Well, lookee here – who is long back from the dead?

Okay maybe not dead, but this website has been pretty dormant for quite a while. The last post was over 15 months ago, long enough to make most regular readers wander off. I get it.

But I am back, baby!

The circumstances (to be explained a bit further below) that led to my temporary, although excruciatingly long, hiatus from beer writing have come to an end. There is once again space in my life to consume, evaluate, and pontificate on beer, the beer industry and all things barley and suds. And since there is time to do that, there must be time to write about all those things as well.

Hence, I am working my way back into being an active beer writer, beer educator and keen observer and commentator on the beer industry. But a lot has happened in my absence – including a stunning explosion in the number of breweries in Alberta – meaning I come back to a very different world than I left. In the coming days I will offer some of my thoughts and observations about that change and why it happened, but today I want to do something more simple. I want to talk about what happens now.

The Big News

What does “being back” actually mean? It means a couple of things in the immediate term.

First up, I am thrilled to say that I will be returning to my regular CBC Edmonton Radio Active beer column slot – starting this very Friday (June 7, 2019) at 4:40pm (740AM/93.9FM and live streamed at cbc.ca/edmonton. Stayed tuned for more information about that

I am in negotiations with some of my former clients about how to proceed going forward. Some, like Vue Weekly are now defunct (RIP). I hope to find some new work, as well, in the near future.

For now I can confirm the following:

• I have agreed to renew my work writing the cover stories for the Alberta Beer Guide.
• I will return to hosting events at the Sugar Bowl. We are currently discussing how we want those events to look going forward. Stay tuned.
• I will continue to be available for select private events and consulting on a case-by-case basis.

Stay tuned for more.

A Changing World, A Changing Beerguy

I have been around a long time (I am old), watching and supporting the growth of craft beer on the prairies. I am proud of that work, in particular of the early days where I was one of the only voices talking about options that western Canadians have with beer.

But times change and I am very glad they have. Today I think there is less need for me to be the one-stop-shop-for-all-your-prairie-beer-news-and-views. There are other voices out there now. And the industry is getting bigger, meaning it is better equipped to tell its own story. That doesn’t mean that I can’t play a constructive role in the beer world.

I have been giving my role in the beer community some long and careful thought. I think the way that I can be most useful to beer consumers, beer producers and beer in general has shifted. My thinking is still evolving, but I believe there is less need for me to be an all-around town crier for craft beer. I think I get to pick my spots more, and work toward my strengths. Especially here at onbeer.org.

I am still feeling things out but for the moment I think this is what you can expect from this website moving forward:

• I am still committed to covering all of the prairies, as I think the three provinces continue to get less credit than they deserve in the craft beer world (so expect to hear from me soon, Saskatchewan and Manitoba breweries!).
• The sheer volume of new brewery openings makes it impossible for me to keep up with full length profiles of every new brewery in the region. That has to go. So does, I think, an attempt to be a source of assorted beer news like new beer releases.
• One of my most popular and favourite elements of the site are the policy analysis pieces, where I breakdown policy changes or consider specific elements of the industry. That will stay.
• I think there is both more room and more necessity for writers to show a personal side in these modern times, so expect more of that.

What I envision is that onbeer.org will be different in a couple of significant ways. First, I think I will post less often (but still at least weekly). I think the site will comprise of longer think pieces where I breakdown a policy development, analyze the state of the industry or present some original research. Those kind of posts always seemed the most popular and I like doing them, but they are the most work. These longer pieces will be punctuated by shorter items of a more eclectic nature, reflecting my diverse beer interests, including digest pieces of goings on, random beer reviews, beer travel stories and glimpses into my beer brain.

I hope this new approach works for my readers, and grows the pool of new readers. Time will tell.

Beerguy Gets Modern (Kinda)

Beerguy Mach II is committed to getting more into the 21st century. On that front I have already failed, but stick with me. Before relaunching I really, really wanted to complete a redesign of my website. I know it looks old and doesn’t have the functionality it needs on smartphones and the like. But that work is moving more slowly than I hoped. However, it is ongoing and I hope to have a new fangled look and design soon.

However, on other fronts I am faring better. I am working to upgrade my Twitter presence and have launched an Instagram account, with the same handle – @ABBeerguy. I am still new at it all, but I want to try to be a bit more interactive and offer up some more dynamic social media content to supplement the website and traditional media work I do. Feedback more than welcome!

Why Did You Leave?

I feel like my re-launch also requires a bit of an explanation of the reason for my departure, as it does have a carry-forward implication. In short I went on hiatus because I took a temporary senior policy position with the Alberta government. The contract precluded outside paid work and it was intense enough that I found I had no time or energy for the website.

However it ended a few weeks ago and I am now safely ensconced back in my regular day job, which is flexible and understanding enough to tolerate (and even support) my beer writing work. I don’t talk about my day job much because it is mostly irrelevant to the beer world, and thus my private business.

The reason I mention this at all is because one of the many policy files that came across my desk during my time with government was the beer mark-up policy and other liquor-related items. I was never the final decision maker, but I cannot say I did not have some influence.

So this is my act of disclosure. I will not refrain from commenting on policy changes going forward, but my readers should know I played a role in some recent changes. Confidentiality prevents me from speaking too much about that role, but I will do my best to be clear about playing a role.

I am looking forward to returning to my role as Beerguy and hope to engage with many of you in the coming months. Look out beer world, Beerguy is back!