November 2015 was an auspicious month for the American beer industry. According to data provided by the Brewers Association the number of breweries in the United States reached 4,144. At no other time in our country’s history has America had so many breweries. The previous high was 4,131 in 1873. The current number of breweries in the Continue reading 1873 and all that
A Question of Beer
Last week I was the after-dinner speaker at the annual meeting of the Maumee Valley Growers Association (MVGA). MVGA is a non-profit organization that works to strengthen the economic vitality of the northwest Ohio greenhouse industry. I was on familiar ground attending this event. I knew many of the growers very well. With funding Continue reading A Question of Beer
Cheers and Thanks
Thanksgiving has been a national holiday in the United States since President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed it as such in 1863. Of course Thanksgiving celebrations pre-date Lincoln’s proclamation. It all started in 1621 when, following a bountiful harvest, the first Pilgrims sat down with native Americans to celebrate with a meal of Thanksgiving. During Continue reading Cheers and Thanks
Portland: City of Beer and Roses
I visited Portland, Oregon earlier this month. I was there attending yet another academic conference – this time the 62nd North American Meetings of the Regional Science Association International. And yes, I talked about beer at the conference – about the large regional craft Continue reading Portland: City of Beer and Roses
Not Quite Turkish Delight
Last month I spent three days in Ankara, Turkey. As with much of my work-related travel these days I was there to talk about beer. The International Geographical Unions’s Commission on the Dynamics of Economic Spaces was holding its annual meeting there and I was giving a Continue reading Not Quite Turkish Delight
A Tale of Two Budweisers: The King of Beers and the Sport of Kings
In early 1900, on a farm near St. Louis, a rather ordinary looking Thoroughbred bay colt was born to a mare with the geographically appropriate name, Missouri. The foal’s bloodlines were sprinkled with royalty and throughout his life Continue reading A Tale of Two Budweisers: The King of Beers and the Sport of Kings
African Promise
Last week week, while in Indianapolis, Indiana attending a conference, I got a call from Rick Armon. Rick is a journalist with the Akron Beacon Journal. He was reaching out to me to get my thoughts on ABInBev’s recently proposed $104 billion purchase of SAB Miller. Rick is no Continue reading African Promise
My Tale of the Unexpected
When I lived in Scotland one of my favorite television shows was Tales of the Unexpected. Created by the wonderful Welsh writer Roald Dahl it aired on British television between 1979 and 1988. While we may not realize it all of us are probably familiar with Dahl’s work. Dahl wrote the Continue reading My Tale of the Unexpected
The Yakima Valley
Earlier this month I was in Seattle, Washington. The occasion was the 4th Beeronomics Conference. This biennial event brings together academics and industry insiders to present research and exchange ideas on various aspects of the beer industry. It was a Continue reading The Yakima Valley
Beeronomics 2015
Earlier this month I was in Seattle, Washington. I was there for the 2015 Beeronomics Conference. This is an event organized by The Beeronomics Society, an international non-profit association of scholars and professionals who conduct research on the economics of the beer industry. The conference is a biennial event. The first was held in Leuven, Belgium in 2009, the headquarters of the Beeronomics Continue reading Beeronomics 2015