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Libation Nation Podcast

Libation Nation Podcast

Written by: Libation Nation
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 Covering the latest stories in social news, entertainment, travel and community experiences on all things beer, whiskey & spirits.

Bringing our listeners everything from entertainment and entrepreneurship, to philanthropy, education, interviews and community outreach when it comes to craft breweries and distilleries across the nation, and the arts of their craft.

We’re laying it all out on the drinking table. Let's start a conversation.Copyright Libation Nation Politics & Government
Episodes
  • Beerflation: How Inflation is Making Craft Beer More Expensive

    Beerflation: How Inflation is Making Craft Beer More Expensive
    Feb 25 2022
    In this episode we’ll be talking about Beerflation: How Inflation will eventually make your favorite craft beer more expensive (if it hasn’t already).


    Well it looks like our worst fears are coming true: inflation is no longer temporary, or what economists have been calling transitory. No, inflation is here to stay. For how long though still remains to be seen.

    Inflation news is ever-changing, but at the time of this recording inflation jumped its fastest pace in nearly 40 years last month to a whopping 7%. Cars, gas, food, and other commodities saw substantial price hikes. This is starting to worry many Americans — and this fear isn’t misplaced.

    We can point to many things contributing to inflation right now. Supply chain backlogs, labor and raw material shortages, pandemic fears, wage increases, and even some of President Biden’s recent economic policies are to blame. What’s more, most Americans think Washington DC isn’t doing enough to stave off this new expensive reality.

    If this problem’s left untouched, the American dollar will be worth less and less over time. This means your money won’t go as far, easily draining savings accounts and hampering overall economic progress for everyday people.

    The Federal Reserve is left with no choice but to raise interest rates. In an attempt to curb inflation Fed chair, Jerome Powell, told Congress, “If we see inflation persisting at high levels longer than expected [and] we have to raise interest rates more over time, we will.”

    Powell even hinted they might raise rates as early as March, and up to three times this year. (Ouch). But many wonder if this government action is too little too late, or simply not enough to tackle a mounting concern like this one.


    With that being said, we most certainly can expect inflation to affect our favorite craft beer prices soon (if it hasn’t already). Wage increases for brewery employees, higher costs for raw beer ingredients, greater transportation and distribution demands, and slower turn around of parts for brewery equipment will all contribute to more expensive craft beer.

    Craft breweries will inevitably pass this extra cost onto the customer. Likely this will either be through raising prices for the same size beer, or keeping prices the same but beer offered in smaller fluid ounce sizes. Any way you pour it, beer is going to get costlier.

    And this won’t be the breweries fault either. Prices are going up everywhere, just look at your local grocery store. Craft beer is merely collateral damage in a much bigger economic problem. (Sniff sniff, I’m not crying).

    But don’t worry, craft beer isn’t likely to go anywhere anytime soon. These days imbibing great beer with even better community is practically an American pastime. It’s an easy, accessible, and fun way to escape the woes and throes of inflation — a chance to just live in the moment. Just don’t make it an excuse not to drink responsibly.

    Let’s keep calm and drink beer. Here’s to hoping this whole inflation thing gets sorted out sooner than later.

    Next episode we’ll talk about Monster Beverages’ plan to enter the craft beer game.


    Until then, cheers to beers.
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    4 mins
  • In Case You Missed It: Climate Change, Celebrity Brewery, Illegal Craft Beer & More

    In Case You Missed It: Climate Change, Celebrity Brewery, Illegal Craft Beer & More
    Feb 2 2022
    In case you missed the last 4 podcast episodes, this episode puts them together into 1 easy listening (and drinking) experience. This episode's packed with a lot of beer content, such as climate change and its impact on the craft beer capital of America, a new celebrity brewery in New York, illegal craft beer in 15 states, and 5 new beer and brewery trends to expect in 2022. Enjoy.

    Stay thirsty. And cheers to beers.


    New Instagram name change: https://www.instagram.com/libationnation.tv


    ©2022 Libation Nation™ An Alcohol Media Company. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Libation Nation LLC
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    17 mins
  • 5 Craft Beer & Brewery Trends for 2022

    5 Craft Beer & Brewery Trends for 2022
    Dec 31 2021
    This decade has started off on the wrong foot. A global pandemic, economic downturn, inflation worries, culture wars, and a growing political divide have dominated news cycles for months now. But within all the chaos plaguing the 2020s thus far, it’s nice to take a reprieve when one can find it. For many, craft beer has taken on that role.It’s actually not a far fetched idea. On the face of it, some may say it’s just beer. But it’s really not just about the beer is it? People (particularly Americans) have always gravitated towards these little luxuries, especially in times of uncertainty. Going to the movies, grabbing a Starbucks coffee to go, or even enjoying a craft beer, these are just some examples of temporary escape — a moment of bliss. It’s really no wonder then we reach for a cold one every once in a while. Craft beer is always great, in good times and in bad. With that, predicting the future can be a tricky business. Going into the next year is a chance for something new. Here’s our predictions for craft beer in 2022:1) Getting Creative with Water. Water shortages will continue to hit drought-stricken territories (especially states like California). This directly impacts brewery operations and craft beer production. A need for water conservation and reuse, more integrated technologies and other self-sustainable methods will continue to be necessary for craft beer “survival.” Breweries will need to continue to flex their resourcefulness. 2) Weird Beer Gets Weirder. Craft beer (like anything else) can have a certain one-upmanship about it. Hence we get some funky ingredients and pretty weird flavors. Some examples of odd-ingredient beers include Avocado Honey Ale by Island Brewing Company, Coconut Curry Hefeweizen by New Belgium Brewery, and even Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout by Wynkoop Brewery (I think I’m gonna be sick). We expect this trend to continue even more as new breweries continue to take root throughout our libation nation. (see what I did there)3) AI Takes Over Beer…Sort of. There’s a burgeoning field of artificial intelligence and machine learning. It’s expected to permeate more and more into business operations. Breweries are no exception. While we shouldn’t expect drastic changes next year, AI will continue to automate lower-level tasks. This should free up more time and resources for breweries to exploit such as broader expansion into new and existing markets, enhanced beer production, or improved quality control. However, some have taken the power of AI in beer making a little too far: IntelligentX uses artificial intelligence to create different varieties of beer. (artificial intelligence making beer? So this is how robots take over the world.)4) Craft Beer Popularity Boom Rises. The craft beer industry will continue to boom in popularity. The 1990s had around 300 craft breweries at the time. Today we have almost 9,000 breweries nationwide. That’s around 30x more breweries now than just 3 decades ago. Or to put it another way, that’s an average of 250-300 new craft breweries every year. While the COVID pandemic may have slowed things down a bit, Americans still prefer to imbibe with good company rather than alone. Hence, we continue to seek out new places to gather; and what better place than a brewery.5) New Tasty Beer Hotspot...Dallas-Fort Worth Over the past decade, DFW has seen an explosion in new craft breweries. The catalyst for this is almost entirely due to its rapid population growth and business-friendly environment. This has made DFW the fastest growing area in the nation (several years running now). As new residents continue to flood the metroplex (mostly fleeing from states like California, New York, and Florida), beer tastes and preferences have naturally followed as well. The confluence of new residents from all walks-of-life has created this unique brewery freedom — a beer experimentation of sorts. This little part of the country was primed and ripe for a craft brewery revolution. As a result, new beer styles and flavors have been birthed into the brewery scene that exists there today. But don’t just take our word for it. You’ll have to visit the Dallas-Fort Worth area for yourself. And there you have it: 5 Craft Beer & Brewery Trends for 2022. If history has taught us anything it’s that you never know what the next year has to offer. And beer can take us there.#subscribe#youtubevideos#beer#podcast#share#YouTube #youtubechannel#newvideo#youtubecontentFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/libationnation.tv/Read the Article: https://ourlibationnation.com/news/5-craft-beer-trends-for-2022/The people & scenes depicted in this video are purely to convey the story, and do not in any way serve as an endorsement to any personal or professional entities, or companies/organizations/institutions mentioned within this report. ©2021 Libation Nation™ An Alcohol Media Company. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Libation Nation LLC
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    6 mins
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