Harlie is honored to have Liz Crowe on the blog today. She is talking beer, beer and more beer. Oh and she has a new book out from Decadent Publishing. If you have never read Liz's books, you are totally missing out. As an insider to the beer business, her beer books put you directly into that world and never let you go.
I have interviewed Liz on beer. Sorry peeps but I couldn't do a "cutesy" interview with her. :) I love beer, Liz writes about beer and Cheeky Blonde is about beer.
Happy reading and I have included all of her links at the bottom. If you would like to join her street team, the button to join is on the left hand side.
Liz Interview:
1.
Top three mass market breweries?
Anheuser-Busch Inc. (a) St. Louis
MO
MillerCoors (b) Chicago IL
Pabst
Brewing Co. (c) Woodbridge IL
No Shiner Bock. It is the state beer of Texas. :)
2.
Top three microbrews (microbreweries)?
Boston Beer Co.
Boston MA
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Chico
CA
Hubs, my brother and dad love Sierra Nevada.
New Belgium Brewing Co. Fort Collins CO
2.
Best import and why?
In my honest opinion, Tenants,
Scottish Lager
3.
Best country for beer?
America
Interesting. I figured a foreign country. But hey, what do I know.
4.
Favorite style of beer?
Hoppy, bitter IPAs, although I love my own
brewery’s IPL
My dad and brother love bitter IPA's, too.
5.
What goes into the decision making for producing
a new beer?
Market research, market saturation of the
product and cost to produce.
6.
What was your thought process when you decided
to go into the beer business
They needed a marketing expert, I was tired
of real estate, so I jumped of that particular cliff and landed well.
Yes you did. Congratulations!
7.
Describe how long it takes to actually produce a
keg of beer?
Depends. In my brewery we make lagers so
the actual brewing process is about 3 hours for ten barrels (approximately 30
“kegs”) but the fermentation process is longer than for ales, up to 4 or 5
weeks in some cases. The word “lager” means “to store” in German—where lager
beers were invented, and the “storing” process is a crucial part of it.
8.
Also, don’t hold back, what’s the main difference
between mass market beers and microbrews?
What makes the microbrew that much better?
Macrobrews or mass market beers are made for that—for the
masses. They have minimal taste, are cheap to produce and sell although their
quality and consistency standards are very high for their own product.
Craft microbrews are by definition hand-crafted in small
batches and meant for a more discerning
Drinker. A person looking for a brew to complement or
contrast their food, or to savor, not just gulp down, on a hot day.
Personally, I like a microbrew. I found one in Chicago that I liked alot and found it to buy in Texas. Its from Goose Island Brewery. I found out about it when I first visited relatives about 15 years ago. Great beer.
Of course, Shiner is my absolute favorite beer in the world. Its like liquid candy for me. I also like Newcastle (shoot me) and my brother, former bartender, makes the best Black & Tan ever. No one can make it like he can.
Thank you for the great interview Liz.
Here are some links where you can find Liz this week:
Buy links:
Smashwords:http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/179345
Decadent Publishing: http://www.decadentpublishing.com/product_info.php?products_id=578&osCsid=2tdovom679e62uo97kvcd8m7j3
BIO:
Microbrewery owner, multi-published author, beer blogger and journalist, mom of three teenagers, and soccer fan, Liz lives in the great middle west, in a Major College Town. Years of experience in sales and fund raising, plus an eight-year stint as an ex-pat trailing spouse plus making her way in a world of men (i.e. the beer industry) has prepped her for life as erotic romance author. When she isn't sweating inventory and sales figures for the brewery, she can be found writing, editing or sweating promotional efforts for her latest publications.
Otherwise, look for her doing pounds of laundry for her athletic children, watching La Liga on the Fox Soccer Channel, or trying to figure out what to order in for dinner. Liz loves her Foo Fighters Pandora station, and watching reruns of Deadwood, when there isn't any decent sports on the telly (like during “golf season”). Her beer blog a2beerwench.com is nationally recognized for its insider yet outsider views on the craft beer industry. Her books are set in the not-so-common worlds of breweries, on the soccer pitch and in high powered real estate offices. Don’t ask her for anything “like” a Budweiser or risk painful injury.
www.brewingpassion.com
I'm not a beer drinker - I've tried the mass beers and yeah they taste icky to me. I guess I need to try some of the micro-brews and see if I like any of them. Thanks for the suggestions!
ReplyDeleteenjoy Maria! and be sure and do it while you're reading Cheeky Blonde!
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