My interview
with Taphunter was awesome, too!
Hey Y'all!
Man, I had a blast at the 2016 Craft Brewers Conference in Philadelphia from May 3rd
to the 6th and finally got a chance to update. I met some great
people, caught up with old friends in the industry, saw some awesome innovations
to make the world of craft brewing more resourceful, got interviewed by Taphunter, and, yes, sipped some
great beer in the process. The week-long event ran smoothly—a tough feat for a convention
that hosted more than 14,000 attendees geared to expand their businesses—and
the City of Brotherly Love once again demonstrated its dedication for the art
of craft brewing.
 |
| Rogue, Omaha, Three Taverns, Red Brick, Max Lager's and Taco Mac in the house! |
My bud Alan Raines
(Hotoberfest, Cruisin’ For A Brewsin’) joined me in covering CBC, took some
awesome flicks of what we explored, and attended some of the kickass gatherings
hosted by breweries like Terrapin, Allagash, Dogfish Head, Lagunitas,
Oskar Blues, Wicked Weed, Revolution…it
was a whirlwind.
I also hit up some craft-centric bars and pubs in the
process, including Monk’s Café, Belgian Café, Khyber Pass Pub, BRU, Kite and Key, and McGillan’s Old Ale House to name a few. I had the pleasure to link
up with Georgia-based brew aficionados and shotcallers reppin’ Three Taverns, Taco Mac, Max Lager’s, Orpheus, Omaha, Terrapin, Red Hare, Scofflaw, Savannah Distributing,
United Distributing, Moon River, Red Brick and ton of other folks. Look for a ton of pictures soon!
Anyway, one of the most memorable things that happened (along
with pounding beers with my man—Dogfish Head owner and brewing icon Sam Calagione—and befriending Justin Bieber’s chef Daniel Leal), was being interviewed by Andy “The Beerman” Coppock representing
Taphunter.
 |
| Andy “The Beerman” Coppock representing Taphunter |
Andy (left), his associate Matt O'Rourke, Alan, and I grabbed leather couches a level
up from the main show floor, sipped my imperial coffee stout I made with Little Cottage Brewery’s Jon Shari, and
talked primarily about the lack of minorities (especially African Americans) in
the brewing industry. This is a deservedly hot topic and ongoing discussion
that I happily will entertain until things change. Taphunter—a great service
that assists us in finding where our favorite beers, cocktails and wines are
depending on our location—broke down our interview by posting this on their site:
In this special CBC
episode of the Business of Beer with Andy “The Beerman” Coppock, we are joined
by Ale Sharpton, world-renowned beer writer. Ale joins us from the busy CBC
floor to talk about African Americans and craft beer, turning people on to
craft from macro beer, how to sell more beer in urban areas, and much more! You
don’t want to miss this special edition podcast.
I also loved how there put our various topics in a time
summary so you can go to whatever you’re interested in right below it.
Please check out this interview and let me know what you
think. I thank Andy and Taphunter for the opportunity and interest. It really
made my trip complete.
Look for the awesome beer dinners coming up this week and
my listing of events during Atlanta’s Craft
Beer Week the following week too. This especially goes for my event with Creature Comforts, Goorin Bros., Cathead Vodka,
and Ladybird Grove and Mess Hall on May 19th, Brews.Brims.Beats.
II!
Cheers!
Your Bro,
Ale
