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Brian Alberts

@brewedculture.org

Historian, writer, dad studying the cultural history of beer. Footnotes and pizza both Chicago style. He/him

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Historic Beer Ads@beerpuffery.bsky.social · 2h ago

McHenry Brewing Company, McHenry, IL (my hometown!) Taken during Prohibition, when the brewery was (ostensibly) turned into a gas station that also made root beer. But beer production reportedly never stopped via a basement operation. Building's still there, once again a brewery.

Black and white Prohibition era photo of a 2-story corner building in small town Illinois. Building has an awning and small overhand with two gas pumps. Sign on roof says "Brewery Gas Stattion" while other signs advertise sodas, Gasolene, ice cream, and "roast beef and baked ham sandwiches."
Historic Beer Ads@beerpuffery.bsky.social · yesterday

Better Know a Beer Cap #111: Bell's Oberon Eclipse Raspberry Wheat. From 2025. Because now I feel compelled to prove that Bell's still has the juice, even when their cap game is being deployed to milk core brands dry in a tough market.

Crown cap against white background. Cap is midnight blue with little stars to denote a night sky. Foreground is a crescent moon with a serene face in profile, circumscribed by a two-toned blue O. In the background is the cartoon sun typically used for Oberon logos, colored in midnight blue with light blue lines. No text.
Historic Beer Ads@beerpuffery.bsky.social · yesterday

Better Know a Beer Cap #110: Bell's Smitten Golden Rye Ale. Beer's still around (I think) but this cap is from mid-2010s. Bell's used to have some of the best cap rizz, no cap. They still put out some good ones but not like they used to.

Crown cap against white background. Cap is light blue with the yellow center of a daisy flower leaning lazily on its stem. A single white petal is still attached to it. No text.
Brian Alberts@brewedculture.org · yesterday

'Even Beer is Getting High at Oktoberfest' Complaint in 1970 that inflation had brought the beer price at Munich's Oktoberfest to 2.75 Deutsche Marks, equivalent to 74 cents per Maß. Adjusted for inflation, that's about $6.90 today. Beer at Oktoberfest this year will start at €14.80 (~ $17 USD)

News clipping from Stars and Stripes, Aug 21, 1970. Title: 'Even Beer is Getting High at Oktoberfest' (perfect headline, no notes) Text: "If President Nixon's advisors were here, they might feel compelled to issue an "inflation alert." The staple of Oktoberfest -- a one-liter mug of high powered Bavarian beer -- has fallen prey to spiraling prices. When the festival opens here Sept 19, the going price for a mug in one of the big tents will be 2.75 marks (approximately 74 cents), up from 2.40 marks last year. An Oktoberfest spokesman said the increase was unavoidable because of a 27 per cent wage and benefit hike recently given to brewery employees and the high cost of providing oompah bands for the tents."
Kendall Jones@beerblog.bsky.social · 2d ago

The brewing community is stepping up to help victims of the horrific wildfires in Eastern Washington. Find out how you can help, whether you're a brewery or just an individual. washingtonbeerblog.com/westside-bre...

Westside Breweries Stepping. Immediate Wildfire Assistance You Can Help!

Devastating wildfires in Eastern Washington and around Spokane have prompted an immediate relief effort from breweries west of the mountains. Here is how you can help.

washingtonbeerblog.com

Allison Gill@muellershewrote.com · 2d ago

BREAKING: EXCLUSIVE: Five months ago, we learned that ICE seized drawings and letters from children in the Dilley ICE concentration camp. I sued under the Freedom of Information Act. Today, I got responsive documents. www.muellershewrote.com/p/breaking-e...

BREAKING: EXCLUSIVE: ICE Seized Drawings from Children in Detention. I Sued, and Today I Got Them.

Five months ago, I filed a Freedom of Information Act Request for papers seized from children at the Dilley ICE Detention Center. Today, I got a heartbreaking response.

muellershewrote.com

⚡️It’s Got Electrolytes⚡️@themarchingmorons.bsky.social · 2d ago

Flock Surveillance Cameras Are Actually Horrible for Fighting Crime, FBI Data Shows. "The public has been asked to accept a significant expansion of surveillance based on the promise that it would dramatically improve public safety." Why do the cities waste the money, if it’s not a good ROI?🤔

Flock Surveillance Cameras Are Actually Horrible for Fighting Crime, FBI Data Shows

New FBI data shows case closure rates for the Atlanta Police Department have not improved despite thousands of ALPRs installed since 2021.

futurism.com

Dave Zalatoris@beerinfront.bsky.social · 5d ago

Award-winning journalist @dinfontay.com joins Beer In Front to discuss why neighborhood bars are struggling, how changing drinking habits are reshaping the industry, and why taverns remain one of the most important gathering places in our communities. www.spreaker.com/episode/last...

Last Call for the Neighborhood Tavern (Part 2) with Dave Infante

Beer In Front Podcast – Episode Show Notes Last Call for the Neighborhood Tavern (Part 2) with Dave Infante Neighborhood taverns have long been more than pl

spreaker.com

jessamyn@librarian.bsky.social · 5d ago

I work at a public library. People who want to use AI seem to have no trouble doing so. People who don't want to use AI have a harder time. I crowdsourced and then finalized this document "How to disable or avoid intrusive AI" and then gave it a short URL: notoai.org Please pass along if it's useful

An aircraft passenger oxygen mask: a drop down passenger mask with air bag and yellow plastic mouth and nose cover, oxygen tube has been cut; Demonstration model used by flight attendant crew for passenger instruction. Has text on the side indicating that it's non-functional.
Brian Alberts@brewedculture.org · 6d ago

About a year since this 3-part podcast series on mezcal came out. It's an excellent look at mezcal's history and heritage, and how that's being subsumed by the spirit's embrace of capitalism. Some amazing interviews with Oaxacan mezcaleros in there. Check it out! vinepair.com/cocktail-col...

The Cocktail College Podcast: Mezcal’s Untold Past, Soaring Present, and Fragile Future: Part 1

Today, we’re kicking off a special limited series on the “Cocktail College” podcast. It’s a rare deep dive into wild agave, Mexican heritage, and the spirit transforming bar menus around the world. Fo...

vinepair.com

Dave Infante@dinfontay.com · last wk.

INBOX: Republic National Distributing Company, the second-largest wine/spirits wholesaler in the country with ~$10B in annual revenue as recently as 2024, announced this morning it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. An astonishing collapse. More TK

RNDC Important Update For generations, Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC) has been proud to serve customers and suppliers across the United States. We are grateful for the partnerships we have built and the trust you have placed in us throughout our history. On July 26, 2026, RNDC initiated a voluntary chapter 11 process to explore potential sale transactions in court and implement an orderly wind down of our remaining operations. National Distributing Company, Inc. is not part of the chapter 11 filing. With respect to the Company’s joint ventures, at this time, the Company’s joint venture in Alaska is the only joint venture included in the filing, while the Company’s joint ventures in New York, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Kentucky are not part of the filing. This decision was not made lightly. Over time, our industry has evolved, consumer preferences have shifted and the wholesale environment has grown increasingly challenging. Over the last several months, we have taken deliberate steps to transition our operations across certain markets. We pursued and closed sales that preserved over 5,000 jobs and allowed our businesses in those markets to continue serving their customers and suppliers. Ultimately, RNDC’s financial position required us to pursue an in-court process. The court-supervised process is intended to give us the time and flexibility to continue working with parties that have expressed an interest in acquiring our other markets and conduct an orderly wind down of our remaining operations. As we move through this process, we intend to continue to meet our obligations under certain transition service agreements related to the previously disclosed sales of certain of our operations. We have received a commitment for financing from certain of our lenders to support the business during the chapter 11 process. We thank our suppliers and customers for their patience and support. We are incredibly grateful to our associates for their …RNDC Important Update For generations, Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC) has been proud to serve customers and suppliers across the United States. We are grateful for the partnerships we have built and the trust you have placed in us throughout our history. On July 26, 2026, RNDC initiated a voluntary chapter 11 process to explore potential sale transactions in court and implement an orderly wind down of our remaining operations. National Distributing Company, Inc. is not part of the chapter 11 filing. With respect to the Company’s joint ventures, at this time, the Company’s joint venture in Alaska is the only joint venture included in the filing, while the Company’s joint ventures in New York, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Kentucky are not part of the filing. This decision was not made lightly. Over time, our industry has evolved, consumer preferences have shifted and the wholesale environment has grown increasingly challenging. Over the last several months, we have taken deliberate steps to transition our operations across certain markets. We pursued and closed sales that preserved over 5,000 jobs and allowed our businesses in those markets to continue serving their customers and suppliers. Ultimately, RNDC’s financial position required us to pursue an in-court process. The court-supervised process is intended to give us the time and flexibility to continue working with parties that have expressed an interest in acquiring our other markets and conduct an orderly wind down of our remaining operations. As we move through this process, we intend to continue to meet our obligations under certain transition service agreements related to the previously disclosed sales of certain of our operations. We have received a commitment for financing from certain of our lenders to support the business during the chapter 11 process. We thank our suppliers and customers for their patience and support. We are incredibly grateful to our associates for their …
Brian Alberts@brewedculture.org · 2w ago

Watching them grow older, day by day, ignoring his own creeping infirmaties until, at long last... That's all, folks.

Hagai Palevsky (he/him)@dialhforhagai.bsky.social · 2w ago

Wile E. Coyote, despaired, takes a bucket of paint and a brush and paints a beautiful two-bedroom house on a mountainside. He paints a beautiful coyote wife in the window, and two adorable coyote kids running around in the yard. He tries to enter this new coyote life, but it is inaccessible to him

Brian Alberts@brewedculture.org · 2w ago

Watching them grow older, day by day, ignoring his own creeping infirmaties until, at long last... That's all, folks.

Hagai Palevsky (he/him)@dialhforhagai.bsky.social · 2w ago

Wile E. Coyote, despaired, takes a bucket of paint and a brush and paints a beautiful two-bedroom house on a mountainside. He paints a beautiful coyote wife in the window, and two adorable coyote kids running around in the yard. He tries to enter this new coyote life, but it is inaccessible to him