds Take Critical Look at ‘Big Beer’ Strategy of Organizing Retail Shelves by Kate Bernot for Good Beer Hunting. This may seem like boring regulatory stuff, but it could be HUGE for small beer producers if the big guys and their distributors (the three tier system is kind of a joke) are no longer able to provide stores with “category management” and “shelf schematics.” Over the decades those practices have ensured major brands have always been front and center in US stores. It sure will be interesting to see how/if sales numbers change if that’s no longer the case. It also sounds like a business/job opportunity for beer experts out there as many retailers are essentially clueless about the beer they sell…

WTF IS A THIOL

Get to Know Hop Thiols and What They Do for Aroma by Laura Burns for Craft Beer & Brewing. Thiols are the compounds that provide those super tropical aromas we associate with fancy tropical and juicy New Zealand and Australian and some PNW hops. Biotransformation gives thiols in beer a huge boost. A lot of brewers understand generally how to make a hazy IPA, but actually digging in and learning the sensory side and science behind these processes and compounds (as much as is understood at the moment, anyway!) is a huge advantage. The top producers aren’t just getting lucky. 

HOW TO BE A TOP BEER JOINT

Behind the Bar: Elevating Service to the Level Your Beer Deserves by Greg Engert for Beer & Brewing. Are you a taproom manager or beertender? If so, don’t miss this basic but critical advice for how to run a super legit beer joint. It all comes down to staff training. Pre-shift education, meeting customers where they’re at and not gatekeeping, and continuing to support your staff’s efforts to learn the ropes by…I dunno…prepping for the Cicerone exams maybe? PS I’ve seen a lot of bartender gatekeeping in Portland, OR. It usually takes this form: ”How’s the hazy IPA? I don’t know, I don’t drink stuff like that.” Me: Wow, so you don’t know anything about the products you’re selling AND you just insulted my tastes. I’d fire you if it was my joint but as a customer I can’t wait to give you a big tip. Please don’t be that clueless a-hole when you bartend. 

READ FASTER, LEARN FASTER

How to Read Faster and Better at Brainscape. “Speed reading” sounds cool right? Forget that silliness, if you can increase your reading/studying speed by even 20% that’s massive. I’ve seen so much BS online about how to speed read, but this piece actually has science based tips for reading faster that I felt began helping me before I even finished the article. 

IN THE YEAR 2312…

I’ve got a book recommendation for you and it’s currently <$8 on Amazon. It’s called simply, 2312. It’s by Kim Stanley Robinson, who has won every major sci fi book award over the years, including the Hugo & Nebula. I just finished it and it’s excellent. Like the best sci fi, it speaks to the current moment. In 2312 humanity has settled most of the solar system and is trying out all variety of ways to organize economies and social systems. Earth has become a terrible place to live — ruined by global warming, capitalism, & poverty. Genetic manipulation, largely with the goal of extending life spans, has resulted in some very interesting updates to sex and gender which is written about as an aside even though it’s very interesting. On top of all that, humans are working to figure out their relationships with new "quantum AIs" they’ve created. There’s a lot going on, as you’d imagine, if humanity spanned the solar system. It’s an all around excellent read and you should give it a shot if you dig sci fi. 

Have a lovely weekend, y'all!

Chris